How to cut the non-overlapping part of 2 shapes in Illustrator CS6

I have 2 shapes (see below) a circle and a shape of the US. I want to remove the part of the US that falls outside the circle. How is this possible?

Thanks

Answers:

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Method 1

This doesn’t answer your question specifically (no “cutting” involved), but another less-permanent way to do this is with a clipping mask. Duplicate the circle and make sure it is above the art you want to remove.

Then, select both the circle and the art, and do Object → Clipping Mask → Make.

This will just “hide” the portion that you don’t want to appear without actually cutting the artwork.

Before:

After

If you view the Outlines, you can see the rest of North America is still there, just hidden.

^{Side note: the Hawaii on your map is HUGE. 😉}

Method 2

Draw a shape which covers the area you want to remove.

Select the new path and the continent. On the Pathfinder Panel (Window > Pathfinder), click the Minus Front button.

All methods was sourced from stackoverflow.com or stackexchange.com, is licensed under cc by-sa 2.5, cc by-sa 3.0 and cc by-sa 4.0