US Quietly Expanded Its Territory 400,000 Square Miles

By: Lauren Fokas | Published: Sep 13, 2024

At 3,618,783 square miles, the United States is already the fourth largest country by area, covering more than 6% of the entire planet. But now, it’s even bigger.

Just a few months ago, the US expanded its territory by nearly 400,000 square miles or one million square kilometers, seemingly overnight. How did they do it? Let’s find out.

The United States Added 400,000 Square Miles to Its Landmass

In December 2023, the United States quietly added 385,000 square miles to its landmass – that’s twice the size of Spain. But the US didn’t have to lift a finger, win a war, or even pay a dime to gain this extra land.

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A map of Europe with the Spanish flag sitting above Spain

Source: iStock

The government was able to add such an immense amount of land to its already enormous territory by simply declaring to the world it would be so.

The New Landmass Is Made up of ECS

The new territory wasn’t stolen, won, or bought from another nation because it was no one’s to begin with. The land in question is underwater, known as the extended continental shelf or the ECS.

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A map of the world’s extended continental shelves

Source: State Department

ECSs can be found all over the planet along the coastlines, but unlike continental shelves, they don’t automatically belong to the country they’re next to.

What Is a Continental Shelf?

A continental shelf is the seabed and subsoil that lies under the ocean on the edge of a continent.

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A digital illustration of the continental shelf under the ocean

Source: Britannica

Continental shelves typically extend between 200 and 350 feet from the shoreline into the ocean, though some are much shorter, at around 50 miles, and others can reach up to 1,000 miles wide. After that, the sea drops off, and the land is just considered the seafloor.

Every Country With a Coastline Has Continental Shelves

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  (UNCLOS), “Coastal countries have exclusive rights to resources located within the continental shelf, which legally is defined as the seabed up to roughly 200 nautical miles from shore.”

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A photo of the forest meets the beach on the coast

Source: Freepik

So, technically, every nation with a coastline has continental shelves to use as they please. However, only the first 200 miles are automatically considered national territory; if countries want more, they must claim it.

What Is an Extended Continental Shelf?

An extended continental shelf is the area of the naturally forming continental shelf past the 200-mile mark. According to the law, countries can actually claim up to 350 nautical miles offshore, but only if the seabed hasn’t officially started by that point.

An illustration of the continental shelf underwater

Source: Quora

However, in order for a country to call this extended territory its own, it must collect and analyze all data to prove the seabed doesn’t begin until after 350 miles.

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The US Has Officially Claimed 385,000 Square Miles of ESC

This is precisely what the United States has recently done after more than 20 years of extensive research and data collection among over 12 organizations.

A map of the US continental and extended continental shelves

Source: US ECS

Finally, the US has claimed 385,000 square miles of extended continental shelf in addition to the continental shelf it was automatically granted.

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Why Is the Extended Continental Shelf so Important to the US?

As Mead Treadwell, a former Alaska lieutenant governor and former chair of the US Arctic Research Commission, said, “America is larger than it was yesterday.”

A topographical map of the United States, including the continental shelves

Source: Shutterstock

But you may be asking yourself: Why did the federal government work for more than two decades, paying more than a dozen organizations, to obtain this seemingly useless underwater land?

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What Do Continental Shelves Have to Offer?

Continental shelves offer several benefits to countries worldwide, including extensive fisheries, metallic ore, and hydrocarbons. However, none are as valuable as the oil and gas they provide.

A large oil drilling site in the middle of the ocean

Source: iStock

More than 30% of the oil and 20% of the gas produced in the United States are collected from the nation’s continental shelves—and that was before it gained an additional 385,000 square miles.

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How Much Does the US Make on Continental Shelf Oil and Gas?

According to the US Department of the Interior, almost 11 billion barrels of oil and more than 116 trillion cubic feet of gas have been collected on the existing continental shelves since 1982.

A woman filling her car with gas at a gas station

Source: Freepik

Those numbers are expected to grow over the coming years once they can start drilling on the extended continental shelf. The US already makes more than $332.9 billion annually on gas and oil. How much will the government make now? It’s too soon to say, but it’s certainly a lot.

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The Negative Side Effects of the New US Territory

While this all seems very exciting, especially financially, there are many adverse side effects to the United States’ claim of the nearly 400,000 square miles of extended continental shelf.

A man walks along a beach after an oil spill

Source: Freepik

First and foremost, another 400,000 square miles of previously untouched ocean will now be drilled for fossil fuels. Which we all know is bad news for the oceans and the planet as a whole.

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The US Is Exasperating Climate Change

America may be larger than it was yesterday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better off.

A child holding a miniature globe above a dried-up lake, signifying climate change

Source: Freepik

Climate change is already affecting millions of Americans on a daily basis, and if we continue to drill as much of the ocean as we possibly can, those side effects are only going to get worse.

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