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) and the Great Depression
of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the
end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful
nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment
and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
| Location: |
North America, bordering
both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean,
between Canada and Mexico |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
38 00 N, 97 00 W
|
| Area: |
total: 9,631,418
sq km
land: 9,161,923 sq km
water:
469,495 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states
and District of Columbia |
| Area -
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; about two and a half times the
size of Western Europe |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 12,034
km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including
2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
note: US
Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and
is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 29 km |
| Coastline: |
19,924 km |
| Maritime
claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions): |
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 |
| 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
extremes: |
lowest point:
Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley
6,194 m |
| Natural
resources: |
coal, copper, lead,
molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury,
nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural
gas, timber |
| Land use: |
arable land:
19.3%
other: 80.5% (1998 est.)
permanent
crops: 0.2% |
| Irrigated
land: |
214,000 sq km (1998
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
tsunamis, volcanoes,
and 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 |
| Environment
- current issues: |
air pollution resulting
in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest
single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil
fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers;
limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western
part of the country require careful management; desertification
|
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
|
| Geography
- note: |
world's third-largest
country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population
(after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in
North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
|
| Population: |
293,027,571 (July
2004 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years:
20.8% (male 31,122,974; female 29,713,748)
15-64 years:
66.9% (male 97,756,380; female 98,183,309)
65 years
and over: 12.4% (male 15,078,204; female 21,172,956) (2004
est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 36
years
male: 34.7 years
female: 37.4
years (2004 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.92% (2004 est.)
|
| Birth rate: |
14.13 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: |
8.34 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration
rate: |
3.41 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years
and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 6.63
deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.91 deaths/1,000
live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.31 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life expectancy
at birth: |
total population:
77.43 years
male: 74.63 years
female:
80.36 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility
rate: |
2.07 children born/woman
(2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.6% (2001 est.)
|
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
900,000 (2001 est.)
|
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
15,000 (2001 est.)
|
| Nationality: |
noun: American(s)
adjective: American |
| Ethnic
groups: |
white 77.1%, black
12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native
Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included
because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a
person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban,
Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may
be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
|
| Religions: |
Protestant 56%,
Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989) |
| Languages: |
English, Spanish
(spoken by a sizable minority) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1979 est.)
|
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: United States of America
conventional
short form: United States
abbreviation: US
or USA |
| Government
type: |
Constitution-based
federal republic; strong democratic tradition |
| Capital: |
Washington, DC |
| Administrative
divisions: |
50 states and 1
district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Dependent
areas: |
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: 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 units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth
in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986);
Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US
(effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia
signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective
3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed
a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October
1986) |
| Independence: |
4 July 1776 (from
Great Britain) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
4 July (1776) |
| Constitution: |
17 September 1787,
effective 4 March 1789 |
| Legal system: |
based on English
common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President George W. BUSH (since
20 January 2001) ; note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the president with Senate approval
elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
a college of representatives who are elected directly from
each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms;
election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November
2004)
election results: George W. BUSH elected
president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican
Party) 48%, Albert A. GORE, Jr. (Democratic Party) 48%, Ralph
NADER (Green Party) 3%, other 1% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Congress
consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every
two years; two members are elected from each state by popular
vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives
(435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to
serve two-year terms)
election results: Senate
- percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican
Party 51, Democratic Party 48, independent 1; House of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican
Party 226, Democratic Party 204, independent 1, undecided
4
elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2002
(next to be held 2 November 2004); House of Representatives
- last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004)
|
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court (its
nine justices are appointed for life on condition of good
behavior by the president with confirmation by the Senate);
United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts;
State and County Courts |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Party
[Terence McAULIFFE]; Green Party [leader NA]; Libertarian
Party [Steve DASBACH]; Republican Party [Governor Marc RACICOT]
|
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
AfDB, ANZUS, APEC,
ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,
CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5,
G-7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MICAH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security
Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL,
UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO, ZC |
| Flag description: |
13 equal horizontal
stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there
is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing
50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset
horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating
with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states,
the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as
Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a
number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia,
and Puerto Rico |
| Economy
- overview: |
The US has the
largest and most technologically powerful economy in the
world, with a per capita GDP of $37,800. In this market-oriented
economy, private individuals and business firms make most
of the decisions, and the federal and state governments
buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private
marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater
flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and
Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus
workers, and to develop new products. At the same time,
they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home
markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US
markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological
advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace,
and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since
the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely
explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market"
in which those at the bottom lack the education and the
professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more
and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance
coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all
the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of
households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases
in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment
to below 5%. The year 2001 saw the end of boom psychology
and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment
and business failures rising substantially. The response
to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the
remarkable resilience of the economy. Moderate recovery
took place in 2002 with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.4%.
A major short-term problem in first half 2002 was a sharp
decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure
of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations.
The war in March/April 2003 between a US-led coalition and
Iraq shifted resources to the military. In 2003, growth
in output and productivity and the recovery of the stock
market to above 10,000 for the Dow Jones Industrial Average
were promising signs. Unemployment stayed at the 6% level,
however, and began to decline only at the end of the year.
Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic
infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs
of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits,
and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.
|
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $10.98 trillion (2003 est.) |
| GDP -
real growth rate: |
3.1% (2003 est.)
|
| GDP -
per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $37,800 (2003 est.) |
| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
2%
industry: 18%
services: 80% (2002
est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
12% (2003 est.)
|
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%: 30.5% (1997) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
40.8 (1997) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.1% (2003) |
| Labor
force: |
141.8 million
(includes unemployed) (2003) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
managerial, professional,
and technical 31%, sales and office 28.9%, services 13.6%,
manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 24.1%,
farming, forestry, and fishing 2.4%
note: figures
exclude the unemployed (2001) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
6.2% (2003) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$1.946 trillion
expenditures: $2.052 trillion,
including capital expenditures of NA (2002 est.) |
| Industries: |
leading industrial
power in the world, highly diversified and technologically
advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications,
chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods,
lumber, mining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-1% (2003 est.)
|
| Electricity
- production: |
3.719 trillion
kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
71.4%
hydro: 5.6%
other: 2.3% (2001)
nuclear: 20.7% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
3.602 trillion
kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
18.17 billion
kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
38.48 billion
kWh (2001) |
| Oil -
production: |
8.054 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil -
consumption: |
19.65 million
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil -
exports: |
NA |
| Oil -
imports: |
NA |
| Oil -
proved reserves: |
22.45 billion
bbl (1 January 2002) |
| Natural
gas - production: |
548.1 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - consumption: |
640.9 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - exports: |
11.16 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - imports: |
114.1 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
5.195 trillion
cu m (1 January 2002) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, corn, other
grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry,
dairy products; forest products; fish |
| Exports: |
$714.5 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
capital goods,
automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer
goods, agricultural products |
| Exports
- partners: |
Canada 23.2%,
Mexico 14.1%, Japan 7.4%, UK 4.8% (2002) |
| Imports: |
$1.26 trillion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
crude oil and
refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer
goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages |
| Imports
- partners: |
Canada 17.8%,
Mexico 11.3%, China 11.1%, Japan 10.4%, Germany 5.3% (2002)
|
| Debt
- external: |
$1.4 trillion
(2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $6.9 billion
(1997) |
| Currency: |
US dollar (USD)
|
| Currency
code: |
USD |
| Exchange
rates: |
British pounds
per US dollar - 0.6139 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001),
0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), Canadian dollars per US dollar
- 1.4045 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000),
1.4857 (1999), Japanese yen per US dollar - 116.08 (2003),
125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999),
euros per US dollar - 0.8866 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 October - 30
September |
Telephones: 21,000 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: satellite earth station—1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 49,000 (1991 est.)
Railways:
total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire
border and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways:
total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km
unpaved: 10,505 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 33 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 31
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)
Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
National Police, People's Militia
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 2,399,724 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,230,713 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $66 million
(1996)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2% (1996)
Disputes—international: none
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
|
