United States

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country (UK) 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.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)

border countries: Canada, Mexico

Official Name:
United States of America
short form: America or United States
abbreviation: US or USA

ISO Country Code: us

Time:
Eastern Time, EST (UTC -5h):
Sat-Oct-22 11:23
Central Time, CST (UTC -6h):
Sat-Oct-22 10:23
Mountain Time, MST (UTC -7h):
Sat-Oct-22 09:23
Pacific Time, PST (UTC -8h):
Sat-Oct-22 08:23
Alaska Time, AKST (UTC -9h):
Sat-Oct-22 07:23
Hawaii-Aleutian Time, HAST (UTC -10h):
Sat-Oct-22 06:23
Map of U.S. Time Zones

Country Calling Code: +1

Capital City: Washington D.C.

Other Cities:
Chicago (pop. 2 896 016)
Denver (pop. 554 636)
Detroit (pop. 951 270)
New York City (pop. 8 008 278)
Los Angeles (pop. 3 694 820)
Phoenix (pop. 1 321 045)
Philadlephia (pop. 1 517 550)
San Diego (pop. 1 223 400)
San Francisco (pop. 776 733)

U.S. Capital Cities
The most populated Cities in the U.S.

Government:
Type: Constitution-based federal republic
Independence: 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
Declaration of Independence
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789.

Geography:
Location: North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean in the east and the North Pacific Ocean in the west, between Canada and Mexico.
Area: total 9 631 418 sq km
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.

Climate: Mostly temperate, tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska.

People:
Nationality: American(s)
Population (July 2004 est.): 293 027 571
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)
Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7%.
Literacy: total population: 97%

Natural resources: Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber.

Agriculture products: Wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish.

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.

Currency: US Dollar (USD)

United States in Numbers
US key statistical data.