a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. Conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with Alaska and Hawaii, 3,615,122 sq. mi. (9,363,166 sq. km). Capital: Washington, D.C. Abbreviation: U.S., US.
the gray wolf, Canis lupus, sometimes designated as the subspecies C. lupus occidentalis: formerly common in northern North America but now greatly reduced in number and rare in the conterminous U.S.
