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. Since the end of World War II the economy has achieved relatively 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

Area
Rank: 3
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

Coastline: 19,924 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: coal copper lead molybdenum phosphates rare earth elements uranium bauxite gold iron mercury nickel potash silver tungsten zinc petroleum natural gas timber

Land use

Irrigated land: 230,000 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

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

Natural hazards: tsunamis; volcanoes; 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: 313,847,465 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 3
Growth rate: 0.9% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 124
Below poverty line: 15.1% (2010 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: white 79.96% black 12.85% Asian 4.43% Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97% native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18% two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)

Languages: English 82.1% Spanish 10.7% other Indo-European 3.8% Asian and Pacific island 2.7% other 0.7% (2000 census)

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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.9% (2012 est.)
Rank: 124

Birth rate: 13.7 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 147

Death rate: 8.4 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 84

Net migration rate: 3.62 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 26

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 freshwater resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 173

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 51

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 125

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.672 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 3.1 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 64
People living with hivaids: 1.2 million (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 9
Deaths: 17,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 18

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 33.9% (2006)
Rank: 6

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.3% (2002)
Rank: 118

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 43

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Capital

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

Independence: 4 July 1776 (declared); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain)

National holiday: Independence Day 4 July (1776)

Constitution: 17 September 1787 effective 4 March 1789

Legal system: common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law except Louisiana which is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: withdrew acceptance of compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 2005; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats 2 members elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)

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 [Debbie Wasserman SCHULTZ]; Green Party; Libertarian Party [Mark HINKLE]; Republican Party [Reince PRIEBUS]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) ANZUS APEC Arctic Council ARF ASEAN (dialogue partner) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CD CE (observer) CERN (observer) CICA (observer) CP EAPC EAS EBRD EITI (implementing country) FAO FATF G-20 G-5 G-7 G-8 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSTAH MONUSCO NAFTA NATO NEA NSG OAS OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PIF (partner) SAARC (observer) SELEC (observer) SICA (observer) SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNITAR UNMIL UNMISS UNRWA UNSC (permanent) UNTSO UPU WCO 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; the blue stands for loyalty devotion truth justice and friendship; red symbolizes courage zeal and fervency while white denotes purity and rectitude of conduct; commonly referred to by its nickname of Old Glory

National symbols: bald eagle

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 $49,800 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. Since 1996 dividends and capital gains have grown faster than wages or any other category of after-tax income. Imported oil accounts for nearly 55% of US consumption. Crude oil prices doubled between 2001 and 2006 the year home prices peaked; higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets and many individuals fell behind in their mortgage payments. Oil prices climbed another 50% between 2006 and 2008 and bank foreclosures more than doubled in the same period. Besides dampening the housing market soaring oil prices caused a drop in the value of the dollar and a deterioration in the US merchandise trade deficit which peaked at $840 billion in 2008. The sub-prime mortgage crisis falling home prices investment bank failures tight credit and the global economic downturn pushed the United States into a recession by mid-2008. GDP contracted until the third quarter of 2009 making this the deepest and longest downturn since the Great Depression. To help stabilize financial markets in October 2008 the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and industrial corporations much of which had been returned to the government by early 2011. In January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus to be used over 10 years - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover. In 2010 and 2011 the federal budget deficit reached nearly 9% of GDP. In 2012 the federal government reduced the growth of spending and the deficit shrank to 7.6% of GDP. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required major shifts in national resources from civilian to military purposes and contributed to the growth of the budget deficit and public debt. Through 2011 the direct costs of the wars totaled nearly $900 billion according to US government figures. US revenues from taxes and other sources are lower as a percentage of GDP than those of most other countries. In March 2010 President OBAMA signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act a health insurance reform that will extend coverage to an additional 32 million American citizens by 2016 through private health insurance for the general population and Medicaid for the impoverished. Total spending on health care - public plus private - rose from 9.0% of GDP in 1980 to 17.9% in 2010. In July 2010 the president signed the DODD-FRANK Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act a law designed to promote financial stability by protecting consumers from financial abuses ending taxpayer bailouts of financial firms dealing with troubled banks that are 'too big to fail' and improving accountability and transparency in the financial system - in particular by requiring certain financial derivatives to be traded in markets that are subject to government regulation and oversight. Long-term problems include stagnation of wages for lower-income families inadequate investment in deteriorating infrastructure rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population energy shortages and sizable current account and budget deficits - including significant budget shortages for state governments.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 2

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 136

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 12

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 78

Labor force: 154.9 million
Rank: 4

Unemployment rate: 9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 98

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 15.1% (2010 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 40.8 (1997)
Rank: 41

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -7.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 190

Taxes and other revenues: 15.7% of GDP
Rank: 183

Public debt: 67.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 35

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 28

Central bank discount rate: 0.5% (31 December 2009)
Rank: 138

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 3.25% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 175

Stock of narrow money: $2.01 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 4

Stock of broad money: $12.07 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 3

Stock of domestic credit: $31.53 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Rank: 1

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 1

Current account balance: -$465.9 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 193

Exports: $1.497 trillion (2011 est.)
Rank: 3
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%
Partners: Canada 19% Mexico 13.3% China 7% Japan 4.5% (2011)

Imports: $2.236 trillion (2011 est.)
Rank: 2
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)
Partners: China 18.4% Canada 14.2% Mexico 11.7% Japan 5.8% Germany 4.4% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $132.4 billion (2010 est.)
Rank: 17

Debt external: $13.98 trillion (30 June 2010)
Rank: 2

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $2.577 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 1

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $4.328 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 1

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Production: 4.12 trillion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 3
Consumption: 3.889 trillion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 3
Exports: 19.41 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 8
Imports: 45.23 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 4
Installed generating capacity: 1.025 billion kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 3
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 95
Generation sources nuclear: 9.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 21
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 118
Generation sources other renewable sources: 4.8% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 37

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 9.023 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 4
Crude oil exports: 43,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 47
Crude oil imports: 9.013 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 2
Crude oil proven reserves: 20.68 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 15

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 17.88 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products production rank: 2
Products consumption: 18.84 million bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 2
Products exports: 1.876 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 4
Products imports: 1.255 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products imports rank: 6

Natural gas
Production: 651.3 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 3
Consumption: 689.9 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 2
Exports: 42.67 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 9
Imports: 97.86 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 4
Proven reserves: 7.716 trillion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 7

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 5.61 billion Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 3

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 146 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 2
Mobile cellular: 290.3 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 3

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 4 major terrestrial TV networks with affiliate stations throughout the country plus cable and satellite networks independent stations and a limited public broadcasting sector that is largely supported by private grants; overall thousands of TV stations broadcasting; multiple national radio networks with many affiliate stations; while most stations are commercial National Public Radio (NPR) has a network of some 600 member stations; satellite radio available; overall nearly 15,000 radio stations operating (2008)

Internet
Country code: .us
Hosts: 505 million (2012); note - the US Internet total host count includes the following top level domain host addresses: .us .com .edu .gov .mil .net and .org
Hosts rank: 1
Users: 245 million (2009)
Users rank: 2

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 4.06% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 23

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) (2010)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 15,079 (2010)
Rank: 1

Heliports: 126 (2012)

Pipelines: petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 1

Roadways
Rank: 1

Waterways: 41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce; Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km is shared with Canada) (2012)
Rank: 4

Merchant marine
Rank: 26

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: the US 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; Canada and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; 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

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