The United States of America.

U-2 Hawaii and Alaska, two-scale, four once.

Ever since these states united to create America, the federal government of America, they and

she fought mightily over the land, which plains or forests or mountains or swamps to end up in each hand.

On the map, it looks like states hold all the cards, but they don't.

Just under one-third of land in the United States is federal.

But that's an average.

Looking at the percent of federal land in the states, the wester we go, the federal or the land,

and the less of the state that's in each state.

There's eastern states with under 1% federal land and five western states

that control less than half of the land in their borders.

How?

What?

First thing first.

How did this happen?

America wasn't always the mighty united.

Like us all, she started small, when states were young, new, and few, giving away but little for her to play.

But then America grew, Louisiana purchasing,

Mexican sessioning, and Manifest Destining her way across the continent. But in this age of empires,

it won't do any good to say she owns the land unless she gets her citizens out there to occupy

the vast, totally unoccupied continent. So America turns from

hoarder to minimalist, disposing of as much of the land to new states and new settlers as she can,

...