Background: The United States became the world's first modern democracy after its
break with Great Britain (1776) and the adoption of a constitution (1789). During the 19th
century, many 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 major
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.
[Top of Page]
- Map:
- Location:
- • North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific
Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
- Area—comparative:
- • about one-half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about
one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than
China; about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe
- Land boundaries:
- • total: 12,248 km
• border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba 29
km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km
• note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of
Cuba
- Coastline:
- • 19,924 km
- Maritime claims:
- • contiguous zone: 12 nm
• continental shelf: not specified
• exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• territorial sea: 12 nm
- Climate:
- • mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and 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
- 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; very 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 Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
• signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes
- Geography
- • note: world's third-largest country (after Russia and Canada)
-
- U.S. Geological Survey
National Weather Service
[Top of Page]
- Population:
- • 278,058,881 (July 2001 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- • 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- • 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- • total population: 77.26 years
• male: 74.37 years
• female: 80.05 years (2001 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- • 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.)
- Nationality:
- • noun: American(s)
• adjective: American
- Ethnic groups:
- • white 83.5%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Amerindian 0.8% (1992)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau
considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (especially 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.)
Census 2000
Current
Population Survey
[Top of Page]
- Country name:
- • conventional long form: United States of America
• conventional short form: United States
• abbreviation: US or USA
- Data code:
- • US
- Government type:
- • federal republic; strong democratic tradition
- National capital:
- • Washington, DC
- Administrative
divisions:
- • 50 states and 1 district
- 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, but recently entered into a new 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 England)
- 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) and Vice President Richard Cheney (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) and Vice President Richard Cheney (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 5 November 1996 (next to be
held 7 November 2000)
• election results:
- Electoral
College
- Legislative branch:
- • bicameral Congress consists of 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 House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to
serve two-year terms)
• election results:
- Yahoo
Guide to Election Campaign Finance Reform
- Yahoo Guide to Electoral Reform
- McCain-Feingold
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001
- Judicial branch:
- • Supreme Court, justices are appointed for life by the president with confirmation
by the Senate
- Political parties and leaders:
- • Republican Party, Governor Jim Gilmore, national committee chairman; Democratic Party, Terence
R. McAuliffe, national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor
political significance
[Top of Page]
- Economy—overview:
- • The US has the most technologically powerful, diverse, advanced, and largest
economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $33,900. In this market-oriented economy,
private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and government buys
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, lay off surplus workers, and 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, although 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 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%. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure,
rapidly rising medical costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and
stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. Growth weakened in the fourth
quarter of 2000; growth for the year 2001 almost certainly will be substantially lower
than the strong 5% of 2000. The outlook for 2001 is further clouded by the continued
economic problems of Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, and many other countries.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
-
- GDP:
- • purchasing power parity: $9.963 trillion (2000 est.)
• real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)
• per capita: purchasing power parity—$36,200 (2000 est.)
• composition by sector: agriculture: agriculture: 2% industry:
18% services: 80% (1999)
- Inflation rate—consumer price index:
- • 3.4% (2000)
- Labor force:
- • total: 140.9 million (includes unemployed)
(2000)
• by occupation: managerial and professional
30.2%, technical, sales and administrative support 29.2%, services 13.5%, manufacturing,
mining, transportation, and crafts 24.6%, farming, forestry, and fishing 2.5% (2000)
note: figures exclude the unemployed
- Unemployment rate:
- • 4% (2000)
-
- Department of Labor
Current
Population Survey
- Budget:
- • revenues: $1.828 trillion
• expenditures: $1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
- Exports:
- • total value:$776 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
• commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw
materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
• partners: Canada 23%, Mexico 14%, Japan 8%, UK
5%, Germany 4%, France, Netherlands (2000)
- Imports:
- • total value:$1.223 trillion (f.o.b., 2000
est.)
• commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery,
automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
• partners: Canada 19%, Japan 11%, Mexico
11%, China 8%, Germany 5%, UK, Taiwan (2000)
-
- Trade
Statistics from the U.S. Commerce Department
-
- Debt—external:
- • $862 billion (1995 est.)
- Economic aid:
- • donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
- Currency:
- • 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
- Exchange rates:
- • British pounds (£) per US$—0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037
(1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995); Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$ -
1.4489 (January 2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724
(1995); French francs (F) per US$ - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997),
5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994); Italian lire (Lit) per US$ - 1,668.7 (January
1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994);
Japanese yen per US$ - 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997),
108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995); German deutsche marks (DM) per US$ - 1.69 (January 1999),
1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994); Euro per US$ -
0.98673 (January 1999), 0.93863 (1999)
note: France, Italy, and Germany have adopted the euro since 1998
[Top of Page]
- Military branches:
- • Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (includes Marine Corps),
Department of the Air Force
• note: the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Transportation, but in
wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
- Military manpower—military age:
- • 18
- Military expenditures—dollar figure:
- • 70,502,691 (2000 est.)
- Military expenditures—percent of GDP:
- • 3.2% (FY1999 est.)
U.S. Military Links
[Top of Page]
- Disputes—international:
- • Maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of
Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island)
• US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US
abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
• Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but
has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation
• Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
- Illicit drugs:
- • consumer of cocaine shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean;
consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamines from Mexico; consumer of
high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants,
stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines; drug money-laundering center
The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
UNITED STATES