Largest of the 48 Contiguous U.S. States: Texas

Texas is the largest of the 48 contiguous states:

• Area: 695,662 km² (268,596 sq mi)
• Alaska (1,723,337 km²) is larger overall but not contiguous (separated by Canada).

Ranking of contiguous states by land area:

1. Texas
2. California
3. Montana
4. New Mexico
5. Arizona

Texas alone is ~7% of total US land area—larger than France, Spain, or Germany.