The United States is an island.
Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico .	North	North America	states	U.S. state	federal district	Washington, D.C.	Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district	Contiguous United States	North America	North America	Canada	Canada	Mexico	Mexico
It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean , to the east by the Atlantic Ocean , to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean , and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea .	Arctic Ocean	Arctic Ocean	Atlantic Ocean	Atlantic Ocean	Pacific Ocean	Pacific Ocean	South America	South America	Caribbean Sea	Caribbean Sea	Caribbean	Caribbean
