Location:
North America, between Canada and Mexico
Map references:
North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
9,372,610 km2
land area:
9,166,600 km2
comparative area:
about 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 smaller than China; about two and one-half times the size of
Western Europe
note:
includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Land boundaries:
total 12,248 km, Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba 29
km (US naval base at Guantanamo), Mexico 3,326 km
Coastline:
19,924 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 m or depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait
of Juan de Fuca); US Naval Base at Guantanamo 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; Republic of Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
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
Natural resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron,
mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas,
timber
Land use:
arable land:
20%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
26%
*United States, Geography
forest and woodland:
29%
other:
25%
Irrigated land:
181,020 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
pollution control measures improving air and water quality; agricultural
fertilizer and pesticide pollution; management of sparse natural water
resources in west; desertification; tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake
activity around Pacific Basin; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major
impediment to development
Note:
world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)
*United States, People
Population:
258,103,721 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.02% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
15.48 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
8.67 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.36 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
75.8 years
male:
72.49 years
female:
79.29 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.05 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
American(s)
adjective:
American
Ethnic divisions:
white 83.4%, black 12.4%, asian 3.3%, native american 0.8% (1992)
Religions:
Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages:
English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy:
age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1991)
total population:
97.9%
male:
97.9%
female:
97.9%
Labor force:
128.548 million (includes armed forces and unemployed; civilian labor force
126.982 million) (1992)
by occupation:
NA
*United States, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
United States of America
conventional short form:
United States
Abbreviation:
US or USA
Digraph:
US
Type:
federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
Washington, DC
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia,, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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:
since 18 July 1947, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with
three of the 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 that was approved
by the US Congress but to date the Compact process has not been completed in
Palau, which continues to be administered by the US as the Trust Territory
of the Pacific Islands; 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)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 June 1789
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Political parties and leaders:
Republican Party, Haley BARBOUR, national committee chairman; Jeanie AUSTIN,
co-chairman; Democratic Party, David C. WILHELM, national committee
chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results -
William Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic Party) 43.2%, George BUSH (Republican
Party) 37.7%, Ross PEROT (Independent) 19.0%, other 0.1%
*United States, Government
Senate:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994); results -
Democratic Party 53%, Republican Party 47%, other NEGL%; seats - (100 total)
Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 43
House of Representatives:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994); results -
Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 46%, other 2%; seats - (435 total)
Democratic Party 258, Republican Party 176, Independent 1
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or
House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President
Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, COCOM,
CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, FAO, ESCAP, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR,
NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNRWA, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Flag:
thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with
white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50
small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of
six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars
represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies;
known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number
of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
*United States, Economy