Alaska is the northernmost and westernmost state in the United States. Still, it also has the most excellent easterly longitude in the United States since the Aleutian Islands stretch into the Eastern Hemisphere. Alaska is the only non-contiguous U.S. state in continental North America; it is separated from Washington by around 500 miles (800 km) of British Columbia (Canada). It is theoretically part of the continental United States but is not often included in everyday use; Alaska is not part of the contiguous United States, sometimes known as "the Lower 48."
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