United States

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This article is  about the country in North America. For other uses of terms that redirect here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation) and  United States (disambiguation).

United States of America
Flag Great Seal
Motto: E Pluribus Unum ("Out Of Many, One") (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date)
Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner
Capital	Washington D.C. 38°53′N 77°02′W
Largest city	New York City
Official languages	None at federal level (English de facto)
Government	Federal constitutional republic
- President	George Walker Bush (R)
- Vice President	Dick Cheney (R)
Independence	from Great Britain
- Declared	July 4, 1776
- Recognized	September 3, 1783
and  outlying territories by area">Area
- Total	9,631,420 km² ( and  outlying territories by area">3rd1) 3,718,695 sq mi
- Water (%)	4.87
Population
- 2006 estimate	300,416,797[1] (3rd)
- 2000 census	281,421,906
- Density	31/km² (172nd) 80/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
- Total	$13.049 trillion (1st)
- Per capita	$43,555 (3rd)
GDP (nominal)	2005 estimate
- Total	$12.485 trillion (1st)
- Per capita	$42,000 (8th)
HDI  (2004)	0.948 (high) (8th)
Currency	United States dollar ($) (USD)
Time zone	(UTC-5 to -10)
- Summer (DST)	(UTC-4 to -10)
Internet TLD	.us .gov .edu .mil .um
Calling code	+1
1 Sometimes listed as 4th; the rank is   and  outlying territories by total area">disputed with China.

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the USA, the U.S. of A., the States, and  America, is  a country in North America that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and  shares land borders with Canada and  Mexico. The United States is  a federal constitutional republic, with its capital in Washington, D.C.

At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.6 million km²), the U.S. (including its non-contiguous and  overseas states and  territories) is  the  and  outlying territories by total area">third largest country by total area. it  is the world's third most populous nation, with over 300 million people.(1)

American military, economic, cultural, and  political influence increased through the 19th and  20th centuries. With the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War, the nation emerged as the world's sole remaining superpower or  hyperpower,^[2] and  today, the United States plays a major role in human affairs.

Name

See also: List of meanings of countries' names

The earliest known use of the name America is  from 1507, when a globe and  a large map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges described the combined continents of the North and  South Americas. Although the origin of the name is  uncertain,^[3] the most widely held belief is  that expressed in an  accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, which explains it  as a feminized version of the Latin name of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (Americus Vespucius); in Latin, the other continents' names were all feminine. Vespucci theorized, correctly, that Christopher Columbus, on reaching islands in the Caribbean Sea in 1492, had come not to India but to a "New World".

The Americas were also known as Columbia, after Columbus, prompting the name District of Columbia for the land set aside as the U.S. capital. Columbia remained a popular name for the United States until the early 20th century, when it  fell into relative disuse; but it  is still used poetically and  appears in various names and  titles.^[4][5][6] One female personification of the country is  called Columbia; she is  similar to Britannia.^[7] Columbus Day is  a holiday in the U.S. and  other countries in the Americas commemorating Columbus' October 1492 landing.

The term "United States of America" was first used officially in the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776. On November 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which stated "The Stile [sic] of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" The name was originally proposed by Thomas Paine.

The adjectival and  demonymic form for the United States is  American, although this term can also refer to other inhabitants of either North or  South America.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the United States

Deciduous vegetation and  grasslands prevail in the east, transitioning to prairies, boreal forests, and  the Rocky Mountains in the west, and  deserts in the southwest. In the northeast, the coasts of the Great Lakes and  Atlantic seaboard host much of the country's population.

Mount Hood, a dormant volcano in the Pacific Northwest.

The United States is  the  and  outlying territories by total area">world's third largest country by total area, and  the third largest by land area alone, after Russia and  Canada.^[8] Its contiguous portion is  bounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the east, the North Pacific Ocean to the west, Mexico and  the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and  Canada to the north. The state of Alaska also borders Canada, with the Pacific Ocean to its south and  the Arctic Ocean to its north. West of Alaska, across the narrow Bering Strait, is  Russia. The state of Hawaii occupies an  archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of the North American mainland.

Terrain

The U.S. has an  extremely varied geography, particularly in the West. The eastern seaboard has a coastal plain which is  widest in the south and  narrows in the north. The coastal plain does not exist north of New Jersey, although there are  glacial outwash plains on Long Island, Martha's Vineyard, and  Nantucket. In the extreme southeast, Florida is  home to the ecologically unique Everglades.

Beyond the coastal plain, the rolling hills of the Piedmont region end at the Appalachian Mountains, which rise above 6,000 feet (1,830 m) in North Carolina, Tennessee, and  New Hampshire. From the west slope of the Appalachians, the Interior Plains of the Midwest are  relatively flat and  are the location of the Great Lakes as well as the Mississippi-Missouri River, the world's 4th longest river system.^[9] West of the Mississippi River, the Interior Plains slope uphill and  blend into the vast and  often featureless Great Plains.

The abrupt rise of the Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extends north to south across the continental U.S., reaching altitudes over 14,000 feet (4,270 m) in Colorado.^[10] In the past, the Rocky Mountains had a higher level of volcanic activity; nowadays, the range only has one area of volcanism (the supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, possibly the world's largest volcano), although rift volcanism has occurred relatively recently near the Rockies' southern margin in New Mexico.^[11]

Alaska has numerous mountain ranges; including Mount McKinley (Denali), the highest peak in North America. Numerous volcanoes can be found throughout the Alexander and  Aleutian Islands extending south and  west of the Alaskan mainland.

The Hawaiian islands are  tropical, volcanic islands extending over 1,500 miles (2,400 km), and  consisting of six larger islands and  another dozen smaller ones that are  inhabited.

Climate

Average precipitation

Due to its large size and  wide range of geographic features, the United States contains examples of nearly every global climate. The climate is  temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and  southern Florida, polar in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian, Mediterranean in coastal California and  arid in the Great Basin. Its comparatively generous climate contributed (in part) to the country's rise as a world power, with infrequent severe drought in the major agricultural regions, a general lack of widespread flooding, and  a mainly temperate climate that receives adequate precipitation.

History

Main article: History of the United States

Native Americans

Before the European colonization of the Americas, a process that began at the end of the 15th century, the present-day continental U.S. was inhabited exclusively by various indigenous tribes, including Alaskan natives, who migrated to the continent over a period that may have  begun 35,000 years ago and  may have  ended as recently as 11,000 years ago.^[12]

European colonization

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, painted by William Halsall, 1882. the Mayflower transported Pilgrims to the New World in 1620.

The first confirmed European landing in the present-day United States was by Christopher Columbus, who visited Puerto Rico on November 19, 1493, during his second voyage. San Juan, the United States' first European settlement was founded there on August 8, 1508 by Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León went on to become the first confirmed European to arrive in the continental US when he landed in Florida on April 2, 1513. Florida was home to the continental United States' earliest European colonies; these were Pensacola (founded by Tristán de Luna y Arellano in 1559), Fort Caroline (by René Goulaine de Laudonnière in 1564), and  St. Augustine (by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565), the last of which is  the only one which was continuously inhabited since its foundation.

The French colonized some of the northeastern portions, and  the Spanish colonized most of the southern and  western United States. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, followed in 1620 by the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts, then the arrival of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, started by the Puritans. In 1609 and  1617, respectively, the Dutch settled in part of what became New York and  New Jersey. In 1638, the Swedes founded New Sweden, in part of what became Delaware, New Jersey, and  Pennsylvania after passing through Dutch hands. Throughout the 17th and  early 18th centuries, England (and later Great Britain) established new colonies, took over Dutch colonies, and  split others. With the division of the Carolinas in 1729, and  the colonization of Georgia in 1732, the British colonies in North America—excluding present-day Canada, and  the loyal colonies of East and  West Florida—numbered thirteen.

American Revolution and  Early Republic

The drafting committee presenting the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress. Painted by John Trumbull 1817–1819.

Main articles: American Revolution and  American Revolutionary War

Tensions between American colonials and  the British during the revolutionary period of the 1760s and  1770s led to open military conflict in 1775. George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) as the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Congress had been formed to confront British actions and  created the Continental Army, but it  did not have  the authority to levy taxes or  make federal laws. In 1777, the Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, uniting the states under a weak federal government, which operated from 1781 until 1788. Dissatisfaction with the strength of the national government led to a constitutional convention in 1787. By June of 1788, enough states had ratified the United States Constitution to establish the new government, which took office in 1789. The Constitution, which strengthened the union and  the federal government, has since remained the supreme law of the land.^[13]

Westward expansion

Main article: Manifest Destiny

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National Atlas map depicting dates of select territorial acquisitions. Full Oregon and  other claims are  not included.

From 1803 to 1848, the size of the new nation nearly tripled as settlers (many embracing the concept of Manifest Destiny as an  inevitable consequence of American exceptionalism) pushed beyond national boundaries even before the Louisiana Purchase.^[14] The expansion was tempered somewhat by the stalemate in the War of 1812, but it  was subsequently reinvigorated by victory in the Mexican-American War in 1848.

Between 1830-1880 up to 40 million American Buffalo were slaughtered for skins and  meat, and  to aid railway expansion. The expansion of the railways reduced transit times for both goods and  people, made westward expansion less  arduous for the pioneers, and  increased conflicts with the Indians over the land and  its uses. The loss of the buffalo, a primary resource for the plains Indians, added to the pressures on native cultures and  individuals for survival.

Civil War

The Battle of Gettysburg color lithograph by Currier & Ives, c. 1863. This battle was a major turning point of the American Civil War. The victory of the Union kept the country united.

Main article: American Civil War

As new territories were being incorporated, the nation was divided over the issue of states' rights, the role of the federal government, and—by the 1820s—the expansion of slavery, which had been legal in all thirteen colonies but was rarer in the north, where it  was abolished by 1804. The Northern states were opposed to the expansion of slavery whereas the Southern states saw the opposition as an  attack on their way of life, since their economy was dependent on slave labor. The failure to permanently resolve these issues led to the Civil War, following the secession of many slave states in the South to form the Confederate States of America after the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln.^[15] The 1865 Union victory in the Civil War effectively ended slavery and  settled the question of whether a state had the right to secede. The event was a major turning point in American history and  resulted in an  increase in federal power.^[16]

Reconstruction and  industrialization

Landing at Ellis Island

After the Civil War, an  unprecedented influx of immigrants, who helped to provide labor for American industry and  create diverse communities in undeveloped areas—together with high tariff protections, national infrastructure building, and  national banking regulations—hastened the country's rise to international power. The growing power of the United States enabled it  to acquire new territories, including the annexation of Puerto Rico and  the Philippines after victory in the Spanish-American War,^[17] which marked the debut of the United States as a major world power.

World Wars I and  II

An abandoned farm in South Dakota during the Great Depression, 1936 Farm Security Administration photography by Sloan.

Main articles: World War I and  World War II

At the start of the World War I in 1914, the United States remained neutral. In 1917, however, the United States joined the Allied Powers, helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers. For historical reasons, American sympathies were very much in favor of the British and  French, even though a sizable number of citizens, mostly Irish and  German, were opposed to intervention.^[18] After the war, the Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles because of a fear that it  would pull the United States into European affairs. Instead, the country pursued a policy of unilateralism that bordered at times on isolationism.^[19]

During most of the 1920s, the United States enjoyed a period of unbalanced prosperity as farm prices fell and  industrial profits grew. A rise in debt and  an inflated stock market culminated in a crash in 1929, triggering the Great Depression. After his election as President in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted his plan for a New Deal, which increased government intervention in the economy in response to the Great Depression.

The nation did not fully recover until 1941, when the United States was driven to join the Allies against the Axis Powers after a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. World War II was the costliest war in economic terms in American history,^[20][21] but it  helped to pull the economy out of depression because the required production of military materiel provided much-needed jobs, and  women entered the workforce in large numbers for the first time. During this war, scientists working for the United States federal government succeeded in producing nuclear weapons, making the United States the world's first nuclear power. Toward the end of World War II, after the end of World War II in Europe, the United States dropped  and  Nagasaki">atomic bombs on Hiroshima and  Nagasaki, Japan. The Hiroshima and  Nagasaki bombs were the second and  third nuclear devices detonated and  the only ones ever employed as weapons.

Japan surrendered soon after, on 2 September 1945, which ended World War II.^[22]

Cold War and  civil rights

Main articles: Cold War and  American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)

After World War II, the United States and  the Soviet Union became superpowers in an  era of ideological rivalry dubbed the Cold War. The United States promoted liberal democracy and  capitalism, while the Soviet Union communism and  a centrally planned economy. The result was a series of proxy wars, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the tense nuclear showdown of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and  the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

The perception that the United States was losing the space race spurred government efforts to raise proficiency in mathematics and  science in schools^[23] and  led to President John F. Kennedy's call for the United States to land "a man on the moon" by the end of the 1960s, which was realized in 1969.^[24]

Meanwhile, American society experienced a period of sustained economic expansion. At the same time, discrimination across the United States, especially in the South, was increasingly challenged by a growing civil-rights movement headed by prominent African Americans such as Martin Luther King, Jr., which led to the abolition of the Jim Crow laws in the South.^[25]

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States continued to intervene in overseas military conflicts such as the Gulf War. it  remains the world's only superpower.

September 11, 2001 and  the War on Terrorism

Main articles: September 11, 2001 attacks and  War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers, while a third crashed into The Pentagon. The fourth plane was brought down by passengers in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. After the 9/11 attacks, U.S. foreign policy then focused on the global threat of terrorism. In response, the United States government under President George W. Bush began a series of military and  legal operations termed the War on Terror. The War on Terror began on October 7, 2001 when a U.S.-led coalition launched military operations in Afghanistan which led to the removal of the Taliban rule and  the expulsion of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda and  its leader Osama Bin Laden. The events of September 11 led to a preemptive policy against threats to U.S. security, known as the Bush Doctrine.

In the 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush labeled North Korea, Iraq, and  Iran "the axis of evil," and  stated that these countries "constitute a grave threat to the security of the U.S. and  its allies." Beginning later that year, the Bush administration began to press for regime change in Iraq. After many failed U.N. resolutions and  Saddam Hussein rejecting demands to surrender, the United States and  its allies invaded Iraq in March of 2003. The Bush administration justified its invasion with a charge that Iraq had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction, and  was seeking nuclear weapons.^[26] After the invasion, only a limited number of non-nuclear stockpiles were found, and  the Bush administration later admitted having acted on flawed intelligence. As of December 2006, Operation Iraqi Freedom is  due for a major course correction, to be announced in early 2007, as Iraq has descended into civil war.

Government and  politics

Main articles: Federal government of the United States and  Politics of the United States

West Front of the United States Capitol.

Political system

The United States is  the longest-surviving extant constitutional republic, with the oldest wholly written constitution in the world. Its government operates as a representative democracy through a congressional system under a set of powers specified by its Constitution. There are  three levels of government: federal, state, and  local. Officials at all three levels are  either elected by voters in a secret ballot or  appointed by other elected officials. Executive and  legislative offices are  decided by a plurality vote of citizens in their respective districts, with judicial and  cabinet-level offices nominated by the Executive branch and  approved by the Legislature. In some states, judicial posts are  filled by popular election rather than executive appointment.

The federal government is  comprised of three branches, which are  designed to  and  balances">check and  balance one another's powers:

• Legislative: The Congress, made up of the Senate and  the House of Representatives, which makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties and  has powers of impeachment.
• Executive: The President, who appoints, with Senate approval, the Cabinet and  other officers, who administers and  enforces federal law, can veto bills, and  is Commander in Chief of the military.
• Judiciary: The Supreme Court and  lower federal courts, whose judges are  appointed by the President with Senate approval, that interpret laws and  their validity under the Constitution, and  can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional.

The United States Congress is  a bicameral legislature. The House of Representatives has 435 members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are  apportioned among the states according to population every tenth year. Each state is  guaranteed at least one representative: seven states have  one each; California, the most populous state, has 53. Each state has two senators, elected at large to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are  up for election every second year.

The north side of the White House

The United States Constitution is  the supreme legal document in the American system, and  serves as a social contract between the people of the United States and  their government. All laws and  procedures of both state and  federal governments are  subject to review, and  any law ruled to violate the Constitution by the judicial branch is  overturned. The Constitution is  a living document as it  can be amended by a variety of methods, all of which require the approval of an  overwhelming majority of the states. The Constitution has been amended 27 times, the last time in 1992.

The Constitution contains a dedication to "preserve liberty" with a "Bill of Rights" and  other amendments, which guarantee freedom of speech, religion, and  the press; the right to a fair trial; the right to keep and  bear arms; universal suffrage; and  property rights. However, the extent to which these rights are  protected and  universal in practice is  heavily debated. The Constitution also guarantees to every State "a Republican Form of Government". However, the meaning of that guarantee has been only slightly explicated.^[27]

Since 2001, the President has been George W. Bush, a Republican. Following the 2006 mid-term elections, the Democratic Party holds a majority of seats in both the House and  Senate for the first time since 1994, except for a Democratic plurality in the Senate in 2001–02.^[28]

Foreign relations and  military

Main articles: Foreign relations of the United States and  Military of the United States

The President of the United States, George W. Bush (right) at Camp David in March 2003, hosting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair.

The United States has vast economic, political, and  military influence on a global scale, which makes its foreign policy a subject of great interest and  discussion around the world. Almost all countries have  embassies in Washington, D.C., and  consulates around the country. However, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and  Sudan do not have  formal diplomatic relations with the United States.^[29] The United States is  a founding member of the United Nations (with a permanent seat on the Security Council), among many other international organizations.

The United States has a long-standing tradition of civilian control over military affairs. The Department of Defense administers the U.S. armed forces, which comprise the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and  the Air Force. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime but is  placed under the Department of the Navy in times of war.

The military of the United States comprises 1.4 million personnel on active duty,^[30] along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and  the National Guard. Service in the military is  voluntary, though conscription may occur in times of war through the Selective Service System. The United States is  considered to have  the most powerful military in the world, partly because of the size of its defense budget; American defense expenditures in 2005 were estimated to be greater than the next 14 largest national military budgets combined,^[31] even though the U.S. military budget is  only about 4% of the country's gross domestic product.^[32][33] The U.S. military maintains over 700 bases and  facilities. it  also has bases on every continent except Antarctica.^[34]

Administrative divisions

Main article: Political divisions of the United States

Map of United States, showing state names.^[35]

The conterminous, or  contiguous, forty-eight states—all the states but Alaska and  Hawaii—are also called the continental United States. Some include Alaska in the "continental" states, because, although it  is separated from the "lower forty-eight" by Canada, it  is part of the North American mainland. All of these terms commonly include the District of Columbia. Hawaii, the fiftieth state, occupies an  archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.

The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and  possessions, notably the federal district of the District of Columbia—which contains the nation's capital city, Washington—and several overseas insular areas, the most significant of which are  American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and  the United States Virgin Islands. Palmyra Atoll is  the United States' only incorporated territory; but it  is unorganized and  uninhabited. The United States Minor Outlying Islands consist of uninhabited islands and  atolls in the Pacific and  Caribbean Sea. In addition, since 1898, the United States Navy has held an  extensive naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In addition to the actual states and  territories of the United States, there are  also nations which are  associated states of the U.S. The Federated States of Micronesia (since 1986), Palau (since 1994), and  the Marshall Islands (since 1986) are  associated with the United States under what is  known as the Compact of Free Association, giving the states international sovereignty and  ultimate control over their territory. However, the governments of those areas have  agreed to allow the United States to provide defense and  financial assistance.

Environment

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The Bald Eagle appears on the Great Seal of the United States. Protection of this once endangered species has helped save it  from extinction.

The U.S. has over 17,000 identified native plant and  tree species, including 5,000 just in California (which is  home to the tallest, the most massive, and  the oldest trees in the world).^[36] With habitats ranging from tropical to arctic, the flora of the U.S. is  the most diverse of any country; yet, thousands of non-native exotic species sometimes adversely affect indigenous plant and  animal communities. Over 400 species of mammal, 700 species of bird, 500 species of reptile and  amphibian, and  90,000 species of insect have  been documented.^[37] Many plants and  animals are  very localized in their distribution, and  some are  in danger of extinction. The U.S. passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect native plant and  animal species and  their habitats.

Conservation has a long history in the U.S.; in 1872, the world's first National Park was established at Yellowstone. Another 57 national parks and  hundreds of other federally managed parks and  forests have  since been designated.^[38] In some parts of the country, wilderness areas have  been established to ensure long-term protection of pristine habitats. The  and  Wildlife Service">U.S. Fish and  Wildlife Service monitors endangered and  threatened species and  has set aside numerous areas for species and  habitat preservation. Altogether, the U.S. government regulates 1,020,779 square miles (2,643,807 km²), which is  28.8% of the total land area of the U.S.^[39] The bulk of this land is  protected park and  forestland, but some is  leased for oil and  gas exploration, mining, and  cattle ranching.

See also Category:Environment of the United States

Economy

Main articles: Economy of the United States, American middle class, Household income in the United States, Personal income in the United States, and  Homeownership in the United States

General situation

The economic history of the United States is  a story of economic growth that began with marginally successful colonial economies and  progressed to the largest industrial economy in the world in the 20th and  early 21st century.

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, in New York City, represents the status of the U.S. as a major global financial power.

The economic system of the United States can be described as a capitalist mixed economy, in which corporations, other private firms, and  individuals make most microeconomic decisions, and  governments prefer to take a smaller role in the domestic economy, although the combined role of all levels of government is  relatively large, at 36% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Most business in the U.S. are  not corporations and  do not have  a payroll but are  unincorporated sole proprietorships. (Statistics about Business Size from the U.S. Census Bureau [3]) The U.S. has a slightly smaller social safety net than that of other developed countries, and  regulation of businesses is  slightly less  than the average of developed countries.^[40] The United States' median household income in 2005 was $43,318.^[41]

Economic activity varies greatly across the country. For example, New York City is  the center of the American financial, publishing, broadcasting, and  advertising industries, while Los Angeles is  the most important center for film and  television production. The San Francisco Bay Area is  a major center for technology. The Midwest is  known for its reliance on manufacturing and  heavy industry, with Detroit serving as the historic center of the American automotive industry, and  Chicago serving as the business and  financial capital of the region. The Southeast is  a major area for agriculture, tourism, and  the lumber industry, and, because of wages and  costs below the national average, it  continues to attract manufacturing.

 less  than 1% of the total GDP of the United States but still is  a major economic activity."> less  than 1% of the total GDP of the United States but still is  a major economic activity." width="200" height="131" longdesc="../../../f/a/r/Image%7EFarming_near_Klingerstown%2C_Pennsylvania.jpg_5ab2.html" />

A farm near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania. Farming accounts for less  than 1% of the total GDP of the United States but still is  a major economic activity.

The largest sector in the United States economy is  services, which employs roughly three quarters of the work force.^[42]

The economy is  fueled by an  abundance in natural resources such as coal, petroleum, and  precious metals. However, the country still depends for much of its energy on foreign countries. In agriculture, the country is  a top producer of corn, soy beans, rice, and  wheat, with the Great Plains labeled as the "breadbasket of the world" for its tremendous agricultural output.^[43] The U.S. has a large tourist industry, ranking third in the world,^[44] and  is also a major exporter in goods such as airplanes, steel, weapons, and  electronics. Canada accounts for 19% (more than any other nation) of the United States' foreign trade, followed by China, Mexico, and  Japan.

While the per capita income of the United States is  among the highest in the world, the wealth is  comparatively concentrated. The per capita income is  higher than the western European, but in 1990 income was distributed less  equally.^[45] Since 1975, the U.S. has a "two-tier" labor market in which virtually all the real income gains have  gone to the top 20% of households, with most of those gains accruing to the very highest earners within that category.^[46] This polarization is  the result of a relatively high level of economic freedom.^[47]

The social mobility of U.S. residents relative to that of other countries is  the subject of much debate. Some analysts have  found that social mobility in the United States is  low relative to other OECD states, specifically compared to Western Europe, Scandinavia and  Canada.^[48][49][50] Low social mobility may stem in part from the U.S. educational system. Public education in the United States is  funded mainly by local property taxes supplemented by state revenues. This frequently results in a wide difference in funding between poor districts or  poor states and  more affluent jurisdictions.^[51][52] Some analysts argue that relative social mobility in the U.S. peaked in the 1960s and  declined rapidly beginning in the 1980s.^[53] Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan has also suggested that the growing income inequality and  low class mobility of the U.S. economy may eventually threaten the entire system in the near future.^[54]

Innovation

Main article:  and  technology in the United States">Science and  technology in the United States

The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a manned mission to space.

The United States is  an influential country in scientific and  technological research and  the production of innovative technological products. During World War II, the U.S. lead the allied program to develop the atomic bomb, ushering in the atomic age. Beginning early the Cold War, the U.S. achieved successes in space science and  technology, leading to a space race which led to rapid advances in rocketry, weaponry, material science, computers, and  many other areas. This technological progress was epitomized by the first visit of a man to the moon, when Neil Armstrong stepped off of Apollo 11 in July 1969.^[55] The U.S. was also the most instrumental nation in the development of the Internet, developing its predecessor, Arpanet. The U.S. also controls most of its infrastructure.

In the sciences, Americans have  a large share of Nobel Prizes, especially in the fields of physiology and  medicine. The National Institutes of Health, a focal point for biomedical research in the United States, has contributed to the completion of the Human Genome Project.^[56] The main governmental organization for aviation and  space research is  the  and  Space Administration">National Aeronautics and  Space Administration. Major corporations, such as Boeing and  Lockheed Martin, also play an  important role.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in the United States

The automobile industry developed earlier and  more rapidly in the United States than in most other countries. The backbone of the nation's transportation infrastructure is  a network of high-capacity highways which carry large numbers of both passenger cars and  freight trucks. From data taken in 2004, there are  about 3,981,521 miles (6,407,637 km) of roadways in the U.S., the most in the world.^[57]

Mass transit systems exist in large cities, such as New York, which operates one of the busiest subway systems in the world. With a few exceptions,  and  villages in the United States">American cities are  less dense than those in other parts of the world. Low density partly results from and  largely necessitates automobile ownership by most households.

The U.S. had been unique in its high number of private passenger railroads. During the 1970s, government intervention reorganized freight railroads, consolidating passenger service under the government-backed Amtrak corporation. No other country has more  miles of rail.^[58]

Air travel is  the preferred means of passenger travel for long distances. In terms of passengers, seventeen of the world's thirty busiest airports in 2004 were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). In terms of cargo, in the same year, twelve of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Memphis International Airport.

Several major seaports are  in the United States; the three busiest are  California's Port of Los Angeles and  Port of Long Beach, and  the Port of New York and  New Jersey, all among the world's busiest. The interior of the U.S. also has major shipping channels, via the St. Lawrence Seaway and  the Mississippi River. The first water link between the Great Lakes and  the Atlantic, the Erie Canal, allowed the rapid expansion of agriculture and  industry in the Midwest and  made New York City the economic center of the country.

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of the United States and  Immigration to the United States

2000 Population Density Map

On October 17, 2006 at 7:46 a.m. EST, the United States' population stood at an  estimated 300,000,000, with an  annual growth rate of about 0.59%.^[59] This figure includes persons living in the U.S. without legal permission to do so, estimated at 12 million, and  excludes U.S. citizens living abroad, estimated at 3 million to 7 million. Thus any population estimate needs to be seen as a somewhat rough figure, according to the US Department of Commerce.^[60] According to the 2000 census, about 79% of the population lived in urban areas.^[61]

About 15.8% of households have  annual incomes of at least $100,000, and  the top 10% of households had annual gross incomes exceeding $118,200 in 2003.^[62] Overall, the top quintile, those households earning more  than $86,867 a year, earned 49.8% of all income in 2003.^[63]

In the 2000 census, the country had 31 ethnic groups with at least one million members each, with numerous others represented in smaller amounts.^[64] By the federal government's categorization of race, most Americans (80.4% in 2004)^[65] are  white. These white Americans are  mostly European Americans—the descendants of European immigrants to the United States—along with some non-Europeans counted as white in government nomenclature (those with origins in the original peoples of the Middle East and  North Africa). To the exclusion of Hispanic-origin European Americans, non-Hispanic whites constituted 67.4% of the population. The non-Hispanic white population is  proportionally declining, because of both immigration by, and  a higher birth rate among, ethnic and  racial minorities.^[66] If immigration trends continue, the number of non-Hispanic whites is  expected to be reduced to a plurality by 2040-2050. The largest ethnic group of European ancestry is  German at 15.2%, followed by Irish (10.8%), English (8.7%), Italian (5.6%) and  Scandinavian (3.7%). Many immigrants also hail from French Canada, as well as from such Slavic countries as Poland and  Russia.^[67] African Americans, or  Blacks, largely descend from Africans who arrived as slaves during the 17th through 19th centuries, and  number about 35 million or  12.9% of the population. At about 1.5% of the total population, Native Americans and  Alaska Natives number about 4.4 million,^[68] approximately 35% of whom were living on reservations in 2005.^[69]

Demographic trends include the immigration of Hispanics from Latin America into the Southwest, a region that is  home to about 60% of the 35 million Hispanics in the United States. Immigrants from Mexico make up about 66% of the Hispanic community,^[70] and  are second only to the German-descent population in the single-ethnicity category. The Hispanic population, which has been growing at an  annual rate of about 4.46% since the 1990s, is  expected to increase significantly in the coming decades, because of both immigration and  a higher birth rate among Latinos than among the general population.^[71]

Crime in the United States is  characterized by relatively high levels of gun violence and  homicide, compared to other developed countries.^[72][73] Levels of property crime and  other types of crime in the United States are  comparable to other developed countries.^[74]

Largest cities

Main article: List of United States cities by population

New York City

Los Angeles

Chicago

The United States has dozens of major cities, which play an  important role in U.S. culture, heritage, and  economy. In 2004, 251 incorporated places had populations of at least 100,000 and  nine had populations greater than 1,000,000, including several important global cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and  Chicago. In addition, there are  fifty metropolitan areas with populations over 1,000,000.

Indigenous peoples

Chief Quanah Parker.

Main article: Native Americans in the United States

The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 gave United States citizenship to Native Americans, in part because of an  interest by many to see them merged with the American mainstream, and  also because of the heroic service of many Native American veterans in the First World War.

According to the 2003 census estimates, there are  2,786,652 Native Americans in the United States. However, numerous indigenous peoples from Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, have  migrated to the U.S. over the years.

Languages

Main article: Languages in the United States

Although the United States has no official language, English is  the de facto national language. In 2003, about 215 million, or  82%, of the population aged five years and  older spoke only English at home.^[75] Although not all Americans speak English, it  is the most common language for daily interaction among both native and  non-native speakers. Nowadays, more  languages are  used in daily life, such as for Spanish speakers who do not speak English. Knowledge of English is  required of immigrants seeking naturalization. Some Americans advocate making English the official language, which is  the law in twenty-seven states. Three states also grant official status to other languages alongside English: French in Louisiana, Hawaiian in Hawaii, and  Spanish in New Mexico.^[76] Besides English, languages spoken at home by at least one million Americans aged five years and  up are  Spanish or  Spanish Creole, spoken by 29.7 million; Chinese, 2.2 million; French (including Patois and  Cajun), 1.4 million; Tagalog, 1.3 million; Vietnamese, 1.1 million; and  German, 1.1 million.^[66][77]

Religion

 is  well known for its large devout Protestant Christian population."> is  well known for its large devout Protestant Christian population." width="250" height="187" longdesc="../../../p/i/s/Image%7EPisgah.jpg_d14f.html" />

Pisgah Baptist Church in Four Oaks, North Carolina. The Bible Belt is  well known for its large devout Protestant Christian population.

Main article: Religion in the United States

The United States government keeps no official register of Americans' religious status.^[78] However, in a private survey conducted in 2001 and  mentioned in the Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States, 76.7% of American adults identified themselves as Christian; about 52% of adults described themselves as members of various Protestant denominations. Roman Catholics, at 24.5%, were the most populous individual denomination. The most popular other faiths include Judaism (1.4%), Islam (0.6%), Buddhism (0.5%), and  Hinduism (0.4%) and  Unitarian Universalism (0.3%). About 14.2% of respondents described themselves as having no religion. The religious distribution of the 5.4% who elected not to describe themselves for the survey is  unknown.^[59]

Religion among some Americans is  highly dynamic: over the period 1990–2001, those groups whose portion of the population at least doubled were, in descending order of growth, Wiccans, nondenominational Christians, Deists, Sikhs, Evangelical Christians, Disciples of Christ, New Age adherents, Hindus, Full Gospel adherents, Quakers, Bahá'ís, independent Christians, those who refused to answer the question, Buddhists, and  Foursquare Gospel adherents.^[59]

Religion has traditionally played a large role in American society; many of the original European colonists came to America for religious reasons. Religion still has a major influence on American politics and  culture, arguably more  so than in other industrialized nations.

Education

Main articles: Education in the United States and  Educational attainment in the United States

 and  founded by Thomas Jefferson, is  one of 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States. it  is one of many highly regarded public universities supported by U.S. state governments."> and  founded by Thomas Jefferson, is  one of 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States. it  is one of many highly regarded public universities supported by U.S. state governments." width="250" height="223" longdesc="../../../r/o/t/Image%7ERotundaII.jpg_47f1.html" />

The University of Virginia, designed and  founded by Thomas Jefferson, is  one of 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States. it  is one of many highly regarded public universities supported by U.S. state governments.

Education in the United States has been a state or  local, not federal, responsibility. The Department of Education of the federal government, however, exerts some influence through its ability to control funding. Students are  generally obliged to attend school starting with kindergarten, and  ending with the 12th grade, which is  normally completed at age 18, but many states may allow students to drop out as early as age 16. Besides public schools, parents may also choose to educate their own children at home or  to send their children to parochial or  private schools. After high school, students may choose to attend universities, either public or  private. Public universities receive funding from the federal and  state governments, as well as from other sources, but most students still have  to pay student loans after graduation. Tuition at private universities is  generally much higher than at public universities.

There are  many competitive  and  universities in the United States">institutions of higher education in the United States, both private and  public. The United States has 168 universities in the world's top 500, 17 of which are  in the top 20.^[79] There are  also many smaller universities and  liberal arts colleges, and  local community colleges of varying quality across the country with open admission policies.

The United States ranks 24th out of 29 surveyed countries in the reading and  science literacy as well as mathematical abilities of its high school students when compared with other developed nations.^[80] The United States also has a low literacy rate compared to other developed countries, with a reading literacy rate at 86 - 98% of the population over age 15.^[81] As for educational attainment, 27.2% of the population aged 25 and  above have  earned a bachelor's degree or  higher, and  84.6% have  graduated high school.^[82]

Health

Main article: Health care in the United States

The overall performance of the United States health care system was ranked 15th by the World Health Organization.^[83] The United States far outspends any other nation in healthcare, measured in terms of both per capita spending and  percentage of GDP. ^[84]However, spending has not correlated with a high ranking in many public health metrics. Information provided by the CIA World Factbook indicate that the United States had a higher infant mortality rate and  slightly lower life expectancy than other post-industrial western nations such as Sweden,^[85] Germany^[86] or  France.^[87][88] The average salary of a physician in the US is  the highest in the world.^[89] Obesity is  also a public-health problem, which is  estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars every year.^[90]

Unlike many Western governments, the U.S. government does not operate a publicly funded health care system. Private insurance plays a major role in covering health care costs, and  there are  over 40 million people in the U.S. without healthcare.^[91] Health insurance in the United States is  traditionally a benefit of some kinds of employment. However, emergency care facilities are  required to provide service regardless of the patient's ability to pay. Medical bills are  the most common reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States.^[92] The nation spends a substantial amount on medical research through such federal agencies as the National Institutes of Health.^[93]

Culture

Main article: Culture of the United States

Elvis Presley in 1957

 and  the American flag."> and  the American flag." width="250" height="167" longdesc="../../../m/o/t/Image%7EMotherhood_and_apple_pie.jpg_d576.html" />

American cultural icons, such as apple pie, baseball, and  the American flag.

The culture of the United States began as the culture of its first English colonists. The culture quickly evolved as an  independent frontier culture supplemented by indigenous and  Spanish–Mexican cowboy culture and  by the cultures of subsequent waves of immigrants, first from Europe and  Africa and  later from Asia. Overall, significant cultural influences came from Europe, especially from the German, English and  Irish cultures and  later from Italian, Greek and  Ashkenazi cultures. Descendants of enslaved West Africans preserved some cultural traditions from West Africa in the early United States. Geographical place names largely reflect the combined English, Dutch, French, Spanish, and  Native American components of U.S. American history.^[66]

There are  two dominant sociological models of cultural assimilation. The traditional melting pot model describes a form of homogenization. Immigrants from other cultures bring unique cultural aspects which are  incorporated into the larger American culture, but then the immigrant populations gradually adopt the unified culture, forming a single "alloy". A more  recently articulated model is  that of the salad bowl, in which immigrant cultures retain some of the unique characteristics. Instead of merging with a unified American culture, they intermingle, forming a heterogeneous mixture, not unlike a salad composed of different vegetables.^[94][66] There is  considerable contemporary political debate over the merits of cultural assimilation versus pluralism or  multiculturalism.

An important component of American culture is  the American Dream: the idea that, through hard work, courage, and  self-determination, regardless of social class, a person can gain a better life.^[95]

Cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of the United States

American cuisine uses Native American ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, corn, and  squash, which have  become integral parts of American culture. Such popular icons as apple pie, pizza, and  hamburgers are  either derived from or  are actual European dishes. Burritos and  tacos have  their origins in Mexico. Soul food, which originated among African slaves, is  popular in the U.S. as well. However, many foods now enjoyed worldwide either originated in the United States or  were altered by American chefs.

Visual arts

Main article: Visual arts of the United States

I Saw the Figure Five in Gold, by Charles Demuth. Oil on canvas, 1928.

In the eighteenth and  early nineteenth centuries American art took most of its cues from Europe. Painting, sculpture, and  literature looked to Europe as a model, and  for approval. By the end of the U.S. Civil War, a more  native voice had emerged in American literature. Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, and  Walt Whitman all spoke in an  American vernacular and  voice. Visual art was slower to find its own distinct American expression. The 1913 Armory show in New York City, an  exhibition which brought European modernist artists' work to the U.S., both shocked the public and  influenced art making in the United States for the remainder of the twentieth century. The exhibition had a two-fold effect of communicating to American artists that artmaking was about expression, not only aesthetics or  realism, and  at the same time showing that Europe had abandoned its conservative model of ranking artists according to a strict academic hierarchy. This encouraged American artists to find a personal voice, and  a modernist movement, responding to American civilization, emerged in the United States. Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), photographer, Charles Demuth (1883–1935) and  Marsden Hartley (1877–1943), both painters, helped establish an  American viewpoint in the fine arts. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, founded in 1929, became a showcase for American and  International contemporary art. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, a shift occurred with the decline of Paris as the world's art center and  the emergence of New York as the center of contemporary fine art for the U.S. and  the world.

Music

Main article: Music of the United States

Music also traces to the country's diverse cultural roots through an  array of styles. Rock, pop, soul, hip hop, country,  and  blues">blues, and  jazz are  among the country's most internationally renowned genres. Since the late 19th century, popular recorded music from the United States has become increasingly known across the world, such that some forms of American popular music are  heard almost everywhere.^[96]

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of the United States

The birth of cinema, as well as its development, largely took place in the United States. In 1878, the first recorded instance of sequential photographs capturing and  reproducing motion was Eadweard Muybridge's series of a running horse, which the British-born photographer produced in Palo Alto, California, using a row of still cameras. Since then, the American film industry, based in Hollywood, California, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world. Other genres that originated in the United States and  spread worldwide include the comic book and  Disney's animated films.

Sports

Main article: Sports in the United States

 is  the most popular spectator sport in the United States."> is  the most popular spectator sport in the United States." width="250" height="220" longdesc="../../../2/0/0/Image%7E2006_Pro_Bowl_tackle.jpg_eb49.html" />

Pro Bowl, 2006. American Football is  the most popular spectator sport in the United States.^[97]

Sports are  a national pastime, and  playing sports, especially American football, baseball, and  basketball, is  very popular at the high school level. Professional sports in the U.S. is  big business and  contains most of the world's highest paid athletes.^[98] The "Big Four" sports are  baseball, American football, ice hockey, and  basketball. Baseball is  thought of "the national pastime"; but, since the early 1990s, American football has largely been considered the most popular sport in America. Hockey has also lost its popularity recently.

Other sports, including auto racing, lacrosse, soccer, golf, and  tennis, have  significant followings. The United States is  among the most influential countries in shaping three popular board-based recreational sports: surfboarding, skateboarding, and  snowboarding. Eight Olympiads have  taken place in the United States; in medals won, the United States ranks third all-time in the Winter Games, with 218 (78 gold, 81 silver, and  59 bronze),^[99][100] and  first in the Summer Games, with 2,321 (943 gold, 736 silver, and  642 bronze).^[101][102]

See also:  and  entertainment in the United States">Arts and  entertainment in the United States, Media of the United States, Dance of the United States, Architecture of the United States, Holidays of the United States, Lists of Americans, and Social structure of the United States

See also

Main article: List of United States-related topics

• Articles of Confederation
• United States Constitution
• History of the United States
• International rankings of the United States
• Historical Columbia
• Superpower

Notes

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Navigation

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United States: Membership in International Organizations

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