Statistical information United States 1992

United States in the World

United States - Introduction 1992

top of page

Background: 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, low inflation, and rapid advances in technology. The biggest cloud over this affluent society is the distribution of gains_since 1975 most of the increase in national income has gone to the 20% of people at the top of the income ladder.

United States - Geography 1992

top of page

Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 9,372,610 km²
Land:

9,166,600 km²; includes only the 50 states and District of
Colombia

Comparative: about three-tenths the size of Russia; about one-third the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly smaller than China; about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe

Land boundaries:

12,248.1 km; Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with
Alaska), Mexico 3,326 km, Cuba (US naval base at Guantanamo) 29.1 km

Coastline: 19,924 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 12 nm
Continental shelf: not specified
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes:

maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance,
Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca); US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims 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 nation; Marshall Islands claims Wake
Island

Climate: mostly temperate, but varies from tropical (Hawaii) to arctic (Alaska; arid to semiarid in west with occasional warm, dry chinook wind

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

Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, crude oil, natural gas, timber

Land use

Land use: arable land: 20%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 26%; forest and woodland 29%; other 25%; includes irrigated 2%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

United States - People 1992

top of page

Population: 254,521,000 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Nationality: noun - American(s; adjective - American

Ethnic groups: white 84.1%, black 12.4%, other 3.5% (1989)

Languages: predominantly English; sizable Spanish-speaking minority

Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 14 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution control measures improving air and water quality; acid rain; agricultural fertilizer and pesticide pollution; management of sparse natural water resources in west; desertification; tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; continuous permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
Current issues note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 98% (male 97%, female 98%) age 25 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1989)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

United States - Government 1992

top of page

Country name
Conventional long form: United States of America; abbreviated US or USA

Government type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Capital: Washington, DC

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 Mexico, 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

Independence: 4 July 1776 (from England)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 June 1789

Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
President:

last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results - George BUSH (Republican Party) 53.37%, Michael DUKAKIS (Democratic
Party) 45.67%, other 0.96%

Senate: last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results - Democratic Party 51%, Republican Party 47%, other 2%; seats - (100 total) Democratic Party 56, Republican Party 44
House of Representatives:

last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3
November 1992); results - Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 44%, other 4%; seats - (435 total) Democratic Party 267, Republican Party 167,
Socialist 1

Communists:

Communist Party (claimed 15,000-20,000 members), Gus HALL, general secretary; Socialist Workers Party (claimed 1,800 members), Jack
BARNES, national secretary

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP,
CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, FAO, ESCAP, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS, OECD, PCA,
SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship
Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation:

US Representative to the UN, Ambassador
Thomas R. PICKERING; Mission at 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10,017; telephone (212) 415-4,050, after hours (212) 415-4,444; FAX (212) 415-4,443

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

thirteen 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

Note:

since 18 July 1947, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with three of the four political units; the Northern Mariana Islands is a
Commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986);
Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US that was approved by the US Congress but to date the Compact process has not been completed in
Palau, which continues to be administered by the US as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association 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)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

United States - Economy 1992

top of page

Economy overview:

The US has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $22,470, the largest among major industrial nations. The economy is market oriented with most decisions made by private individuals and business firms and with government purchases of goods and services made predominantly in the marketplace. In 1989 the economy enjoyed its seventh successive year of substantial growth, the longest in peacetime history. The expansion featured moderation in wage and consumer price increases and a steady reduction in unemployment to 5.2% of the labor force. In 1990, however, growth slowed to 1% because of a combination of factors, such as the worldwide increase in interest rates,
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August, the subsequent spurt in oil prices, and a general decline in business and consumer confidence. In 1991 output failed to recover, unemployment grew, and signs of recovery proved premature.
Ongoing problems for the 1990s include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and trade deficits.

GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $5,673 billion, per capita $22,470; real growth rate -0.7% (1991)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 2% of GDP and 2.8% of labor force; favorable climate and soils support a wide variety of crops and livestock production; world's second largest producer and number one exporter of grain; surplus food producer; fish catch of 5.0 million metric tons (1988)

Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, fishing, lumber, mining

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -1.9% (1991)

Labor force: 126,867,000 (includes armed forces and unemployed); civilian labor force 125,303,000 (1991)
Organized labor: 16,568,000 members; 16.1% of total wage and salary employment which was 102,786,000 (1991)

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 6.6% (1991)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $1,054 billion; expenditures $1,323 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $428.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
Commodoties: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Partners: Western Europe 27.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 12.1% (1989)

Imports: $499.4 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
Commodoties: crude and partly refined petroleum, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
Partners: Western Europe 21.5%, Japan 19.7%, Canada 18.8% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates

United States - Energy 1992

top of page

Electricity access

Electricity production: 776,550,000 kW capacity; 3,020,000 million kWh produced, 12,080 kWh per capita (1990)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita

United States - Communication 1992

top of page

Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions

United States - Military 1992

top of page

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp:

exchange rate conversion - $323.5 billion, 5.7% of
GNP (1991)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

United States - Transportation 1992

top of page

National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

14,177 total, 12,417 usable; 4,820 with permanent-surface runways; 63
with runways over 3,659 m; 325
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2,524
with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: petroleum 275,800 km, natural gas 305,300 km (1985)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes (est.)

Merchant marine:

396 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,969
GRT/20,179 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 38 cargo, 25 bulk, 174 tanker, 13 tanker tug-barge, 14 liquefied gas, 129 intermodal; in addition, there are 231 government-owned vessels

Civil air: 8,252 commercial multiengine transport aircraft (weighing 9,000 kg and over) including 6,036 jet, 831 turboprop, 1,382 piston (December 1989)

Ports and terminals

United States - Transnational issues 1992

top of page

Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for domestic consumption with 1987 production estimated at 3,500 metric tons or about 25% of the available marijuana; ongoing eradication program aimed at small plots and greenhouses has not reduced production