The largest state in America is Alaska. With an area of over 1.7 million km², it is more than twice as large as the runner-up, Texas. Alaska is so gigantic that if you were to overlay it on Europe, it would stretch from Norway all the way to Italy.
In the US, there is no shortage of space, especially in the West. The states in the East (where the country began) are often small and compact, while the states west of the Mississippi are massive, square blocks of land.
1. Alaska (1,723,337 km²)
Alaska is the undisputed champion. The US bought this territory from Russia in 1867 for a pittance ($7.2 million), which in hindsight proved to be one of the best deals in history due to its oil and gold. It is the most sparsely populated state; there is more than a square kilometer of nature for every single inhabitant.
2. Texas (695,662 km²)
The slogan goes: Everything is bigger in Texas. And that is true, as long as you ignore Alaska for a moment. Texas is larger than any country in Europe (except for Russia and Turkey). You can drive for an entire day here without ever leaving the state. The landscape varies from marshes in the east to dry deserts in the west.
3. California (423,970 km²)
California is long and narrow. It stretches across a vast length along the Pacific Ocean. It is a state of extremes: you will find the lowest point in North America (Death Valley) as well as gigantic mountain ranges (Sierra Nevada) and the tallest trees in the world (Redwoods).
4. Montana (380,831 km²)
Montana is called “Big Sky Country” because of its wide-open views. It lies against the Canadian border and is dominated by the Rocky Mountains in the west and prairies in the east. It is a paradise for nature lovers (Glacier National Park), yet hardly anyone lives there (just over 1 million).
5. New Mexico (314,917 km²)
This is the fifth state and a land of deserts and mountains. New Mexico has a very characteristic reddish-brown color that is reflected in much of its architecture (adobe style). Historically, it is a crossroads of Indigenous, Spanish, and American cultures.
6. Arizona (295,234 km²)
New Mexico’s neighbor. Arizona is world-famous for the Grand Canyon, which cuts right through the northern part of the state. Although it is known as a desert state full of cacti, you will also find surprisingly large pine forests and ski resorts in the north.
7. Nevada (286,380 km²)
Nevada consists almost entirely of the Great Basin Desert. It is one of the driest states in the country. A bizarre fact: more than 80% of the land in Nevada is owned by the federal government (rather than private individuals or the state itself), which is used for military bases (such as Area 51) and nature conservation.
8. Colorado (269,601 km²)
Colorado is the highest state in America; its average elevation is higher than that of any other state. The state is an almost perfect rectangle on the map. It is the continental divide: rivers that originate here flow either toward the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean.
9. Oregon (254,799 km²)
Oregon lies above California on the West Coast. It is known for its rugged coastline, dense rainforests, and volcanoes (such as Mount Hood). However, in contrast to the green West, the eastern half of the state is a dry high plateau.
10. Wyoming (253,335 km²)
Wyoming closes out the top 10. Like Colorado, it is nearly square. Here you will find the oldest national park in the world: Yellowstone. Wyoming has the fewest inhabitants of all 50 states (fewer than 600,000), meaning nature is still truly the boss here.