Map of United States | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: 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) in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states and the Great Depression of the 1930s an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. 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.


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Location: North America bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean between Canada and Mexico

Geographic coordinates: 38 00 N 97 00 W

Map reference: North America

Area
Total: 9,826,630 km²
Land: 9,161,923 km²
Water: 664,707 km²
Note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
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: (2) Canada 8,893 km; (including 2,477 km; with Alaska), Mexico 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

Coastline: 19,924 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: not specified

Climate: 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
Extremes highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m

Natural resources
Note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total

Land use
Arable land: 18.01%
Permanent crops: 0.21%
Other: 81.78% (2005)

Irrigated land: 223,850 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 3,069 km³ (1985)

Natural hazards: tsunamis volcanoes and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 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

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


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Population: 303,824,640 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.883% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: American
Adjective: American

Ethnic groups
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.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

Languages
Note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 31,257,108/female 29,889,645)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 101,825,901/female 102,161,823)
65 years and over: 12.7% (male 16,263,255/female 22,426,914) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
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/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.92 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 6.95 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.62 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 950,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 17,011 (2005 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2006)

Youth unemployment


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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 50 United States cover 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 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: (14) 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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 4 November 2008 (next to be held on 6 November 2012)
Election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of popular vote - Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%; note - OBAMA is expected to assume office on 20 January 2009

Legislative branch
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]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional members) AfDB (nonregional members) ANZUS APEC Arctic Council ARF ASEAN (dialogue partner) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CE (observer) CERN (observer) CP EAPC EBRD FAO G-5 G-7 G-8 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINUSTAH NAFTA NATO NEA NSG OAS OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PIF (partner) SAARC (observer) SECI (observer) SPC UN UN Security Council UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNITAR UNMIL UNOMIG UNRWA UNTSO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $13.78 trillion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $45,800 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.2%
Industry: 19.8%
Services: 79% (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat corn other grains fruits vegetables cotton; beef pork poultry dairy products; fish; forest products

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: -1.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 153.1 million (includes unemployed) (2007 est.)
By occupation note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)

Unemployment rate: 4.6% (2007 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 30% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 45 (2007)

Budget
Revenues: $2.568 trillion
Expenditures: $2.73 trillion (2007 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 60.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 4.83% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 8.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $14.15 trillion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $17 trillion (2005)

Current account balance: -$731.2 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $1.148 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: agricultural products (soybeans fruit corn) 9.2% industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8% capital goods (transistors aircraft motor vehicle parts computers telecommunications equipment) 49.0% consumer goods (automobiles medicines) 15.0% (2003)
Partners: Canada 21.4% Mexico 11.7% China 5.6% Japan 5.4% UK 4.3% Germany 4.3% (2007)

Imports: $1.968 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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)
Partners: China 16.9% Canada 15.7% Mexico 10.6% Japan 7.4% Germany 4.8% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.57 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $12.25 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $2.093 trillion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $2.791 trillion (2007 est.)

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)


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Electricity
Production: 4.167 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 3.892 trillion kWh (2007 est.)
Exports: 20.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 51.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 545.9 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 652.9 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 23.28 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 130.3 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.977 trillion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 163.2 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 255 million (2007)

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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .us
Hosts: 316 million (2008); note - the US Internet total host count includes the following top level domain host addresses: .us .com .edu .gov .mil .net and .org
Users: 223 million (2008)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 4.06% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army) 27 (Air Force) 34 (Navy) 28 (Marines); service obligation 8 years including 2-5 years active duty (Army) 2 years active (Navy) 4 years active (Air Force Marines) (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 14,947 (2007)
With paved runways total: 5,143
With paved runways over 3047 m: 191
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 224
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1,452
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2,323
With paved runways under 914 m: 953 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 9,804
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 153
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1,732
With unpaved runways 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: 6,465,799 km
Paved: 4,209,835 km (includes 75,040 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 2,255,964 km (2007)

Waterways
Note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 422
By type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 61, cargo 69, carrier 2, chemical tanker 22, container 81, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 59, petroleum tanker 53, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 22
Foreign owned: 74 (Australia 1, Denmark 31, Germany 5, Japan 7, Malaysia 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Singapore 12, Sweden 5, UK 1)
Registered in other countries: 732 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia 2, Bahamas 106, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6, Canada 10, Cayman Islands 42, Comoros 2, Cyprus 5, Ecuador 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 29, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 17, South Korea 7, Liberia 98, Luxembourg 4, Malta 23, Marshall Islands 123, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 1, Norway 7, Panama 126, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 22, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 12, Vanuatu 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Corpus Christi Duluth Hampton Roads Houston Long Beach Los Angeles New York Philadelphia Tampa Texas City


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Disputes international: the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its neighbors Canada and Mexico to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel transport and commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-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 Mexico and the Caribbean) Colombian heroin and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis marijuana depressants stimulants hallucinogens and methamphetamine; money-laundering center