Background: Thirteen of 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 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. Two of the 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 rapid advances in technology.

Area
Total: 9,833,517 km²
Land: 9,147,593 km²
Water: 685,924 km²
Note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia, no overseas territories
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: 12,002 km
Border countries (2): (2) Canada 8,891 km; (including 2,475 km; with Alaska) Mexico 3,111 km
Note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28.5 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
Note: many consider Mount McKinley, the highest peak in the United States, to be the world’s coldest mountain because of its combination of high elevation and its subarctic location at 63 degrees north latitude; permanent snow and ice cover over 75 percent of the mountain, and enormous glaciers, up to 45 miles long and 3,700 feet thick, spider out from its base in every direction; it is home to some of the world’s coldest and most violent weather, where winds of over 150 miles per hour and temperatures of -93˚F have been recorded.

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
Highest point: Mount McKinley 6,190 m (highest point in North America)
Lowest point: Death Valley (lowest point in North America) -86 m
Mean elevation: 760 m
Note 1: Mount McKinley is one of the most striking features on the entire planet; at 20,310 feet, it is the crowning peak of the Alaska Range and the highest mountain on North America; it towers three and one-half vertical miles above its base, making it a mile taller from base to summit than Mt. Everest; McKinley's base sits at about 2,000 feet above sea level and rises over three and one-half miles to its 20,310 foot summit; Everest begins on a 14,000-foot high plain, then summits at 29,028 feet
Note 2: the peak of Mauna Kea (4,207 m above sea level) on the island of Hawaii rises about 10,200 m above the Pacific Ocean floor; by this measurement, it is the world's tallest mountain -- higher than Mount Everest (8,850 m), which is recognized as the tallest mountain above sea level

Land use
Agricultural land: 46.1% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 16.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 29.2% (2023 est.)
Forest: 33.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 18.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 234,782 km² (2017)

Major rivers: Missouri - 3,768 km; Mississippi - 3,544 km; Yukon river mouth (shared with Canada [s]) - 3,190 km; Saint Lawrence (shared with Canada) - 3,058 km; Rio Grande river source (mouth shared with Mexico) - 3,057 km; Colorado river source (shared with Mexico [m]) - 2,333 km; Arkansas - 2,348 km; Columbia river mouth (shared with Canada [s]) - 2,250 km; Red - 2,188 km; Ohio - 2,102 km); Snake - 1,670 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of America coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands, Western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and in the Northern Mariana Islands; Mauna Loa (4,170 m) in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (4,392 m) in Washington have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pavlof (2,519 m) is the most active volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc and poses a significant threat to intercontinental air travel; St. Helens (2,549 m), famous for the devastating 1980 eruption, remains active today; other historically active volcanoes are mostly concentrated in the Aleutian arc and Hawaii, including (in Alaska) Aniakchak, Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked, Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin, Novarupta, Redoubt, Spurr, Wrangell, Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof, (in Hawaii) Haleakala, Kilauea, Loihi, (in the Northern Mariana Islands) Anatahan, (in the Pacific Northwest) Mount Baker, and Mount Hood; see note 2 under 'Geography - note'

Geography
Note note 1: world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is the highest point (6,190 m; 20,308 ft) in North America, and Death Valley is the lowest point (-86 m; -282 ft)
Note note 2: the western US coast and the southern coast of Alaska lie along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes
Note note 3: the Aleutian Islands are a chain of volcanic islands that divide the Bering Sea (north) from the main Pacific Ocean (south); they extend about 1,800 km (1,118 mi) westward from the Alaskan Peninsula; the archipelago consists of 14 larger islands, 55 smaller islands, and hundreds of islets; there are 41 active volcanoes on the islands, which together form a large northern section of the Ring of Fire
Note note 4: Mammoth Cave, in west-central Kentucky, is the world's longest known cave system with more than 650 km (405 miles) of surveyed passageways, which is nearly twice as long as the second-longest cave system, the Sac Actun underwater cave in Mexico (see 'Geography - note' under Mexico)
Note note 5: Kazumura Cave on the island of Hawaii is the world's longest and deepest lava-tube cave; it has been surveyed at 66 km (41 mi) long and 1,102 m (3,614 ft) deep
Note note 6: Bracken Cave outside San Antonio, Texas is the world's largest bat cave and the summer home to the largest colony of bats in the world; an estimated 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the cave from March to October, making it the world's largest known concentration of mammals

Population
Total: 341,963,408 (2024 est.)
Male: 168,598,780
Female: 173,364,628
Distribution: large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western-tier states; mountainous areas such as the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast, particularly around Anchorage, and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu
Growth rate: 0.67% (2024 est.)

Languages: English only (official) 78.2%, Spanish 13.4%, Chinese 1.1%, other 7.3% (2017 est.)
Note: data represent the language spoken at home; English is the official national language as of March 2025, but English previously had official status in 32 of the 50 states; Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii, and 20 indigenous languages are official in Alaska

Religions: Protestant 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jewish 1.9%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.6%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 0.9%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%, other 1.8%, unaffiliated 22.8%, don't know/refused 0.6% (2014 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.1% (male 31,618,532/female 30,254,223)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 108,553,822/female 108,182,491)
65 years and over: 18.5% (2024 est.) (male 28,426,426/female 34,927,914)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 27 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.4 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.9 years (2022 est.)
Male: 37.8 years
Female: 40 years

Population growth rate: 0.67% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 12.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 8.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western-tier states; mountainous areas such as the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast, particularly around Anchorage, and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu

Urbanization
Urban population: 83.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.96% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 18.937 million New York-Newark, 12.534 million Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, 8.937 million Chicago, 6.707 million Houston, 6.574 million Dallas-Fort Worth, 5.490 million WASHINGTON, D.C. (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 17 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78.7 years
Female: 83.1 years

Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.4% (2018 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.2% (2024 est.); 3.7% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Washington, D.C.
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 - no DST for Hawaii and most of Arizona
Time zone note: the 50 United States cover six time zones
Etymology: named after George WASHINGTON (1732-1799), the first president of the United States

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 (14)
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 entities: 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)

Legal system: common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law 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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025)
Head of government: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, approved by the Senate
Election/appointment process: president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by the Electoral College of electors chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term)
Most recent election date: 5 November 2024
2024: Donald J. TRUMP elected president; electoral vote - Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 312, Kamala HARRIS (Democratic Party) 226; percent of direct popular vote - Donald J. TRUMP 49.8%, Kamala HARRIS 48.3%, other 1.9%
2020: Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. elected president; electoral vote - Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. (Democratic Party) 306, Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 232; percent of direct popular vote - Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. 51.3%, Donald J. TRUMP 46.9%, other 1.8%
Expected date of next election: 7 November 2,028
Note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Congress
Legislative structure: bicameral
Note: in addition to the regular members of the House of Representatives there are 6 non-voting delegates elected from the District of Columbia and the US territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands; these are single seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term (except for the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico who serves a 4-year term); the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote; election of delegates last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 3 November 2024)

Flag description: 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue rectangle in the upper-left corner has 50 five-pointed white stars, arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars

National anthem
Title: 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
Lyrics/music: Francis Scott KEY/John Stafford SMITH
History: adopted 1931; during the War of 1812, Francis Scott KEY witnessed the successful American defense of Baltimore's Fort McHenry against a British naval bombardment, later writing a poem about it that would become the US national anthem; the lyrics were set to the tune of 'The Anacreontic Song;' there are four verses, but only the first verse is sung

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 26 (13 cultural, 12 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Puerto Rico
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 2.8% (2024 est.); 2.9% (2023 est.); 2.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 2.8% (2024 est.); 2.9% (2023 est.); 2.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 67.9% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 13.4% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.6% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 10.9% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -14% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.9% (2024 est.)
Industry: 17.3% (2024 est.)
Services: 79.7% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: highly diversified, world leading, high-technology innovator, second-largest industrial output in the world; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Industrial production growth rate: 3.25% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 174.174 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.2% (2024 est.); 3.7% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.2% (2024 est.); 3.7% (2023 est.); 3.7% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $4.877 trillion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $6.857 trillion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 10.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $3.191 trillion (2024 est.); $3.072 trillion (2023 est.); $3.039 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, gas turbines, cars (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $4.108 trillion (2024 est.); $3.857 trillion (2023 est.); $3.984 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, computers, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 1.235 billion kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 4.085 trillion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 19.87 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 38.874 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 191.104 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 58.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 18.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 5.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 9.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 5.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 534.234 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 495.156 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 92.28 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 3.825 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 247.883 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 20.953 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 20.307 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 38.212 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1.072 trillion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 920.47 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 215.48 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 82.917 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 13.402 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.795 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 777.302 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.258 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 1.76 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 278.474 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 87.987 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 26 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 386 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 93% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 131 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2025 est.); 3.2% of GDP (2024 est.); 3.1% of GDP (2023 est.); 3.2% of GDP (2022 est.); 3.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 16,116 (2025)

Heliports: 8,130 (2025)

Railways
Total: 293,564.2 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 293,564.2 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Merchant marine
Total: 3,533 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 4, container ship 60, general cargo 96, oil tanker 68, other 3,305; note - oceangoing self-propelled, cargo-carrying vessels of 1,000 gross tons and above