The\u00a0United States of America<\/b>\u00a0(USA<\/b>), commonly known as the\u00a0United States<\/b>\u00a0(U.S.<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0US<\/b>) or\u00a0America<\/b>, is a country composed of 50\u00a0states<\/a>, a\u00a0federal district<\/a>, five major\u00a0self-governing territories<\/a>, and\u00a0various possessions<\/a>.[fn 6]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0At 3.8\u00a0million square miles (9.8\u00a0million km^{2<\/sup>), the United States is the world’s\u00a0}third- or fourth-largest country by total area<\/a>[fn 7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and slightly smaller than the entire continent of\u00a0Europe<\/a>‘s 3.9\u00a0million square miles (10.1\u00a0million km^{2<\/sup>). With a population of over 325 million people, the U.S. is the\u00a0}third most populous country<\/a>. The capital is\u00a0Washington, D.C.<\/a>, and the\u00a0largest city by population<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0New York City<\/a>. Forty-eight states and the capital’s federal district are\u00a0contiguous<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0North America<\/a>\u00a0between\u00a0Canada<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Mexico<\/a>. The\u00a0State of Alaska<\/a>\u00a0is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the\u00a0Bering Strait<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0to the west. The\u00a0State of Hawaii<\/a>\u00a0is an\u00a0archipelago<\/a>\u00a0in the mid-Pacific Ocean<\/a>. The U.S.\u00a0territories<\/a>\u00a0are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the\u00a0Caribbean Sea<\/a>, stretching across nine official\u00a0time zones<\/a>. The extremely diverse\u00a0geography<\/a>,\u00a0climate<\/a>, and\u00a0wildlife<\/a>\u00a0of the United States make it one of the world’s 17\u00a0megadiverse countries<\/a>.[19]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Paleo-Indians<\/a>\u00a0migrated from Siberia<\/a>\u00a0to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago.[20]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0European colonization<\/a>\u00a0began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the\u00a0thirteen British colonies<\/a>\u00a0established along the\u00a0East Coast<\/a>. Numerous disputes between\u00a0Great Britain<\/a>\u00a0and the colonies following the\u00a0French and Indian War<\/a>\u00a0led to the\u00a0American Revolution<\/a>, which began in 1775, and the subsequent\u00a0Declaration of Independence<\/a>\u00a0in 1776. The war\u00a0ended in 1783<\/a>\u00a0with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a\u00a0European power<\/a>.[21]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0current constitution<\/a>\u00a0was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the\u00a0Bill of Rights<\/a>, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many\u00a0fundamental civil liberties<\/a>. The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century,\u00a0acquiring new territories<\/a>,[22]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0displacing Native American tribes<\/a>, and gradually\u00a0admitting new states<\/a>\u00a0until it spanned the continent by 1848.[22]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0During the second half of the 19th century, the\u00a0Civil War<\/a>led to the abolition of\u00a0slavery<\/a>.[23]<\/a><\/sup>[24]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0By the end of the century, the United States had extended into the Pacific Ocean,[25]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and its economy, driven in large part by the\u00a0Industrial Revolution<\/a>, began to soar.[26]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0Spanish\u2013American War<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0World War I<\/a><\/span>\u00a0confirmed the country’s status as a global military power. The United States emerged from\u00a0World War II<\/a><\/span>\u00a0as a global\u00a0superpower<\/a>, the\u00a0first country to develop nuclear weapons<\/a>, the only country to\u00a0use them in warfare<\/a>, and a\u00a0permanent member<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0United Nations Security Council<\/a>. During the\u00a0Cold War<\/a>, the United States and the\u00a0Soviet Union<\/a>\u00a0competed in the\u00a0Space Race<\/a>, culminating with the\u00a01969 moon landing<\/a>. The end of the Cold War and the\u00a0collapse of the Soviet Union<\/a>\u00a0in 1991 left the United States as the world’s\u00a0sole superpower<\/a>.[27]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The United States is the world’s oldest surviving\u00a0federation<\/a>. It is a\u00a0federal republic<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0representative democracy<\/a>, “in which\u00a0majority rule<\/a>\u00a0is tempered by\u00a0minority rights<\/a>\u00a0protected by\u00a0law<\/a>“.[28]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The United States is a founding member of the\u00a0United Nations<\/a>,\u00a0World Bank<\/a>,\u00a0International Monetary Fund<\/a>,\u00a0Organization of American States<\/a>\u00a0(OAS), and other international organizations. The United States is a highly\u00a0developed country<\/a>, with the world’s\u00a0largest economy by nominal GDP<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0second-largest economy by PPP<\/a>, accounting for approximately a quarter of global GDP.[29]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0U.S. economy<\/a>\u00a0is largely\u00a0post-industrial<\/a>, characterized by the dominance of\u00a0services<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0knowledge-based<\/a>\u00a0activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world.[30]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The United States is the world’s\u00a0largest importer<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0second largest exporter<\/a>\u00a0of goods, by value.[31]<\/a><\/sup>[32]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Although its population is only 4.3% of the world total,[33]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0the U.S. holds\u00a033% of the total wealth in the world<\/a>, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country.[34]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The United States\u00a0ranks among the highest<\/a>\u00a0nations in several measures of socioeconomic performance, including\u00a0average wage<\/a>,[35]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0human development<\/a>,\u00a0per capita GDP<\/a>, and productivity per person.[36]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The United States is the foremost\u00a0military<\/a>\u00a0power in the world, making up a third of\u00a0global military spending<\/a>,[37]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and is a leading\u00a0political<\/a>,\u00a0cultural<\/a>, and\u00a0scientific<\/a>\u00a0force internationally.^{<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"}

The\u00a0United States of America\u00a0(USA), commonly known as the\u00a0United States\u00a0(U.S.\u00a0or\u00a0US) or\u00a0America, is a country composed of 50\u00a0states, a\u00a0federal district, five major\u00a0self-governing territories, and\u00a0various possessions.[fn 6]\u00a0At 3.8\u00a0million square miles (9.8\u00a0million km2), the United States is the world’s\u00a0third- or fourth-largest country by total area[fn 7]\u00a0and slightly smaller than the entire continent of\u00a0Europe‘s 3.9\u00a0million square miles (10.1\u00a0million km2). With<\/p>\n