Geographic centers of the United States

So, let's say you have a really big pizza that's cut into the shape of the United States. Now, if you want to know where the middle of that pizza is, you can find it by balancing it on your finger, right? Well, the same thing can be done with maps of the United States!

But instead of using your finger, we use math to find the exact middle point of the entire country. This middle point is called the geographic center.

Now, the United States has 50 states and they all have their own shape and size. So, finding the exact middle point can be a bit tricky. This is why there are actually three different geographic centers.

One is the center of the 48 contiguous states (which means the states that are all connected to each other without any oceans or other countries in between). Another is the center point of the entire United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. And the third one is the center of the 50 states when you only count the land and ignore any water that borders them.

So, these geographic center points are kind of like the belly button of the United States. They help us find our way and understand where everything is located.