United States

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  • "america", "us", "usa", and "united states of america" redirect here. for the landmass comprising north, central, south america, and the caribbean, see americas. for other uses, see america (disambiguation), us (disambiguation), usa (disambiguation), and united states (disambiguation).

    united states of america

    flag of the united states
    flag
    coat of arms of the united states
    coat of arms
    motto: 
    "in god we trust"[1]
    anthem: 
    "the star-spangled banner"
    march: 
    "the stars and stripes forever"[3][4]
    great seal:
    great seal of the united states (obverse).svg great seal of the united states (reverse).svg
    projection of north america with the united states in green
    the united states and its territories
    the united states, including its territories
    capital
    • washington, d.c.
    • 38°53′n 77°01′w / 38°53′n 77°01′w / 38.883; -77.017
    largest city
    • new york city
    • 40°43′n 74°00′w / 40°43′n 74°00′w / 40.717; -74.000
    official languagesnone at federal level[a]
    national languageenglish
    ethnic groups
    (2018)[7]
    by race:
    • 76.5% white
    • 13.4% black
    • 5.9% asian
    • 2.7% other/multiracial
    • 1.3% native american
    • 0.2% pacific islander
    ethnicity:
    • 18.3% hispanic or latino
    • 81.7% non-hispanic or latino
    religion
    		see religion in the united states
    demonym(s)american[b][8]
    governmentfederal presidential constitutional republic
    • president
    		donald trump (r)
    • vice president
    		mike pence (r)
    • house speaker
    		nancy pelosi (d)
    • chief justice
    		john roberts
    legislaturecongress
    • upper house
    		senate
    • lower house
    		house of representatives
    independence 
    from great britain
    • declaration
    		july 4, 1776
    • confederation
    		march 1, 1781
    • treaty of paris
    		september 3, 1783
    • current constitution
    		june 21, 1788
    • last state admitted
    		march 18, 1959 (hawaii)
    area
    • total area
    		3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[c][9] (3rd/4th)
    • water (%)
    		6.97
    • total land area
    		3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)
    population
    • 2019 estimate
    		increase328,239,523[7] (3rd)
    • 2010 census
    		308,745,538[d][10] (3rd)
    • density
    		87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (146th)
    gdp (ppp)2020 estimate
    • total
    		$22.321 trillion[11] (2nd)
    • per capita
    		$67,426[11] (11th)
    gdp (nominal)2020 estimate
    • total
    		$22.321 trillion[11] (1st)
    • per capita
    		$67,426[11] (7th)
    gini (2017)positive decrease 39.0[12]
    medium · 56th
    hdi (2018)increase 0.920[13]
    very high · 15th
    currencyunited states dollar ($) (usd)
    time zoneutc−4 to −12, +10, +11
    • summer (dst)
    		utc−4 to −10[e]
    date format
    • mm/dd/yyyy
    • yyyy-mm-dd
    mains electricity120 v–60 hz
    driving sideright[f]
    calling code+1
    iso 3166 codeus
    internet tld
    generic top-level domain
    .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mil
    cctld (generally not used in the u.s.)
    .us, .pr, .as, .gu, .mp, .vi, .um
    periods in united states history
     
    colonial period 1607–1765
    american revolution 1765–1783
    confederation period 1783–1788
    federalist era 1788–1801
    jeffersonian era1801–1817
    era of good feelings 1817–1825
    jacksonian era1825–1849
    civil war era 1850–1865
    reconstruction era 1865–1877
    gilded age 1877–1895
    progressive era 1896–1916
    world war i 1917–1919
    roaring twenties 1920–1929
    great depression 1929–1941
    world war ii 1941–1945
    post-war era 1945–1964
    civil rights era 1965–1980
    reagan era 1981–1989
    clinton-bush era 1991–2008
    obama-trump era 2008–2020
    timeline
    • v
    • t

    the united states of america (usa), commonly known as the united states (u.s. or us) or america, is a country consisting of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.[g] at 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2), it is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area[c]. most of the country is located in central north america between canada and mexico. with an estimated population of over 328 million, the u.s. is the third most populous country in the world. the capital is washington, d.c., and the most populous city is new york city.

    paleo-indians migrated from siberia to the north american mainland at least 12,000 years ago.[19] european colonization began in the 16th century. the united states emerged from the thirteen british colonies established along the east coast. numerous disputes between great britain and the colonies led to the american revolutionary war lasting between 1775 and 1783, leading to independence.[20] the united states embarked on a vigorous expansion across north america throughout the 19th century—gradually acquiring new territories,[21] displacing native americans, and admitting new states—until 1848 when it spanned the continent.[21] during the second half of the 19th century, the american civil war led to the abolition of slavery in the united states.[22][23] the spanish–american war and world war i confirmed the country's status as a global military power.

    the united states emerged from world war ii as a global superpower. it was the first country to develop nuclear weapons and is the only country to have used them in warfare. during the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed in the space race, culminating with the 1969 apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon. the end of the cold war and collapse of the soviet union in 1991 left the united states as the world's sole superpower.[24]

    the united states is a federal republic and a representative democracy. it is a founding member of the united nations, world bank, international monetary fund, organization of american states (oas), nato, and other international organizations. it is a permanent member of the united nations security council.

    a highly developed country, the united states is the world's largest economy by nominal gdp, the second-largest by purchasing power parity, and accounts for approximately a quarter of global gdp.[25] the united states is the world's largest importer and the second-largest exporter of goods, by value.[26][27] although its population is 4% of the world total,[28] it holds 29.4% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country.[29] despite income and wealth disparities, the united states continues to rank very high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, median income, median wealth, human development, per capita gdp, and worker productivity.[30][31] it is the foremost military power in the world, making up more than a third of global military spending,[32] and is a leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.[33]

  • etymology
  • history
  • geography, climate, and environment
  • demographics
  • government and politics
  • law enforcement and crime
  • economy
  • infrastructure
  • culture
  • see also
  • notes
  • references
  • further reading
  • external links

"America", "US", "USA", and "United States of America" redirect here. For the landmass comprising North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean, see Americas. For other uses, see America (disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).

United States of America

Motto: 
Projection of North America with the United States in green
The United States and its territories
The United States, including its territories
Capital
Largest city
Official languagesNone at federal level[a]
National languageEnglish
Ethnic groups
(2018)[7]
By race:
Ethnicity:
Religion
See Religion in the United States
Demonym(s)American[b][8]
GovernmentFederal presidential constitutional republic
• President
Donald Trump (R)
Mike Pence (R)
Nancy Pelosi (D)
John Roberts
LegislatureCongress
Senate
House of Representatives
Independence 
July 4, 1776
March 1, 1781
September 3, 1783
June 21, 1788
March 18, 1959 (Hawaii)
Area
• Total area
3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[c][9] (3rd/4th)
• Water (%)
6.97
• Total land area
3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)
Population
• 2019 estimate
Increase328,239,523[7] (3rd)
• 2010 census
308,745,538[d][10] (3rd)
• Density
87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (146th)
GDP (PPP)2020 estimate
• Total
$22.321 trillion[11] (2nd)
• Per capita
$67,426[11] (11th)
GDP (nominal)2020 estimate
• Total
$22.321 trillion[11] (1st)
• Per capita
$67,426[11] (7th)
Gini (2017)Positive decrease 39.0[12]
medium · 56th
HDI (2018)Increase 0.920[13]
very high · 15th
CurrencyUnited States dollar ($) (USD)
Time zoneUTC−4 to −12, +10, +11
• Summer (DST)
UTC−4 to −10[e]
Date format
  • mm/dd/yyyy
  • yyyy-mm-dd
Mains electricity120 V–60 Hz
Driving sideright[f]
Calling code+1
ISO 3166 codeUS
Internet TLD
Generic top-level domain
.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mil
ccTLD (generally not used in the U.S.)
.us, .pr, .as, .gu, .mp, .vi, .um
Periods in United States history
 
Colonial period 1607–1765
American Revolution 1765–1783
Confederation Period 1783–1788
Federalist Era 1788–1801
Jeffersonian Era1801–1817
Era of Good Feelings 1817–1825
Jacksonian Era1825–1849
Civil War Era 1850–1865
Reconstruction era 1865–1877
Gilded Age 1877–1895
Progressive Era 1896–1916
World War I 1917–1919
Roaring Twenties 1920–1929
Great Depression 1929–1941
World War II 1941–1945
Post-war Era 1945–1964
Civil Rights Era 1965–1980
Reagan Era 1981–1989
Clinton-Bush Era 1991–2008
Obama-Trump Era 2008–2020
Timeline

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country consisting of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.[g] At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2), it is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area[c]. Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico. With an estimated population of over 328 million, the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City.

Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago.[19] European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783, leading to independence.[20] The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century—gradually acquiring new territories,[21] displacing Native Americans, and admitting new states—until 1848 when it spanned the continent.[21] During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.[22][23] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power.

The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower. It was the first country to develop nuclear weapons and is the only country to have used them in warfare. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. The end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower.[24]

The United States is a federal republic and a representative democracy. It is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States (OAS), NATO, and other international organizations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

A highly developed country, the United States is the world's largest economy by nominal GDP, the second-largest by purchasing power parity, and accounts for approximately a quarter of global GDP.[25] The United States is the world's largest importer and the second-largest exporter of goods, by value.[26][27] Although its population is 4% of the world total,[28] it holds 29.4% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country.[29] Despite income and wealth disparities, the United States continues to rank very high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, median income, median wealth, human development, per capita GDP, and worker productivity.[30][31] It is the foremost military power in the world, making up more than a third of global military spending,[32] and is a leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.[33]