Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
British pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596
(2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), Canadian dollars per US dollar
- 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835
(1998), Japanese yen per US dollar - 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001),
107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), euros per US dollar -
1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999)
note: financial institutions in France, Italy, and Germany and eight
other European countries started using the euro on 1 January 1999
with the euro replacing the local currency in consenting countries
for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Communications United States
Telephones - main lines in use:
194 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
69.209 million (1998)
Telephone system:
general assessment: a very large, technologically advanced,
multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country
international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth
stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and
Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998)
Radios:
575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)