Border history · 1886–2023

United States borders over time

CShapes records 2 changes to the borders of United States between 1886 and 2023. It was independent for the whole period. Its territory covers 9,462,976 km², more than the 7,940,047 km² it covered in 1886. The largest single change came on January 3, 1959, when it gained about 1,506,244 km².

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Border changes
2
Area today
9,462,976 km²
Largest change
+1,506,244 km² (1959)
Status
Independent
August 21, 1959 – presentChoose a period to see its borders. The dashed line is the period before.

Timeline of United States's borders

Each period is one border version in CShapes, with its area and the change from the period before.

  1. January 1, 1886 – January 2, 1959

    7,940,047 km²First recorded versionIndependentWorld map in 1886

  2. January 3, 1959 – August 20, 1959

    9,446,291 km²+1,506,244 km²IndependentWorld map in 1959

  3. August 21, 1959 – present

    9,462,976 km²+16,685 km²IndependentWorld map in 1960

What changed

Independence, transfers between rulers, and border changes recorded for this country.

  1. United States gains about 1,522,930 km² of territory in 2 separate changes during the year.