The contiguous United States includes the western Cordillera, broad interior plains, and the Appalachian belt in the east. The Great Lakes and Gulf coast provide recognisable regional outlines. Rectangular survey grids are common in parts of the interior, but they are only one of many land-use patterns.
The plains between two mountain systems
Compare the Great Plains with the ridges of the Appalachians. This regional image shows the contiguous states rather than Alaska, Hawaii, or US territories.
Similar landscapes across borders
Canada shares prairie grids and forested northern landscapes; Mexico shares southwestern desert terrain. Neither a straight road nor a circular field identifies which side of the border you are seeing. Use larger landforms and water bodies.