WikiLeaks Document Release http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 February 2, 2009 Congressional Research Service Report RS21729 U.S. International Borders: Brief Facts Janice Cheryl Beaver, Knowledge Services Group February 1, 2007 Abstract. This report provides information on the international boundaries that the United States shares with Canada and Mexico. Included are data on land and water boundaries for the northern Canadian border and the southern Mexican border, as well as the international boundaries for the U.S. states that border these countries. Coastline figures for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, the Great Lakes, and extraterritorial areas are also included. This report does not cover border security issues; however, a listing of relevant CRS reports is at the end of this report. ¢ ¢ http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress ¢ This report, originally authored by CRS Information Specialist Barbara Torreon, provides information on the international boundaries that the United States shares with Canada and Mexico. Included are data on land and water boundaries for the northern Canadian border and the southern Mexican border, as well as the international boundaries for the U.S. states that border these countries. Coastline figures for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, the Great Lakes, and extraterritorial areas are also included. This report does not cover border security issues; however, a listing of relevant CRS reports is at the end of this report. This report will be updated as needed. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 Canadian and Mexican Borders....................................................................................................... 1 U.S. Coastline.................................................................................................................................. 2 Great Lakes Shorelines.................................................................................................................... 3 CRS Reports on Border Security Issues .......................................................................................... 4 Selected Print Sources ..................................................................................................................... 4 Selected Internet Sources ................................................................................................................ 5 Table 1. Length of U.S.-Canada Land and Water Boundary by State ............................................. 1 Table 2. Length of U.S.-Mexico Land and Water Boundary, by State ............................................ 1 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 Table 3. Length of the U.S. Coastline.............................................................................................. 2 Table 4. Great Lakes Shorelines and Connecting Rivers ................................................................ 3 Author Contact Information ............................................................................................................ 5 .setats ruof fo stsisnoc setatS detinU eht ni aera redrob ehT :etoN .yrarbil SGSU htiw noitatlusnoc enohp SRC dna yevruS lacigoloeG .S.U :ecruoS 4.339,1 latoT 4.041 ainrofilaC 5.971 ocixeM weN 5.273 )reviR odaroloC eht gnola selim 1.91 gnidulcni( anozirA 0.142,1 saxeT )ednarG oiR eht gnola gnidulcni( etatS htgneL redroB )selim ni redro g nidnecsed ni( etatS yb ,y radnuoB retaW dna dnaL ocixeM-.S.U fo htgneL .2 elbaT mth.2gpcbi/gro.noissimmocyradnuoblanoitanretni.www//:ptth .noissimmoC yradnuoB lanoitanretnI :ecruoS 525,5 latoT 24 ainavlysnneP 54 ohadI 85 erihspmaH weN 09 tnomreV 641 oihO 013 atokaD htroN 724 notgnihsaW 544 kroY weN 545 anatnoM 745 atosenniM 116 eniaM http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 127 nagihciM 835,1 aksalA htgneL yradnuoB etatS )selim ni redro g nidnecsed ni( etatS yb y radnuoB retaW dna dnaL adanaC-.S.U fo htgneL .1 elbaT from the International Boundary Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey. with Canada and the four states that share an international border with Mexico, with information alone is 1,538 miles. The tables below list the 13 U.S. states that share international boundaries the U.S.-Mexican border is estimated at 1,933 miles. The length of the Alaska-Canada border of the U.S.-Canadian border, excluding Alaska, is approximately 3,987 miles, while the length of According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the length of the International Boundary line ¡ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has surveyed the coastline of the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii several times. The current figures for the coastline are the results of the measurements done originally in 1915 and updated several times thereafter. These figures reflect the general outline of the seacoast. The figures for Alaska reflect a 1961 remeasurement. It is important to note that boundary and coastline distances can differ significantly based on the scale used on the maps or charts. The Canadian and Mexican international borders are less problematic than the coastline measures because there are long stretches that are straight, such as the nearly 900-mile section of the U.S.-Canadian border along the 49th parallel. Coastline measurements are more difficult because of the effects of tides and the necessarily arbitrary decisions that must be made about measuring bays, coves, islands, and inlets leading to streams and rivers. The "general coastline" data in this report are based on large scale nautical charts, resulting in a coastline measure for the 50 states totaling12,383 miles. Another measure http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 using smaller scale nautical charts more than doubles this measurement to 29,093 miles, while the figures used by the NOAA in administering the Coastal Zone Management program (16 U.S.C. §1451) come to 88,612 miles (not including the Great Lakes). Table 3 provides figures for the areas of the U.S. coastline bordering international waters. It measures the coastline of the contiguous states from northeast to northwest. eniltsaoC .S.U eht fo htgneL .3 elbaT )selim ni( setatS detinU eniltsaoC lareneG eniaM 822 erihspmaH weN 31 sttesuhcassaM 291 dnalsI edohR 04 tucitcennoC a0 kroY weN 721 yesreJ weN 031 erawaleD 82 dnalyraM 13 ainigriV 211 aniloraC htroN 103 aniloraC htuoS 781 aigroeG 001 adirolF 053,1 amabalA 35 ippississiM 44 069,4 latoT 033 oiratnO ekaL 07 reviR aragaiN 074 eirE ekaL 07 reviR tiorteD 041 rialC .tS ekaL 03 reviR rialC .tS 048 noruH ekaL 046,1 nagihciM ekaL 021 reviR syraM .tS 052,1 roirepuS ekaL enilerohS .S.U retaW fo ydoB )selim ni( sreviR gnitcennoC dna senilerohS sekaL taerG .4 elbaT the Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data. These shoreline lengths were measured in 1970 by the International Coordinating Committee on measurement. figures appear due to natural occurrences, including bays and inlets, and in differing methods of Similar to problems mentioned above regarding measuring coastlines, variations in shoreline http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 .7002/32/1 detcatnoC .eciffO smargorP tucitcennoC ,smargorP dnuoS dnalsI gnoL fo eciffO :noitamrofni siht rof ecruoS .sretaw lanoitanretni no sredrob ti fo enon ,eniltsaoc fo selim 011 yletamixorppa sah tucitcennoC hguohtlA .a .5791 ,setatS detinU eht fo eniltsaoC ehT,noitartsinimdA cirehpsomtA dna cinaecO lanoitaN ,ecremmoC fo tnemtrapeD .S.U :ecruoS 383,21 latoT 057 iiawaH 046,6 aksalA 751 notgnihsaW 692 nogerO 048 ainrofilaC 763 saxeT 793 anaisiuoL eniltsaoC lareneG setatS detinU retaW fo ydoB enilerohS .S.U )maD siouqorI evoba( reviR ecnerwaL .tS 022 )maD rewoP evoba( reviR ecnerwaL .tS 023 ,noitartsinimdA cirehpsomtA dna cinaecO lanoitaN ,ecremmoC fo tnemtrapeD .S.U :ecruoS eht fo eniltsaoC ehT .5791 ,setatS detinU ¢ CRS Report RS22026, Border Security: The San Diego Fence, by Blas Nuñez-Neto and Michael John Garcia. CRS Report RL33659, Border Security: Barriers Along the U.S. International Border, by Blas Nuñez-Neto and Yule Kim.CRS Report RL33353, Civilian Patrols Along the Border: Legal and Policy Issues, by Stephen R. Vina and Blas Nuñez-Neto. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 CRS Report RS22443, Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions, by Stephen R. Vina. CRS Report RL33106, Border Security and the Southwest Border: Background, Legislation, and Issues, by Lisa M. Seghetti et al.. CRS Report RL31826, Protecting the U.S. Perimeter: "Border Searches" Under the Fourth Amendment, by Yule Kim. CRS Report RL32399, Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues, by Ruth Ellen Wasem et al., Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues, coordinated by Ruth Ellen Wasem. Shalowitz, Aaron L. Shore and Sea Boundaries, vol. 2. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1964. Coast and Geodetic Survey Publication 10-1. U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States 2007. Washington: GPO, 2006. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Coastline of the United States, 1975. Van Zandt, Franklin K. Boundaries of the United States and the Several States. Washington: GPO, 1976. Geological Survey Professional Paper 909. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2007. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) United States and Mexico http://www.ibwc.state.gov This website has historical information on the two treaties--the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty of February 2,1848, and the Treaty of December 30, 1853--between the United States and Mexico that set the international boundary between the two countries. Also included is information on additional conventions and treaties between the two nations on maintaining the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers, as well as current IBWC reports and solutions for boundary and water problems. International Boundary Commission between Canada and the United States http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org This website contains information on the Treaty of 1908 between the United States and Canada that completed the mapping of the international boundary from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21729 Ocean. Information on U.S.-Canadian border history and boundary markings along open vistas is also included. Janice Cheryl Beaver Information Research Specialist cbeaver@crs.loc.gov, 7-6262