I feel like all the responses to this that are talking about countries that are relatively similar in size are forgetting that all of those are mostly uninhabitable other than their southern border or their sea border, much like Alaska is, rather than the vast plains of the US that while sparsely populated, are still significantly populated compared to northern Canada or Russia, or the Amazon in Brazil, or the lack of rain that makes half of China and Australia a barren wasteland
do you know how big the United States is