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.

Map reference: North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 9,372,610 km²
Land: 9,166,600 km²

Land boundaries: total 12,248 km, Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba 29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km

Coastline: 19,924 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm depth
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and 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

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

Land use
Arable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 26%
Forest and woodland: 29%
Other: 25%

Irrigated land: 181,020 km² (1989 est.)

Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic coast; tornadoes in the midwest; mudslides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development

Geography
Note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)

Population: 260,713,585 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.99% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:American(s)

Ethnic groups: white 83.4%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Native American 0.8% (1992)

Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)

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

Population growth rate: 0.99% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 15.2 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 8.68 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.38 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

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; sparse water resources in much of the western part of the country requires careful management; desertification

Infant mortality rate: 8.11 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.9 years
Male: 72.58 years
Female: 79.39 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1991)
Total population: 97%
Male: 97%
Female: 97%

Country name
Conventional long form: United States of America
Conventional short form: Abbreviation: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: (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: 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)

Independence: 4 July 1776 (from England)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993; Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993; election last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996; results - William Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic Party) 43.2%, George BUSH (Republican Party) 37.7%, Ross PEROT (Independent) 19.0%, other 0.1%

Legislative branch: Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (including Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force
Senate: elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994); results - Democratic Party 53%, Republican Party 47%, other NEGL%; seats - (100 total) Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 43
House of Representatives: elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994); results - Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 46%, other 2%; seats - (435 total) Democratic Party 258, Republican Party 176, Independent 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australian Group, 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, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

Economy overview: The US has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $24,700, 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 fell by 1%, unemployment grew, and signs of recovery proved premature. Growth picked up to 2.6% in 1992 and to 3.0% in 1993. Unemployment, however, declined only gradually, the increase in GDP being mainly attributable to gains in output per worker. Ongoing economic problems for the remainder of the 1990s include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and trade deficits.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1993)

Real gdp per capita: $24,700 (1993)

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 4.4 million metric tons (1990)

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: 4.6% (1993; accounts for 23% of GDP (1991)

Labor force: 129.525 million (includes armed forces and unemployed; civilian labor force 128.040 million) (1993)
By occupation managerial and professional: 27.1%
By occupation technical, sales and administrative support: 30.9%
By occupation services 13.8%; manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts: 25.5%
By occupation farming, forestry, and fishing: 2.8%

Unemployment rate: 6% (May 1994)

Budget: revenues:$1.1535 trillion

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Exports: $449 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Partners: Western Europe 24.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 10.5% (1993 est.)

Imports: $582 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
Commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
Partners: Canada, 19.3%, Western Europe 18.1%, Japan 18.1% (1993 est.)

Debt external: $NA

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Capacity: 780,000,000 kW
Production: 3.23 trillion kWh
Consumption per capita: 12,690 kWh (1992)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $315.5 billion, 5.3% of GDP (1992)

Airports: 14,177
Usable: 12,417
With permanentsurface runways: 4,820
With runways over 3659 m: 63
With runways 2440-3659 m: 325
With runways 1220-2439 m: 2,524

Pipelines: petroleum 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991)

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

Merchant marine: 385 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,567,000 GRT/19,511,000 DWT, bulk 23, cargo 36, intermodal 128, liquefied gas 13, passenger-cargo 3, tanker 169, tanker tug-barge 13
Note: in addition, there are 219 government-owned vessels

Disputes international: maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca; 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 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; Republic of Marshall Islands claims Wake Island

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