"text":"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."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico"
"text":"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"
"text":"Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,155 km"
},
"note":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"19,924 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"territorial sea":{
"text":"12 nm"
},
"contiguous zone":{
"text":"24 nm"
},
"exclusive economic zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
},
"continental shelf":{
"text":"not specified"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"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"
"text":"lowest point: Death Valley -86 m (lowest point in North America) ++ highest point: Denali (Mount McKinley) 6,190 m (highest point in North America)"
"text":"the peak of Mauna Kea (4,205 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"
"text":"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, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prarie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu"
"text":"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",
"volcanism":{
"text":"volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands, Western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and in the Northern Mariana Islands; both Mauna Loa (elev. 4,170 m) in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (elev. 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 (elev. 2,519 m) is the most active volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc and poses a significant threat to air travel since the area constitutes a major flight path between North America and East Asia; St. Helens (elev. 2,549 m), famous for the devastating 1980 eruption, remains active today; numerous other historically active volcanoes exist, mostly concentrated in the Aleutian arc and Hawaii; they include: in Alaska: Aniakchak, Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked, Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin, Novarupta, Redoubt, Spurr, Wrangell; in Hawaii: Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof; in the Northern Mariana Islands: Anatahan; and in the Pacific Northwest: Mount Baker, Mount Hood"
}
},
"Environment - current issues":{
"text":"large emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; 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"
"text":"world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Denali (Mt. McKinley) is the highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent"
"text":"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)",
"note":{
"text":"a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American 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":{
"text":"English 79.2%, Spanish 12.9%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 3.3%, other 0.9% (2011 est.)",
"note":{
"text":"data represents the language spoken at home; the US has no official national language, but English has acquired official status in 31 of the 50 states; Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii"
"text":"Protestant 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Mormon 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, other Christian 0.9%, Jewish 1.9%, Muslim 0.9%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%, other 1.8%, unaffiliated 22.8%, don't know/refused 0.6% (2014 est.)"
"text":"3.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
},
"Population distribution":{
"text":"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, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prarie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu"
"text":"+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November"
},
"note":{
"text":"the 50 United States cover six time zones"
}
},
"Administrative divisions":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"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)"
}
},
"Independence":{
"text":"4 July 1776 (declared); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain)"
"text":"previous 1781 (Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union); latest drafted July - September 1787, submitted to the Congress of the Confederation 20 September 1787, submitted for states' ratification 28 September 1787, ratification completed by nine states 21 June 1788, effective 4 March 1789; amended many times, last in 1992 (2016)"
"text":"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":{
"text":"withdrew acceptance of compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 2005; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002"
"text":"no, but the US government acknowledges such situtations exist; US citizens are not encouraged to seek dual citizenship since it limits protection by the US"
"text":"President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2017); Vice President Michael R. PENCE (since 20 January 2017); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government"
"text":"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); election last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 10 November 2020)"
"text":"Donald J. TRUMP elected president; electoral vote count - Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 304, Hillary D. CLINTON (Democratic Party) 227; percent of direct popular vote - Donald J. TRUMP 46%, Hillary D. CLINTON 48%, other 6%"
"text":"bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats; 2 members directly elected in each of the 50 state constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia and Louisiana which require an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia which requires an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 2-year terms)"
"text":"Senate - last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 10 November 2020); House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 10 November 2020)"
"text":"Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 46, Republican Party 52, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 194, Republican Party 241"
"text":"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; 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 4 November 2014 (next to be held on 1 November 2016)"
}
},
"Judicial branch":{
"highest court(s)":{
"text":"US Supreme Court (consists of 9 justices - the chief justice and 8 associate justices)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"president nominates and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Supreme Court justices; justices appointed for life"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories"
},
"note":{
"text":"the US court system consists of the federal court system and the state court systems; although each court system is responsible for hearing certain types of cases, neither is completely independent of the other, and the systems often interact"
"text":"Democratic Party [Interim Chairperson Donna BRAZILE] ++ Green Party [collective leadership] ++ Libertarian Party [Nicholas SARWARK] ++ Republican Party [Reince PRIEBUS]"
"text":"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",
"note":{
"text":"the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico"
}
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"bald eagle; national colors: red, white, blue"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"The Star-Spangled Banner\""
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Francis Scott KEY/John Stafford SMITH"
},
"note":{
"text":"adopted 1931; during the War of 1812, after witnessing the successful American defense of Fort McHenry in Baltimore following British naval bombardment, Francis Scott KEY wrote the lyrics to what would become the national anthem; the lyrics were set to the tune of \"The Anacreontic Song\"; only the first verse is sung"
"text":"The US has the most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $54,800. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers, pharmaceuticals, and medical, aerospace, and military equipment; however, their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. Based on a comparison of GDP measured at Purchasing Power Parity conversion rates, the US economy in 2014, having stood as the largest in the world for more than a century, slipped into second place behind China, which has more than tripled the US growth rate for each year of the past four decades. ++ ++ In the US, 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, businesses face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. ++ ++ Long-term problems for the US 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. ++ ++ The onrush of technology has been a driving factor in the gradual development of a \"two-tier\"labormarketinwhichthoseatthebottomlacktheeducationandtheprofessional/technicalskillsofthoseatthetopand,moreandmore,failtogetcomparablepayraises,healthinsurancecoverage,andotherbenefits.Buttheglobalizationoftrade,andespeciallytheriseoflow-wageproducerssuchasChina,hasputadditionaldownwardpressureonwagesandupwardpressureonthereturntocapital.Since1975,practicallyallthegainsinhouseholdincomehavegonetothetop20%ofhouseholds.Since1996,dividendsandcapitalgainshavegrownfasterthanwagesoranyothercategoryofafter-taxincome.++++Importedoilaccountsfornearly55%ofUSconsumptionandoilhasamajorimpactontheoverallhealthoftheeconomy.Crudeoilpricesdoubledbetween2001and2006,theyearhomepricespeaked;highergasolinepricesateintoconsumers'budgetsandmanyindividualsfellbehindintheirmortgagepayments.Oilpricesclimbedanother50%between2006and2008,andbankforeclosuresmorethandoubledinthesameperiod.Besidesdampeningthehousingmarket,soaringoilpricescausedadropinthevalueofthedollarandadeteriorationintheUSmerchandisetradedeficit,whichpeakedat$840billionin2008.BecausetheUSeconomyisenergy-intensive,fallingoilpricessince2013havealleviatedmanyoftheproblemstheearlierincreaseshadcreated.++++Thesub-primemortgagecrisis,fallinghomeprices,investmentbankfailures,tightcredit,andtheglobaleconomicdownturnpushedtheUSintoarecessionbymid-2008.GDPcontracteduntilthethirdquarterof2009,makingthisthedeepestandlongestdownturnsincetheGreatDepression.Tohelpstabilizefinancialmarkets,theUSCongressestablisheda$700billionTroubledAssetReliefProgram(TARP)inOctober2008.ThegovernmentusedsomeofthesefundstopurchaseequityinUSbanksandindustrialcorporations,muchofwhichhadbeenreturnedtothegovernmentbyearly2011.InJanuary2009,CongresspassedandPresidentBarackOBAMAsignedabillprovidinganadditional$787billionfiscalstimulustobeusedover10years-two-thirdsonadditionalspendingandone-thirdontaxcuts-tocreatejobsandtohelptheeconomyrecover.In2010and2011,thefederalbudgetdeficitreachednearly9%ofGDP.In2012,theFederalGovernmentreducedthegrowthofspendingandthedeficitshrankto7.6%ofGDP.USrevenuesfromtaxesandothersourcesarelower,asapercentageofGDP,thanthoseofmostothercountries.++++WarsinIraqandAf
"text":"for the US, revenues exclude social contributions of approximately $1.0 trillion; expenditures exclude social benefits of approximately $2.3 trillion (2016 est.)"
"text":"excludes contributions for social security and other programs; if social contributions were added, taxes and other revenues would amount to approximately 22% of GDP (2016 est.)"
"text":"data cover only what the United States Treasury denotes as \"Debt Held by the Public,\" which includes all debt instruments issued by the Treasury that are owned by non-US Government entities; the data include Treasury debt held by foreign entities; the dat"
"text":"approximately 4/5ths of US external debt is denominated in US dollars; foreign lenders have been willing to hold US dollar denominated debt instruments because they view the dollar as the world's reserve currency"
"text":"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"
"text":"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 station (2008)"
"text":"natural gas 1,984,321 km; petroleum products 240,711 km (2013)"
},
"Railways":{
"total":{
"text":"293,564.2 km"
},
"standard gauge":{
"text":"293,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)"
}
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"6,586,610 km"
},
"paved":{
"text":"4,304,715 km (includes 76,334 km of expressways)"
},
"unpaved":{
"text":"2,281,895 km (2012)"
}
},
"Waterways":{
"text":"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)"
"text":"Baton Rouge, Corpus Christi, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Plaquemines, Tampa, Texas City"
},
"container port(s) (TEUs)":{
"text":"Hampton Roads (1,918,029), Houston (1,866,450), Long Beach (6,061,091), Los Angeles (7,940,511), New York/New Jersey (5,503,485), Oakland (2,342,504), Savannah (2,944,678), Seattle (2,033,535)(2011)"
},
"cruise departure ports (passengers)":{
"text":"Miami (2,032,000), Port Everglades (1,277,000), Port Canaveral (1,189,000), Seattle (430,000), Long Beach (415,000) (2009)"
},
"oil terminals":{
"text":"LOOP terminal, Haymark terminal"
},
"LNG terminal(s) (import)":{
"text":"Cove Point (MD), Elba Island (GA), Everett (MA), Freeport (TX), Golden Pass (TX), Hackberry (LA), Lake Charles (LA), Neptune (offshore), Northeast Gateway (offshore), Pascagoula (MS), Sabine Pass (TX)"
"text":"United States Armed Forces: US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air Force, US Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy (2015)"
"text":"18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; no conscription; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); 8-year service obligation, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines); DoD is eliminating prohibitions restricting women from assignments in units smaller than brigades or near combat units (2013)"
"text":"4.35% of GDP (2012) ++ 4.75% of GDP (2011) ++ 4.35% of GDP (2010)"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"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"
"text":"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"
