Public land refers to land owned by the government. Most frequently, it is used to refer to land owned and managed by the United States government, although it is sometimes used to refer to lands owned by state governments. The U.S. government owns 262 million acres, about one eighth of the land in the country, the bulk of which is located in the western states, including Alaska. The lands are managed primarily by the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service.