United States of America

United States of America (USA)

Country statistics

area:	9,372,610sq km (3,618,765sq mi)
population:	281,421,906
capital (population):	Washington, D.C. (572,059)
government:	Federal multi-party republic
ethnic groups:	White 77%, African-American 12%, Asian 4%, Native American 1%
languages:	English (official), Spanish, more than 30 others
religions:	Protestant 53%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 8%, Muslim 2%, Jew 2%
currency:	US dollar = 100 cents

(USA) Federal republic of North America; the world's fourth-largest country.The United States of America consists of a federal district (the capital Washington, D.C..) and 50 states (48 of which form a large block of land between Canada and Mexico). The other two states are Alaska in nw North America, which includes the country's highest peak, Mount McKinley at 6194m (20,322ft), and the North Pacific archipelago of Hawaii. On the ne border with Canada are the Great Lakes. Chicago lies on the shore of Lake Michigan. The densely populated e seaboard includes the major cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The major rivers of the e are the Hudson, Delaware, and Potomac. Florida lies on a peninsula between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and includes the city of Miami. The coastal plain is backed by the Appalachians, including the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Mississippi-Missouri river system, which forms an enormous delta near New Orleans, drains the central lowlands. The Great Plains gently rise to the Rocky Mountains, which form the continental divide. Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rockies. The Columbia and Colorado rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean. Between the Rockies and the Pacific coast lie plateaux, basins, and ranges. The Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon from the Colorado plateau. The Great Basin includes Salt Lake City and desert regions including Las Vegas and Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 86m (282ft) below sea level. The Pacific seaboard, including the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, is fringed by mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada, which includes Mount Whitney (the highest peak outside Alaska). The nw Cascade Range contains active volcanoes, such as Mount St Helens. Seattle lies in the foothills of the range. (see also individual gazetteer articles)

Climate and Vegetation

Temperatures vary from the Arctic cold of Alaska to the intense heat of Death Valley. Of the 48 states, winters are cold and snowy in the n, but mild in the s. The s has long, hot summers. Rainfall is heaviest in the nw, lightest in the sw. The Gulf of Mexico experiences violent storms. Alaska contains forests of conifers. In the n states there are extensive forests, with huge redwoods along the Pacific coast, such as Sequoia National Park. In the e the original deciduous forests only remain in protected areas, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The dry, central prairies merge into the high steppe of the Great Plains. Large areas of the sw are desert.

History and Politics

Native Americans arrived 40,000 years ago from Asia. Vikings, led by Leif Ericsson, probably reached North America 1000 years ago, but did not settle. European exploration did not begin until the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492. In 1565, Spain built the first permanent European settlement at St Augustine, Florida. The French also formed settlements in Louisiana, but the first major colonists were the British, who founded Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. In 1620, Puritans landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and founded the Plymouth Colony. The economic success of Massachusetts encouraged further colonization along the e coast. In 1681, William Penn founded Pennsylvania. slavery developed plantations in the s colonies. In the 18th century, British mercantilism (especially the Navigation Acts) restricted commercial growth. The Great Awakening and the growth of higher education promoted greater cultural self-consciousness. The defeat of the French in the French and Indian Wars (1754–63) encouraged independence movements. Benjamin Franklin' failure to win concessions from the British led to the American Revolution (1775–83), which ended British rule in the Thirteen Colonies. George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, became the first president. The Articles of Confederation (1777) produced weak central government, and were superseded by the Constitution of the United States (1787). The Bank of the United States opened in 1791. US politics became divided between the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party. In 1796, the Federalist President John Adams passed the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798). The xyz Affair saw armed confrontation with France.In 1801, the Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson became president. Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase (1803), which nearly doubled the size of the USA. James Madison led the USA into the War of 1812, which cemented the nation's independence and culminated in the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which sought to protect the Western Hemisphere from European interference. The Missouri Compromise (1820) papered over the growing conflict between the commercial, industrial North and the cotton plantations of the pro-slavery South. The Democratic-Republican Party became simply the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson furthered the westward expansion of the frontier. The progress to the Pacific became the ‘manifest destiny’ of the USA. In 1841, William Harrison became the first Whig president. Texas and Oregon Territory were acquired in 1845 and 1846. The Mexican War (1846–48) confirmed US acquisitions. The 1848 discovery of gold in California prompted a rush of settlers. Territorial expansion was achieved at the expense of Native Americans, who were forced onto reservations.The addition of states to the Union intensified the conflict between free and slave states. The repeal of the Missouri Compromise led to the founding of the anti-slavery Republican Party (1854). In 1861, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president. The southern states seceded as the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War (1861–65) claimed more than 600,000 lives and devastated the country. Union victory resulted in the abolition of slavery. The enforced Reconstruction of the South was highly unpopular and corruption plagued the administration of Ulysses Simpson Grant. In 1867, the USA bought Alaska from Russia. The late 19th century was the era of the railroad, which sped industrialization and urban development. Gleaming steel skyscrapers symbolized opportunity and millions of European immigrants flocked to the USA. In 1886, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) heralded the emergence of the USA as a major world power. Hawaii was annexed. Construction of the Panama Canal began in 1902. In 1917, Woodrow Wilson, led the USA into World War I. Economic boom and Prohibition precededd the Great Depression of the 1930s. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal attempted to restore prosperity. Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) brought the USA into World War 2. Rearmament fuelled economic recovery. Harry S. Truman became president on Roosevelt's death (1945). The use of atomic bombs led to Japan's surrender. The USA was a founder member of NATO. Post-war tension with the Soviet Union led to the Cold War and spurred the space race. In order to stem the spread of communism, US forces fought in the Korean War (1950–53). In 1955, Martin Luther King, Jr., launched the civil rights movement. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) marred the start of John F. Kennedy's presidency. Kennedy's assassination (November 22, 1963) shocked the nation. Lyndon B. Johnson led the USA into the Vietnam War (1965–73). Anti-Vietnam protests were coupled with civil unrest. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. In 1974, the Watergate affair forced the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. The Camp David Accord crowned Jimmy Carter's foreign policy.The start of Ronald Reagan's presidency (1981–89) marked the deepest recession since the Great Depression. Economic recovery brought increases in defence spending. The Iran-Contra affair (1987–88) highlighted Reagan's loosening grip on power. After the collapse of Soviet communism in 1991, George Bush proclaimed a “New World Order”. Despite the success of the Gulf War (1991), domestic recession led to Bush's defeat in 1992. A Republican-dominated Senate largely blocked Bill Clinton's reform programme. Despite allegations of financial and personal scandal, economic recovery led to his re-election in 1996. In 1999, he survived impeachment charges. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush won a contentious election. On September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, linked to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, killed more than 3000 US citizens. Bush sent US troops to Afghanistan, helping to topple the Taliban regime, which refused to hand over bin Laden. In 2003, US and British troops invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein and his regime. In the close-fought 2004 presidential election, Bush defeated Democrat rival John Kerry.

Economy

The USA is the world's largest manufacturing nation (2000 GDP per capita, US$36,200). The 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico created the world's largest trading bloc. The USA is the world's largest farm producer. Agriculture is highly mechanized, employing only 2% of the workforce. Major products include poultry, beef and dairy cattle. Leading crops include cotton, hops for beer, fruits, maize, potatoes, soya beans, tobacco, and wheat. The USA's chief natural resources include oil, natural gas, and coal. Timber and paper manufacture are important. Major industries include cars, chemicals, machinery, computers, and printing. Services form the largest sector, including finance and tourism (1996 receipts, US$64,000 million).

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.firstgov.gov