United States

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The United States of America (U.S.A.), also referred to as the United States (U.S.), America, or the States, is a in and the . It extends from the coast in the east to the in the west. It shares land borders with in the north and in the south, shares a marine border with in the west, and has a collection of districts, territories, and possessions around the world including and . The country has fifty , which have a level of local autonomy.

The United States traces its national origin to the by 13 colonies in that they were free and independent states. Before the British, and in terms of territory, the Dutch, Spanish and French had a stronger foothold on the where (formerly called Indians) had lived for thousands of years. Since the mid- it has eclipsed most other in terms of , , , and influence.

The country was founded under a tradition of having the rule come from the people under the model. The model used by the United States has been adopted by some other countries, such as .

United States of America () () National (1776 - ): (: "Out of many, one") (1956 - ): Largest City  - Total  - % water 2.198%  - Total ()  - 290,342,554 31/km²  - Declared  - Recognized , , (base PPP)  - Total ()  - GDP/head 10,40 trillions $ 37,600 $ ($) -5 to UTC -10 "" .US .UM .EDU .GOV .MIL 1

Table of contents

History

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Following the , the United States became the world's first modern after its , with a in . The original political structure was a confederation in , ratified in as the . After long , this was supplanted by the of a more centralized government in . During the , many new were added to the original thirteen as the nation expanded across the continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. Two major traumatic experiences for the nation were the (-) and the of the . Following the end of and then the collapse of the , the U.S. has become the world's most powerful nation-state.

See also: ,

Politics

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The United States of America consists of 50 with limited in which takes precedence over . In general, matters that lie entirely within state borders are the exclusive concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities; the state ; and working conditions within the state. Many state laws are quite similar from state to state. Finally, there are many areas of overlap between state and jurisdictions.

In recent years, the federal government has assumed broader responsibility in such matters as health, education, welfare, transportation, and housing and urban development. The of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. On such matters as the operation of businesses, banks, public utilities, and charitable institutions, state constitutions are often more detailed and explicit than the federal constitution.

The federal government itself consists of three branches: the , the , and the . The head of the executive branch is the . The legislative branch consists of the , while the is the head of the . The President is elected to a four year term by the . The various electors are in turn chosen primarily by the popular votes in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Members of Congress are elected at varying dates, as are state and state legislatures.

The federal and state government is dominated by two , the and the . The dominant political culture in the United States is, as a whole, somewhat to the right of the dominant political culture in European democracies. Given their complex support bases it is difficult to specifically categorize the two major parties' appeal. Within the US political culture, the Republican Party is described as center-right and the Democratic Party is described as center-left. Minor party and independent candidates are very occasionally elected, usually to local or state office, but the United States political system has historically supported "" rather than coalition governments. The ideology and policies of the sitting President of the United States commonly play a large role in determining the direction of his political party, as well as the platform of the opposition.

The two parties exist on both the state and federal level, although the parties' organization, platform, and ideologies are not necessarily uniform across all levels of government.

Both major parties draw some support from all the diverse socio-economic classes which compose the mature multi-ethnic society which makes up the United States. Business interests provide the major funding and support to the Republican Party while and minority ethnic groups provide major support to the Democrats. Access to funds is vital in the political system due to the financial costs of mounting political campaigns. Thus, through , corporations, unions, and other organized groups that provide funds and political support to parties and politicians can play a large role in determining the political agendas and government decision-making.

Political divisions

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States

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At the time of the , the United States consisted of . In the following years, this number has grown steadily due to expansion to the west, conquest and purchase of lands by the American government, and division of existing states to the current number of 50:

The contiguous part of the United States (i.e. without and or island territories) is called .

The states are divided into smaller administrative regions, called in most states--exceptions being () and (). Counties can include a number of cities and towns, or sometimes just a part of one single large city. See .

Federal district

The is a separate federal district not part of any state and is under the direct authority of Congress. It is there that the nation's —the seat of the federal government—resides.

Dependent areas

Several islands in the and are dependent territories of the United States:

(uninhabited) (uninhabited) (uninhabited)

(uninhabited) (uninhabited) (uninhabited)

(uninhabited) (uninhabited)

Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas are of the United States.

The U.S. Naval Base at is leased from and only mutual agreement or U.S. abandonment of the area can terminate the lease.

The U.S. has made no territorial claim in but has reserved the right to do so.

From , until , , the U.S. administered the , but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units.

Occupying Power

The United States is currently an occupying power of the following countries:

• , this power is shared with the .

NOTE: Under the , a nation is not an occupying power until the war is declared to be over. Thus, the U.S. is not technically an occupying power in Iraq.

Geography

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As the world's third largest nation (total area), the United States landscape varies greatly: temperate forestland on the East coast, forests in , the in the centre of the country, the - river system, the west of the plains, deserts and temperate coastal zones west of the Rocky Mountains and temperate rainforests in the Pacific Northwest. The arctic regions of and the islands of only increase the geographic and climatic diversity.

The climate varies along with the landscape, from sub-tropic in to in . Large parts of the country have a continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Some parts of the United States, particularly parts of California, have a .

Economy

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The economy of the United States is organized on the and is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, a large trade deficit, and rapid advances in technology. The American economy can be regarded as the most important in the world. Several countries have coupled their with the , or even use it as a currency, and the American are globally seen as an indicator of world economy.

The country has rich resources, with extensive , , and deposits. brings the country among the top producers of, among others, (), , and . American produces , and . The biggest sector is however service industries; about three-quarters of Americans are employed in that sector.

The largest trading partner of the USA is its northern neighbor, . Other major partners are , the and the industrialized nations in the , such as and . Trade with is also significant.

See also:

Demographics

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Most of the 280 million people currently living in the United States descend from immigrants that have arrived since the establishment of the first colonies. Major components of the European segment of the United States population are descended from immigrants from Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy with many immigrants also from Scandinavian countries and the Slavic and other populations of eastern and southern Europe and French Canada; few immigrants came directly from France. Likewise, while there were few immigrants directly from Spain, from Mexico and South and Central America are considered the largest minority group in the country, comprising 13.4% of the population (38.6 million people) in . This has brought increasing use of the in the United States (see ). About 12% (2000 census) of the people are who largely descend from the . A third significant minority is the population (3.6%), who are most concentrated on the West Coast. The native population of , such as and make up less than 1% of the population.

The level of Christian religious devotion in the US is showing a gradual decline, from 86.2% calling themselves Christian in to 76.5% doing so in (). The religious affiliations in were 52%, 24.5%, none 13.2%, 1.3% and 0.5-0.3% for , , , , and . There is a significant difference between those who declare themselves to be of a religion and those who are members of a church of that religion. (PDF file) show that church membership in was 53% , 2.3% and 0.1% , others lower.

The , a capitalist country, is highly stratified, with a large proportion of the wealth of the country controlled by a small fraction of the population which exerts disproportionate cultural and political influence. However, in terms of relative wealth, most Americans enjoy a standard of personal economic wealth that is far greater than that known in the majority of the world. For example, 51% of all households have access to a and 41% had access to the in 2000. Furthermore, 67.9% of US households owned their dwellings in 2002.

Culture

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American culture has a large influence on the rest of the world, especially the Western world. is heard all over the world, and and shows can be seen almost anywhere. This is in stark contrast to the early days of the American republic, when the country was generally seen as an agricultural backwater with little to offer the culturally advanced world centers of Asia and Europe. Nearing the end of its third century, nearly every major American city offers classical and popular music; historical, scientific and art research centers and museums; dance performances, musicals and plays; outdoor art projects and internationally significant architecture. This development is a result of both contributions by private philanthropists and government funding.

The United States is also a great center of higher education, boasting more than 1,500 , , and other institutions of higher learning, the top tier of which may be considered to be among the most prestigious and advanced in the world.

Holidays

Date	Name	Remarks
		celebrates beginning of year, marks traditional end of "holiday season"
, third Monday	Day	honors King, leader
, third Monday		honors former American Presidents, especially and
, last Monday		honors service men and women who died in service, marks traditional beginning of summer
		celebrates , usually called "The Fourth of July"
, first Monday		celebrate achievements of workers, marks traditional end of summer
, second Monday		honors , traditional discoverer of the Americas
		traditional observation of a moment of silence at 11 AM remembering those who fought for peace
, fourth Thursday		give thanks for autumn harvest, marks traditional beginning of "holiday season"
		celebrates the nativity of , also celebrated as secular winter holiday

See also:

Related Topics

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External links

United States government

• - Gateway to governmental sites
• - Official site of the Presidential residence
• - Official site of the United States Senate
• - Official site of the United States House of Representatives
• - Official site of the Supreme Court of the United States
• - Published by the United States Information Agency, September 1997.
• Updated regularly by US Bureau of the Census.

Other

• - Rank 31 out of 166 countries (2-way tie) (2002 - 17 out of 139 countries)

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