Britain's American colonies
broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new
nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in
1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the
original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and
acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic
experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the
Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II
and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most
powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low
unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Geography
United States
Location:
North America, bordering both
the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and
United States
Geographic coordinates:
38 00 N, 97 00 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 9,826,630 sq km
land: 9,161,923 sq km water: 664,707 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area - comparative:
about half the size of Russia;
about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South
America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more
than twice the size of the European Union
Land boundaries:
total: 12,034 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with
Alaska), United States 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km
mostly temperate, but tropical
in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west
of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest;
low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in
January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the
Rocky Mountains
Terrain:
vast central plain, mountains
in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river
valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Death
Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m
total: 477 cu km/yr
(13%/46%/41%) per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
tsunamis, volcanoes, and
earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic
and Gulf of United States coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud
slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in
northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environment - current issues:
air pollution resulting in acid
rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of
carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from
runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water
resources in much of the western part of the country require careful
management; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
world's third-largest country
by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and
India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley
the lowest point on the continent
total: 36.7 years
male: 35.4 years female: 38.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.883% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
14.18 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.27 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.92 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73
male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.3 deaths/1,000
live births male: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.14
years male: 75.29 years female: 81.13 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
950,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
17,011 (2005 est.)
Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups:
white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian
4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific
islander 0.2% (2003 est.) note: a separate listing for Hispanic
is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a
person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or
Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic
group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
Religions:
Protestant 51.3%, Roman
Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist
0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4%
(2007 est.)
Languages:
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%,
other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000
census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of
Hawaii
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 99% male:
99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government
United States
Country name:
conventional long form:
United States of America conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA
Government type:
Constitution-based federal
republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
name: Washington, DC
geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W time
difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time) daylight saving
time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in
November note: the US is divided into six time zones
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*;
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New United States, New York, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas:
American Samoa, Baker Island,
Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway
Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island note: from 18 July 1947 until
1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political
units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union
with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall
Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21
October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free
Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a
Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)
Independence:
4 July 1776 (from Great
Britain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4
March 1789
Legal system:
federal court system based on
English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which
all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code)
is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard
B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government head of government: President
George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY
(since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
president with Senate approval elections: president and vice
president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who
are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve
four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2
November 2004 (next to be held on 4 November 2008) election
results: George W. BUSH reelected president; percent of popular vote -
George W. BUSH 50.9%, John KERRY 48.1%, other 1.0%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress consists of
the Senate (100 seats, 2 members are elected from each state by popular
vote to serve six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and
the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last
held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); House of
Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November
2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Democratic Party 233, Republican Party 202
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (nine justices;
nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of
the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal;
United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Howard DEAN];
Green Party; Libertarian Party [William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party
[Robert M. (Mike) DUNCAN]
13 equal horizontal stripes of
red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in
the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars
arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom)
alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states,
the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the
design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags,
including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
Economy
United States
Economy - overview:
The US has the largest and most
technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of
$46,000. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business
firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments
buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US
business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in
Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off
surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face
higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms
face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in
technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace,
and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of
World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual
development of a 'two-tier labor market' in which those at the bottom lack
the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top
and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance
coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in
household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The response to
the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable
resilience of the economy. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led
coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major
shifts in national resources to the military. The rise in GDP in 2004-07
was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane
Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005,
but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil
prices in 2005-2007 threatened inflation and unemployment, yet the economy
continued to grow through year-end 2007. Imported oil accounts for about
two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate
investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension
costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and
stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise
trade deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007. Together, these
problems caused a marked reduction in the value and status of the dollar
worldwide in 2007.
farming, forestry, and fishing
0.6%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%,
managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%,
other services 16.5% note: figures exclude the unemployed
(2007)
Unemployment rate:
4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
12% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
leading industrial power in the
world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel,
motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics,
food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
Canada 22.2%, United States 12.9%,
Japan 5.8%, China 5.3%, UK 4.4% (2006)
Imports:
$1.987 trillion f.o.b. (2007
est.)
Imports - commodities:
agricultural products 4.9%,
industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4%
(computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office
machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles,
clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003)
Imports - partners:
Canada 16%, China 15.9%, United States
10.4%, Japan 7.9%, Germany 4.8% (2006)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $23.53 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$65.89 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$12.25 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.818 trillion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$2.306 trillion (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$17 trillion (2005)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
British pounds per US
dollar: 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004),
0.6125 (2003) Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.0724 (2007),
1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004), 1.4011 (2003) Japanese
yen per US dollar: 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006) 110.22 (2005), 108.19
(2004), 115.93 (2003) euros per US dollar: 0.7345 (2007),
0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.8860 (2003) Chinese
yuan per US dollar: 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768
(2004), 8.2770 (2003)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Communications
United States
Telephones - main lines in use:
172 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
233 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: a
large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country international: country
code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems provide international connectivity;
satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific
Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific
and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave
19 (2006)
Radios:
575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2,218 (2006)
Televisions:
219 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.us
Internet hosts:
3.95 million (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
7,000 (2002 est.)
Internet users:
208 million (2006)
Transportation
United States
Airports:
14,947 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5,143 over
3,047 m: 191 2,438 to 3,047 m: 224 1,524 to 2,437
m: 1,452 914 to 1,523 m: 2,323 under 914 m: 953
(2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9,804
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 153 914
to 1,523 m: 1,732 under 914 m: 7,912 (2007)
Heliports:
146 (2007)
Pipelines:
petroleum products 244,620 km;
natural gas 548,665 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 226,612 km
standard gauge: 226,612 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 6,430,366 km
paved: 4,165,110 km (includes 75,009 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,265,256 km (2005)
Waterways:
41,009 km (19,312 km used for
commerce) note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including
the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 446 ships (1000
GRT or over) 10,308,428 GRT/12,616,742 DWT by type: barge
carrier 6, bulk carrier 64, cargo 82, carrier 2, chemical tanker 20,
container 82, passenger 20, passenger/cargo 60, petroleum tanker 59,
refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, specialized tanker 1, vehicle
carrier 20 foreign-owned: 67 (Australia 2, Canada 4, Denmark
29, Germany 6, Malaysia 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Singapore 11, Sweden
5, UK 1) registered in other countries: 785 (Antigua and
Barbuda 8, Australia 5, Bahamas 162, Belize 3, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6,
Canada 3, Cayman Islands 41, Comoros 2, Cyprus 8, Ecuador 1, Greece 10,
Honduras 1, Hong Kong 22, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 16, Liberia 103,
South Korea 7, Luxembourg 3, Malta 11, Marshall Islands 129, Netherlands
13, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 18, Panama 115, Peru 1, Portugal 1,
Puerto Rico 3, Russia 1, Singapore 17, Spain 9, St Vincent and The
Grenadines 21, Sweden 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 11, Vanuatu
1, unknown 4) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton
Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa,
Texas City
Military
United States
Military branches:
Army, Navy and Marine Corps,
Air Force, and Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime
by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the
Department of the Navy
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age; 17 years of
age with written parental consent (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49:
67,742,879 females age 18-49: 67,070,144 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49:
54,609,050 females age 18-49: 54,696,706 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49:
2,143,873 females age 18-49: 2,036,201 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.06% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
United States
Disputes - international:
the U.S. has intensified
domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its
neighbors, Canada and United States, to monitor and control legal and illegal
personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders;
abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the United States-US border
region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements;
1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian
Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon
Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed
Machias Seal Island and North Rock; The Bahamas and US have not been able
to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased
from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can
terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has
made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do
so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall
Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains
Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of
origin): the US admitted 62,643 refugees during FY04/05 including,
10,586 (Somalia), 8,549 (Laos), 6,666 (Russia), 6,479 (Cuba), 3,100
(Haiti), 2,136 (Iran) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest consumer of
cocaine, shipped from Colombia through United States and the Caribbean; consumer
of ecstasy and of Mexican heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine; minor
consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of
cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and
methamphetamine; money-laundering center
