About United States

United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"United States of America", "America", "US", "U.S.", "USA", and "U.S.A." redirect here. For the landmass encompassing North and South America, see Americas. For other uses, see America (disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 40°N 100°W

United States of America
Flag Great Seal
Motto:  "In God we trust"[1][2] Other traditional mottos  [show]
Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner" Menu 0:00 March: "The Stars and Stripes Forever"[3] Menu 0:00
The contiguous United States plus Alaska and Hawaii
The United States and its territories
Capital		Washington, D.C. 38°53′N 77°01′W
Largest city		New York City 40°43′N 74°00′W
Official languages		None at federal level[a]
National language		English[b]
Ethnic groups		72.41% White 12.61% Black 9.11% Other/Multiracial 4.75% Asian 1.12% Native[4][c]
Demonym		American
Government		Federal presidential constitutional republic
•	President	Barack Obama
•	Vice President	Joe Biden
•	Speaker of the House	Paul Ryan
•	Chief Justice	John Roberts
Legislature		Congress
•	Upper house	Senate
•	Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence from Great Britain
•	Declaration	July 4, 1776
•	Confederation	March 1, 1781
•	Treaty of Paris	September 3, 1783
•	Constitution	June 21, 1788
•	Last polity admitted	March 24, 1976
Area
•	Total area	9,833,517 km2[5][d] (3rd/4th) 3,796,742 sq mi
•	Water (%)	6.97
•	Total land area	9,147,593 km2 3,531,905 sq mi
Population
•	2016 estimate	324,099,593[6] (3rd)
•	2010 census	309,349,689[7] (3rd)
•	Density	35/km2 (180th) 90.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2016 estimate
•	Total	$18.558 trillion[8] (2nd)
•	Per capita	$57,220[8] (10th)
GDP (nominal)		2016 estimate
•	Total	$18.558 trillion[8] (1st)
•	Per capita	$57,220[8] (6th)
Gini (2013)		40.8[9][10][11] medium
HDI (2014)		0.915[12] very high · 8th
Currency		United States dollar ($) (USD)
Time zone		(UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11)
•	Summer (DST)	(UTC−4 to −10[e])
Date format		MM/DD/YYYY
Drives on the		right[f]
Calling code		+1
ISO 3166 code		US
Internet TLD		.us   .gov   .mil   .edu
a.	^ English is the official language of 32 states; English and Hawaiian are both official languages in Hawaii, and English and 20 Native American languages are official in Alaska. Algonquian, Cherokee, and Sioux are among many other official languages in Native-controlled lands throughout the country. French is a de facto, but unofficial, language in Maine and Louisiana, while New Mexico law grants Spanish a special status.[13][14][15][16]
b.	^ In five territories, English as well as one or more indigenous languages are official: Spanish in Puerto Rico, Samoan in American Samoa, Chamorro in both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Carolinian is also an official language in the Northern Mariana Islands.
c.	^ Not including Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, see Race and ethnicity in the United States for more information.
d.	^ Whether the United States or China is larger has been disputed. The figure given is from the U.S. Census and United Nations.[17]
e.	^ See Time in the United States for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
f.	^ Except American Samoa and the Virgin Islands.

The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, the federal district of Washington, D.C., five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.^{[fn 1]} The 48 contiguous states and federal district are in central North America between Canada and Mexico, with the state of Alaska in the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii comprising an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km²)^[17] and with over 324 million people, the United States is the world's third largest country by total area (and fourth largest by land area)^{[fn 2]} and the third most populous. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries.^[23] The geography and climate are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.^[24]

Paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago,^[25] with European colonization beginning in the 16th century. The United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies in the aftermath of the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775. On July 4, 1776, as the colonies were fighting Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence. The war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, and was the first successful war of independence against a European colonial empire.^[26] The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1781, were felt to have provided inadequate federal powers. The first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties.

The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century,^[27] displacing American Indian tribes, acquiring new territories, and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848.^[27] During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of legal slavery in the country.^[28][29] By the end of that century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean,^[30] and its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar.^[31] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower.^[32]

The United States is a highly developed country, with the world's largest economy by nominal and real GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage,^[33] human development, per capita GDP, and productivity per person.^[34] While the U.S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services, the manufacturing sector remains the second largest in the world.^[35] Though its population is only 4.4% of the world total,^[36] the United States accounts for nearly a quarter of world GDP^[37] and almost a third of global military spending,^[38] making it the world's foremost military and economic power. The United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations.^[39]

Contents

• 1 Etymology
• 2 History
  • 2.1 Indigenous and European contact
  • 2.2 Settlements
  • 2.3 Independence and expansion (1776–1865)
  • 2.4 Civil War and Reconstruction Era
  • 2.5 Industrialization
  • 2.6 World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
  • 2.7 Cold War and civil rights era
  • 2.8 Contemporary history
• 3 Geography, climate, and environment
  • 3.1 Wildlife
• 4 Demographics
  • 4.1 Population
  • 4.2 Language
  • 4.3 Religion
  • 4.4 Family structure
• 5 Government and politics
  • 5.1 Political divisions
  • 5.2 Parties and elections
  • 5.3 Foreign relations
  • 5.4 Government finance
  • 5.5 Military
• 6 Law enforcement and crime
• 7 Economy
  • 7.1 Income, poverty and wealth
• 8 Education
• 9 Culture
  • 9.1 Food
  • 9.2 Literature, philosophy, and the arts
  • 9.3 Music
  • 9.4 Cinema
  • 9.5 Sports
  • 9.6 Media
• 10 Infrastructure
  • 10.1 Transportation
  • 10.2 Energy
  • 10.3 Water supply and sanitation
• 11 Science and technology
• 12 Health
• 13 See also
• 14 Notes
• 15 References
• 16 Bibliography and further reading
  • 16.1 Website sources
• 17 External links

Source from:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_(disambiguation)