Sharing a common border or touching; existing or located next to each other without gaps or interruption.
From Latin 'contiguus' (touching, adjoining), from 'con-' (together) + 'tangere' (to touch). The word literally means 'touching together' and entered English in the 1600s from scientific and legal texts.
The United States mainland is often called 'the contiguous United States' to exclude Alaska and Hawaii—but here's the thing: the 48 states aren't actually all touching each other, so technically the term is slightly wrong, which is why scientists now prefer 'conterminous'!
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