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"America", "US", "USA", and "United States of America" redirect here. For the continents,
see Americas. For other uses, see America (disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA
(disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).

Coordinates:  40°N 100°W

United States of America

Flag

Coat of arms

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 level[a]

s

National English
language

Ethnic groups  By race:
(2019) [8]

 76.3% White
 13.4% Black
 5.9% Asian
 2.8% Other/Multiracial
 1.3% Native American
 0.2% Pacific Islander
By ethnicity:

 81.5% Non-Hispanic or Latino

 18.5% Hispanic or Latino

Religion See Religion in the United States

Demonym(s) American[b][9]
 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 admitted August 21, 1959
• Last amendment May 5, 1992

Area
• Total area 3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[c][10] (3rd/4th)
• Water (%) 4.66 (as of 2015)[11]
• Total land area 3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)

Population
• 2019 estimate  328,239,523[8] (3rd)

• 2010 census 308,745,538[d][12] (3rd)
• Density 87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (146th)

GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate
• Total  $20.807 trillion[13] (2nd)

• Per capita  $63,051[13] (7th)

GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate
• Total  $20.807 trillion[13] (1st)

• Per capita  $63,051[13] (5th)

Gini (2020)  48.5[14]
high

HDI (2019)  0.926[15]
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

[16]
 .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)

The United States of America (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 self-governing 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 328 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 vigorously expanding across
North America, gradually acquiring new territories, 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 and the Soviet Union engaged in various proxy wars but avoided direct military conflict.
They also competed in the Space Race, culminating in the 1969 spaceflight that first landed
humans on the Moon. The Soviet Union's collapse 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. It is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse nations in the world. 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, and quality of higher education. Despite receiving
relatively high ratings for its human rights record, the country has received some criticism in
regard to inequality related to race, wealth and income, the use of capital punishment,
high incarceration rates and lack of universal health care among other issues.
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.[22]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian history
o 2.2European settlements
o 2.3Independence and expansion
o 2.4Civil War and Reconstruction era
o 2.5Further immigration, expansion, and industrialization
o 2.6World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
o 2.7Cold War and civil rights era
o 2.8Contemporary history
 3Geography
o 3.1Wildlife and conservation
 4Demographics
o 4.1Population
o 4.2Language
o 4.3Religion
o 4.4Health
o 4.5Education
 5Government and politics
o 5.1Political divisions
o 5.2Parties and elections
o 5.3Foreign relations
o 5.4Government finance
o 5.5Military
o 5.6Law enforcement and crime
 6Economy
o 6.1Science and technology
o 6.2Income, poverty and wealth
 7Infrastructure
o 7.1Transportation
o 7.2Energy
 8Culture
o 8.1Literature, philosophy, and visual art
o 8.2Food
o 8.3Music
o 8.4Cinema
o 8.5Sports
o 8.6Mass media
 9See also
 10Notes
 11References
  12Further reading
 13External links

Etymology
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.[23][24] In 1538, the Flemish
cartographer Gerardus Mercator used the name "America" on his own world map, applying it to
the entire Western Hemisphere.[25]
The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" dates from a January 2,
1776 letter written by Stephen Moylan, Esquire, 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.[26][27][28] 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.[29]