That's area; another thing to look at is how much distance it spans. It's nearly as long as the US is north-to-south, from Maine to Florida, so it covers a lot

That's area; another thing to look at is how much distance it spans. It's nearly as long as the US is north-to-south, from Maine to Florida, so it covers a lot of total area (much of it water) and has highly varied climates.