United States
The United States of America (USA or U.S.A.), commonly known as the United States (US or U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federation of 50 states, a federal capital district (Washington, D.C.), and 326 Indian reservations.[j] Outside the union of states, it asserts sovereignty over five major unincorporated island territories and various uninhabited islands.[k] The country has the world's third-largest land area,[d] second-largest exclusive economic zone, and third-largest population, exceeding 334 million.[l]
Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see America (disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), The United States of America (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).
United States of America
None at the federal level[a]
- 61.6% White
- 12.4% Black
- 6% Asian
- 1.1% Native American
- 0.2% Pacific Islander
- 10.2% two or more races
- 8.4% other
- 81.3% non-Hispanic or Latino
- 18.7% Hispanic or Latino
- 70% Christianity
- 34% Protestantism
- 23% Catholicism
- 2% Mormonism
- 11% other Christian
- 70% Christianity
- 21% unaffiliated
- 2% Judaism
- 6% other religion
- 1% unanswered
Federal presidential republic
July 4, 1776
March 1, 1781
September 3, 1783
June 21, 1788
7.0[10] (2010)
3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2) (3rd)
334,914,895[11]
87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (185th)
2024 estimate
2024 estimate
U.S. dollar ($) (USD)
UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11
mm/dd/yyyy[h]
right[i]
Paleo-Indians migrated across the Bering land bridge more than 12,000 years ago, and went on to form various civilizations and societies. British colonization led to the first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies in Virginia in 1607. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political representation sparked the American Revolution, with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the country continued to expand across North America. As more states were admitted, sectional division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America, which fought the remaining states of the Union during the 1861–1865 American Civil War. With the Union's victory and preservation, slavery was abolished nationally. By 1890, the United States had established itself as a great power. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. entered World War II. The aftermath of the war left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War, during which both countries engaged in a struggle for ideological dominance and international influence. Following the Soviet Union's collapse and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower.
The U.S. national government is a presidential constitutional republic and liberal democracy with three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It has a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives, a lower house based on population; and the Senate, an upper house based on equal representation for each state. Substantial autonomy is given to states and several territories, with a political culture promoting liberty, equality, individualism, personal autonomy and limited government.
One of the world's most developed countries, the United States has had the largest nominal GDP since about 1890 and accounted for 15% of the global economy in 2023.[m] It possesses by far the largest amount of wealth of any country and has the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD countries. The U.S. ranks among the world's highest in human rights, economic competitiveness, productivity, innovation, and higher education. Its hard power and cultural influence have a global reach. The U.S. is a founding member of the World Bank, Organization of American States, NATO, and United Nations,[n] as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.