USAUnited States

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"America", "US", "USA", and "The United States of America" redirect here.
For the continents, see Americas. For other uses, see America
(disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), The United
States of America (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 40°N 100°W

United States of America

Motto: 
"In God We Trust"[1]
show
Other traditional mottos:

Anthem: 
"The Star-Spangled Banner"[3]

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March: 
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"[4][5]

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Great Seal:[2]
 Show globe (states and D.C. only)
Show the U.S. and its territories
Show all
Capital Washington, D.C.
38°53′N 77°01′W
Largest city New York City
40°43′N 74°00′W
Official language None at the federal
s level[a]
National English
language
Ethnic groups By race:
(2019)[8] • 76.3% White
• 13.4% Black
• 5.9% Asian
• 2.8% Multiracial
• 1.3% Native
American
• 0.2% Pacific
Islander
By ethnicity:
• 81.5% Non-
Hispanic or Latino
• 18.5% Hispanic or
Latino
Religion (2020)[9] • 65% Christianity
• 28% No religion
• 6% Others
• 1% Unanswered
Demonym(s) American[b][10]
Government Federal presidential
constitutional republic

• President Joe Biden (D)

• Vice President Kamala Harris (D)
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D)
• Chief Justice John Roberts

Legislature Congress
• Upper house Senate
• Lower house House of
Representatives
Independence from Great Britain

• Declaration July 4, 1776

• Confederation March 1, 1781
• Treaty of Paris September 3, 1783
• Constitution June 21, 1788
• Bill of Rights September 25, 1789
• Last state August 21, 1959
admitted
• Last amendment May 5, 1992

Area
• Total area 3,796,742 sq mi
(9,833,520 km2)[c][11] (3rd/
4th)
• Water (%) 4.66 (as of 2015)[12]
• Total land area 3,531,905 sq mi
(9,147,590 km2)
Population
• 2020 census 331,449,281[d][13] (3rd)
• Density 87/sq mi (33.6/km2)
(146th)
GDP (PPP) 2021 estimate
• Total $22.675 trillion[14] (2nd)
• Per capita $68,309[14] (7th)

GDP (nominal) 2021 estimate
 • Total $22.675 trillion[14] (1st)
• Per capita $68,309[14] (5th)

Gini (2020)  48.5[15]
high
HDI (2019)  0.926[16]
very high · 17th
Currency United States dollar ($)
(USD)
Time zone UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11
• Summer (DST) UTC−4 to −10[e]

Date format • mm/dd/yyyy

• yyyy-mm-dd
Mains electricity 120 V–60 Hz
Driving side right[f]
Calling code +1
ISO 3166 code US
Internet TLD Generic top-level
domain
[17] .com, .org, .net, .edu, .

gov, .mil
ccTLD (generally not
used in the U.S.)
.us, .pr, .as, .gu, .mp, .vi
and, formerly, .um
(removed by ICANN in
2008, but still recognized
by the U.S. government
as a ccTLD)

Flag
Coat of arms
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the
United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in
North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major
unincorporated territories, 326 Indian reservations, and some minor
possessions.[g] At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers), it is
the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area.[c] With a population of
more than 331 million people, it is the third most populous country in the
world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is
New York City.
Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least
12,000 years ago, and European colonization began in the 16th century. The
United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along
the East Coast. Disputes over taxation and political representation with Great
Britain led to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), which
established independence. In the late 18th century, the U.S. began expanding
across North America, gradually obtaining new territories, sometimes through
war, frequently displacing Native Americans, and admitting new states; by
1848, the United States spanned the continent. Slavery was legal in the
southern United States until the second half of the 19th century when the
American Civil War led to its abolition. The Spanish–American War and World
War I established the U.S. as a world power, a status confirmed by the
outcome of World War II.
During the Cold War, the United States fought the Korean War and the
Vietnam War but avoided direct military conflict with the Soviet Union. The
two superpowers competed in the Space Race, culminating in the 1969
spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. The Soviet Union's
dissolution in 1991 ended the Cold War, leaving the United States as the
world's sole superpower.
The United States is a federal republic and a representative democracy with
three separate branches of government, including a bicameral legislature. It is
a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International
Monetary Fund, Organization of American States, NATO, and other
international organizations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council. Considered a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, its
population has been profoundly shaped by centuries of immigration. The U.S.
ranks high in international measures of economic freedom, reduced levels of
perceived corruption, quality of life, quality of higher education, and human
rights. However, the country has received criticism concerning inequality
related to race, wealth and income, the use of capital punishment, high
incarceration rates, and lack of universal health care.
The United States is a highly developed country, and continuously ranks high
in measures of socioeconomic performance. It accounts for approximately a
quarter of global GDP and is the world's largest economy by GDP at market
exchange rates. By value, the United States is the world's largest importer
and the second-largest exporter of goods. Although its population is only
4.2% of the world total, it holds 29.4% of the total wealth in the world, the
largest share held by any country. Making up more than a third of global
military spending, it is the foremost military power in the world and is a
leading political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.[21]

Contents
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 External linksEtymology
See also: Naming of the Americas, Names of the United States, Names for
United States citizens, and American (word)
The first known use of the name "America" dates back to 1507, when it
appeared on a world map created by the German cartographer Martin
Waldseemüller. On his map, the name is shown in large letters on what would
now be considered South America, in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. The Italian
explorer was the first to postulate that the West Indies did not represent Asia's
eastern limit but were part of a previously unknown landmass.[22][23] In 1538,
the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator used the name "America" on his
own world map, applying it to the entire Western Hemisphere.[24]
The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America"
dates from a January 2, 1776 letter written by Stephen Moylan to George
Washington's aide-de-camp Joseph Reed. Moylan expressed his wish to go
"with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to
seek assistance in the revolutionary war effort.[25][26][27] The first known
publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous
essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6,
1776.[28]
The second draft of the Articles of Confederation, prepared by John Dickinson
and completed no later than June 17, 1776, declared "The name of this
Confederation shall be the 'United States of America'."[29] The final version of
the Articles, sent to the states for ratification in late 1777, stated that "The
Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'."[30] In June
1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the
Declaration of Independence.[29] This draft of the document did not surface
until June 21, 1776, and it is unclear whether it was written before or after
Dickinson used the term in his June 17 draft of the Articles of Confederation.
[29]

The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms are the
"U.S.", the "USA", and "America". Colloquial names are the "U.S. of A." and,
internationally, the "States". "Columbia", a name popular in American poetry
and songs of the late 18th century, derives its origin from Christopher
Columbus; it appears in the name "District of Columbia". Many landmarks
and institutions in the Western Hemisphere bear his name, including the
country of Colombia.
The phrase "United States" was originally plural in American usage. It
described a collection of states—e.g., "the United States are." The singular
form became popular after the end of the Civil War and is now standard
usage in the U.S. A citizen of the United States is an "American". "United
States", "American" and "U.S." refer to the country adjectivally ("American
values", "U.S. forces"). In English, the word "American" rarely refers to topics
or subjects not directly connected with the United States.[31]
History
Main articles: History of the United States and Outline of United States history
Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian history
Further information: Native Americans in the United States, Prehistory of the
United States, and Pre-Columbian era

The Cliff Palace, built by the Native American Puebloans between AD 1190 and 1260