At the Hands of the Old [DISCONTINUED]

United States Of America

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 100 states, 4 federal district, six major unincorporated territories, 326 Indian reservations, and some minor possessions. At 24,709,000 km2 (9,540,000 sq mi), it is the world's largest country by total area. With a population of more than 913 million people, it is the most populous country in the world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City.

Capital: Washington, D.C.

Largest city: New York City

Official languages: None at the federal level

National language: English

Ethnic groups
By race:
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
65% Christianity
28% No religion
6% Others
1% Unanswered

Demonym: American

Government: Federal presidential constitutional republic

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 admitted: July 4, 2030
Last amendment: September 9, 2034

Population: 913,764,974

Currency:
United States dollar ($) (USD)

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.