^ Inglish is the offeecial leid o at least 28 states; some soorces gie heicher figurs, based on differin defineetions o "offeecial".[10] Inglish an Hawaiian are baith offeecial leids in the state o Hawaii.
^ Inglis is the de facto leid o American govrenment an the sole leid spoken at home bi 80 percent o Americans aged five an aulder. Spainyie is the second maist commonly spoken leid.
^ Whether the Unitit States or Cheenae is lairger haes been disputit. The figur gien is frae the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's The Warld Factbeuk. Ither soorces gie smawer figurs. Aa authoritative calculations o the kintra's size include anly the 50 states an the Destrict o Columbia, nae the territories.
^ The population estimate is o fowk whose uisual residence is within the 50 states an the Destrict o Columbia, regardless o naitionality. It daes nae include those livin in the territories (ower 4million fowk, maistly in Puerto Rico).
^ See Time in the Unitit States for details aboot laws govrenin time zones in the Unitit States.
^ Daes nae include insular auries an Unitit States Minor Ootlyin Islands, which hae thair ain ISO 3166 codes.
The Unitit States o Americae (Inglis: United States of America, USA), commonly referred tae as the Unitit States (Inglis: United States, US, U.S.) or Americae (Inglis: America), is a constitutionalfederal republic o 50 federatit states. Forby the states, it includes the federal destrict Washington D.C., five main sel-govrenin territories, an ither possessions.[fn 1]
Forty-aicht o the fifty states, an the federal destrict, mairch ilk ither an lie in North Americae atween Canadae an Mexico. The state o Alaska is in the northwast neuk o North Americae, bordered bi Canadae tae the east an athort the Bering Strait frae Roushie tae the wast. The state o Hawaii is an airchipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered ower the Pacific Ocean an the Caribbean Sea. The kintra spans nine time zones. Its geografie, climate an wildlife are unco diverse.[12]
The Unitit States spreid athort North Americae throu the 19t century,[21] displacin American Indian tribes, acquirin new territories, an gradually admittin new states till it spanned the continent in 1848.[21] In the second hauf o the 19t century, the American Civil War led tae the end o legal slavery in the kintra.[22][23] Bi the end o that century, the Unitit States extendit intae the Pacific Ocean,[24] an its economy, driven lairgely bi the Industrial Revolution, stairtit tae grow faist.[25] The Spaingie–American War an Warld War I confirmed the kintra's status as a global militar pouer. The Unitit States emerged frae Warld War II as a global superpouer, the first kintra tae develop nuclear wappens, the anly kintra tae uise them in warfare, an a permanent member o the Unitit Naitions Security Cooncil. It is a foondin member o the Organisation o American States (OAS) an various ither Pan-American an internaitional organisations. The end o the Cauld War an the end o the Soviet Union in 1991 left the Unitit States as the warld's sole superpouer.[26]
The Unitit States is a heichly developed kintra, wi the warld's mucklest economy bi nominal GDP. It ranks heich in several meisures o socioeconomic performance, includin average wage,[27]human development, per capita GDP, an productivity per person.[28] Tho the U.S. economy is coontit post-industrial, wi services an the knawledge economy dominant, its manufacturin sector is still the second-lairgest in the warld.[29] Tho its population is anly 4.3% o the warld's,[30] the Unitit States accoonts for nearly a quarter o warld GDP[31] an ower a third o global militar spendin,[32] makkin it the warld's leadin economic an militar pouer. The Unitit States is a prominent poleetical an cultural force internaitionally, an a leader in scientific resairch an technological innovation.[33]
History
Efter the European colonisation o the Americaes, aw thirteen o Great Breetain's American colonies broke awa frae the mither kintra an formed the Unitit States. It wis the warld's first constitutional an democraticfederalrepublic. This follit the colonies' declaration o unthirldom in 1776 an the War o Unthirldom (1775–1783). Great Breetain signed a peace wi the rebels in the Treaty o Pairis in 1783. Tae mak a stranger federal govrenment, the Philadelphia Convention met in 1787 an drew up a constitution, that wis ratified in 1788, an the first Unitit States Senate, Hoose o Representatives an preses teuk office in 1789. George Washington wis the first preses.
Differences o opinion an social order atween northren an soothren states in early Unitit States society, particularly ower the slavery o Black fowk, led in the end tae the American Civil War.[34] Follaein the Union victory in 1865, three amendments war addit tae the U.S. Constitution: the Thirteent Amendment bannit slavery, the Fowerteent Amendment gied ceetizenship tae the near fower million African Americans that haed been slaves,[35] an the Fifteent Amendment secured thair richt tae vote.
The Unitit States bade neutral frae the stairt o Warld War I, in 1914, till 1917, whan it jyned the war as an "associatit pouer", alangside the formal Allies o Warld War I. It helped tae turn the tide agin the Central Pouers. In 1920, the weemen's richts muivement wan passage o a constitutional amendment grantin weemen's suffrage.[36] The 1920s an 1930s saw the rise o radio for mass communication an the invention o early televeesion.[37] The prosperity o the Roarin Twenties endit wi the Wall Street Crash o 1929 an the onset o the Great Depression. Efter his election as preses in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt respondit wi the New Deal, that includit settin up the Social Security seestem.[38] At first the Unitit States wis neutral in aw but nem in Warld War II, while Germany conquered muckle o continental Europe, but it stairtit supplyin material tae the Allies in Mairch 1941 throu the Lend-Lease programme. On December 7, 1941, the Empire o Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, an the Unitit States jyned the Allies agin the Axis pouers.[39] The Unitit States developed the first nuclear wappens an uised them on Japan, on the cities o Hiroshima an Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on September 2, endin Warld War II.[40][41]
Efter Warld War II the Unitit States an the Soviet Union focht for pouer in whit becam kent as the Cauld War. It wis driven bi an ideological divide atween caipitalism an communism[42] an, accordin tae the schuil o geopolitics, a divide atween the maritime Atlantic an the continental Eurasian camps. American truips focht communist Cheenese an North Korean forces in the Korean War o 1950–53.[43] The Soviet Union's launch o the first artificial satellite in 1957 an the first manned spaceflicht in 1961 stairtit a "Space Race". In it, the Unitit States becam the first naition tae laund a man on the mune in 1969.[43] A proxy war in Sootheast Asie grew in the end intae the Vietnam War, wi the Unitit States fully involved. At hame in the 1960s, the growin Civil Richts Muivement uised nonviolence tae confront segregation an discrimination, wi Martin Luther King Jr. its maist kent leader.
The late 1980s, unner the presidency o Ronald Reagan, brocht a "thowe" in relations wi the USSR, an its collapse in 1991 finally endit the Cauld War.[44][45][46][47]
Unner Preses Barack Obama, maist American forces war taen oot o Iraq in 2009 an 2010, an the war thare wis declared offeecially ower in December 2011.[51] The widrawal led tae an escalation o sectarian insurgency,[52] leadin tae the rise o the Islamic State o Iraq an the Levant, the successor o al-Qaeda in the region.[53]
The U.S. housin bubble burst in 2007 wi the Great Recession, the warst economic contraction syne the Great Depression.[54] Frae the 2010s the Unitit States haes seen growin poleetical polarisation.[55] This wis seen violently in the Capitol attack o Januar 2021, whan a mob o insurrectionists[56] that supportit Preses Donald Trump gaed intae the U.S. Capitol an socht tae stap his successor frae takkin office.[57] Trump wan the preses election again in 2024,[58] an teuk office for a second term in 2025.
Geografie, climate, an environs
The laund aurie o the contiguous Unitit States is 2,959,064 square mile (7,663,940.6km2). Alaska, separatit frae the contiguous Unitit States bi Canadae, is the mucklest state at 663,268 square mile (1,717,856.2km2). Hawaii, an airchipelago in the central Pacific, soothwast o North Americae, is 10,931 square mile (28,311km2) in area. The populatit territories o Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northren Mariana Islands, an U.S. Virgin Islands thegither cover 9,185 square mile (23,789km2).[59]
Wi its muckle size an geografic variety, the Unitit States haes maist types o climate. Tae the east o the 100t meridian, the climate ranges frae humid continental in the north tae humid subtropical in the sooth.[60] The Great Plains wast o the 100t meridian are semi-arid. Muckle o the Wastren moontains hae an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Soothwast, Mediterranean in coastal California, an oceanic in coastal Oregon an Washington an soothren Alaska. Maist o Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii an the soothren tip o Florida are tropical, as are the populatit territories in the Caribbean an the Pacific.[61]
Wildlife
The U.S. ecology is megadiverse: aboot 17,000 species o vascular plants occur in the contiguous Unitit States an Alaska, an ower 1,800 species o flouerin plants are foond in Hawaii, few o that are foond on the mainland.[62] The Unitit States is hame tae 428 mammal species, 784 bird species, 311 reptile species, an 295 amphibian species.[63] Aboot 91,000 insect species hae been describit.[64] The bauld eagle is baith the naitional bird an naitional ainimal o the Unitit States, an is a lastin symbol o the kintra itsel.[65]
Culture
The Unitit States is hame tae mony cultures an a wide variety o ethnic groups, tradeetions, an values.[18][66] Forby the Native American, Native Hawaiian an Alaska Native populations, near aw Americans or thair forebears haes come tae the kintra in the past five centuries.[67] Mainstream American culture is a Wastren culture that comes maistly frae the tradeetions o European incomers, wi influences frae monie ither soorces, sic as tradeetions brocht bi slaves frae Africae.[18][68]
Cuisine
Mainstream American cuisine is lik that in ither Wastren kintras. Typical dishes sic as aiple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers an het dugs come frae the recipes o different incomers. French fries, Mexican dishes sic as burritos an tacos, an pasta dishes freely adaptit frae Italian anes are widely eaten.[69] Americans drink three times as muckle coffee as tea.[70] Mercatin bi U.S. industries is lairgely why orange juice an milk are drunk at breakfast awgates.[71][72]
Hollywood, a northren destrict o Los Angeles, California, is ane o the leaders in motion pictur production.[73] Syne the early 20t century, the U.S. film industry haes maistly been based in an aroond Hollywood, tho in the 21st century mair an mair films are no shot thare, an film companies hae been subject tae the forces o globalisation.[74]
↑The five major territories are American Samoa, Guam, the Northren Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, an the Unitit States Virgin Islands. Thare are eleven smawer island auries withoot permanent populations: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, an Palmyra Atoll. U.S. sovereignty ower Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, an Wake Island is disputit.[11]
↑The follaein twa primary soorces (non-mirrored) gie the range (min./max.) o tot area for Cheenae an the Unitit States.
Baith soorces exclude Taiwan frae the area o Cheenae.
The Encyclopædia Britannica leets Cheenae as the warld's third-lairgest kintra (efter Roushie an Canadae) wi a tot area o 9,572,900 sq km,[14]
an the Unitit States as fowert-lairgest at 9,526,468 sq km. The figur for the Unitit States is less nor in the CIA Factbook acause it excludes coastal an territorial watters.[15]
The CIA World Factbook leets the Unitit States as the third-lairgest kintra (efter Roushie an Canadae) wi a tot area o 9,833,517 sq km,[16] an Cheenae as fowert-lairgest at 9,596,960 sq km.[17] This figur for the Unitit States is mair nor in the Encyclopædia Britannica acause it includes coastal an territorial watters.
↑"United States". The World Factbook. CIA. 30 September 2009. Archived frae the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 5 Januar 2010. (area given in square kilometers)
↑"Wildlife Library". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
↑"State and other areas", U.S. Census Bureau, MAF/TIGER database as of August 2010, excluding the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. viewed October 22, 2014.
↑"China". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 31 Januar 2010.
↑"United States". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 31 Januar 2010.
↑"1860 Census"(PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 10 Juin 2007. Page 7 leets a tot sclave population o 3,953,760.
↑Voris, Jacqueline Van (1996). Carrie Chapman Catt: A Public Life. Women and Peace Series. New York City: Feminist Press at CUNY. p.vii. ISBN1-55861-139-8. Carrie Chapmann Catt led an army of voteless women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote and convinced state legislatures to ratify it in 1920.... Catt was one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century and was on all lists of famous American women.
↑Rutenberg, Jim; Becker, Jo; Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie; Martin, Jonathan; Rosenberg, Matthew; Schmidt, Michael S. (31 Januar 2021). "77 Days: Trump's Campaign to Subvert the Election". The New York Times. Archived frae the original on 18 Juin 2022.
↑Thompson, William; Hickey, Joseph (2005). Society in Focus. Boston: Pearson. ISBN 0-205-41365-X.
↑Fiorina, Morris P.; Peterson, Paul E. (2000). The New American Democracy. London: Longman, p. 97. ISBN 0-321-07058-5.
↑Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). Africanisms in American Culture, 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 18–38. ISBN 0-253-34479-4. Johnson, Fern L. (1999). Speaking Culturally: Language Diversity in the United States. Thousand Oaks, Calif., London, and New Delhi: Sage, p. 116. ISBN 0-8039-5912-5.
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Simonson, Peter (2010). Refiguring Mass Communication: A History. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN978-0-252-07705-0. He held high the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the nation's unofficial motto, e pluribus unum, even as he was recoiling from the party system in which he had long participated., Beuk
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