[266][267] The U.S. health-care system far outspends any other nation, measured both in per capita spending and as percentage of GDP. [76], Although the federal government criminalized the international slave trade in 1808, after 1820, cultivation of the highly profitable cotton crop exploded in the Deep South, and along with it, the slave population. As the world's largest economy, it's a significant leader in the fields of agriculture, education, energy, health care, high-tech, service industries, space exploration, and manufacturing of all descriptions. [234] The survey also reported that 22.8% of Americans described themselves as agnostic, atheist or simply having no religion—up from 8.2% in 1990. Found in the Western Hemisphere, the country is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west, as well as the Gulf of Mexico to the south. [469] These homegrown foods are part of a shared national menu on one of America's most popular holidays, Thanksgiving, when some Americans make traditional foods to celebrate the occasion. [306], Citizenship is granted at birth in all states, the District of Columbia, and all major U.S. territories except American Samoa. [363] About 9% of prisoners are held in privatized prisons,[361] a practice beginning in the 1980s and a subject of contention. Learn how to report a crime, locate a federal inmate, research common U.S. laws, and file a complaint against the government. history. [240], The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate is 26.5 per 1,000 women. Each state has presidential electors equal to the number of their representatives and senators in Congress; the District of Columbia has three (because of the 23rd Amendment). Is Chewing Gum Against the Law in Singapore? [121] Although Japan attacked the United States first, the U.S. nonetheless pursued a "Europe first" defense policy. [350] American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, and Marine expeditionary units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets. [161] In response, the United States launched the War on Terror, which included a war in Afghanistan and the 2003–11 Iraq War. As of 2013, the USA (including Alaska and Hawaii) had 3,143. Colloquial names are the "U.S. of A." The U.S. ranks high in international measures of economic freedom, government corruption, quality of life, and quality of higher education. The United States of America, commonly called the United States (US, or USA, or America), consists of fifty states and a federal district. ", "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts selected: United States", "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens", Key Development Forecasts for the United States, U.S. National Mottos: History and Constitutionality, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States&oldid=984067115, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 October 2020, at 23:47. [378] The U.S. dollar is the world's primary reserve currency. [450] Americans are extremely charitable by global standards: according to a 2006 British study, Americans gave 1.67% of GDP to charity, more than any other nation studied. [186] The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five self-governing territories, and several other island possessions. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 4th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. The populated territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands together cover 9,185 square miles (23,789 km2). Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact. While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved out of European practices, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding, and snowboarding are American inventions, some of which have become popular worldwide. Today the United States of America (USA), remains the planet's only true global super power, and the major provider of financial aid and military assistance across this planet. More recent American creations include hip hop and house music. In 2017, the United States had the lowest life expectancy among Japan, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and seven nations in western Europe. [381], From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the G7. [107] The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917. [213], In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall U.S. Among the D.C. mayor and the five territorial governors, there are four Democrats, one Republican, and one New Progressive.[319]. [305] Territories of the United States such as Puerto Rico do not have presidential electors, and so people in those territories cannot vote for the president. Other commonly taught languages include Latin, Japanese, American Sign Language, Italian, and Chinese. [499], Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. Use these … This technology, along with the establishment of a machine tool industry, enabled the U.S. to have large-scale manufacturing of sewing machines, bicycles, and other items in the late 19th century and became known as the American system of manufacturing. Tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie led the nation's progress in railroad, petroleum, and steel industries. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in various proxy wars, but avoided direct military conflict. [244] Adoption in the United States is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries). [467], Mainstream American cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries. Additionally, the Trail of Tears in the 1830s exemplified the Indian removal policy that forcibly resettled Indians. [252] Life expectancy was highest among Asians and Hispanics and lowest among blacks. [426] In 2017, the U.S. states or territories with the lowest and highest poverty rates were New Hampshire (7.6%) and American Samoa (65%), respectively. [384], In 2009, the private sector was estimated to constitute 86.4% of the economy. 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. That coastal plain of the southern and southeastern U.S extends to the continental shelf and is generally characterized by level (flat) land with assorted mixed forests. [234] These include Judaism (1.9%), Islam (0.9%), Hinduism (0.7%), and Buddhism (0.7%). Much of the Western mountains have an alpine climate. [104] Mainland expansion also included the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. [412] According to the Federal Reserve, the top 1% controlled 38.6% of the country's wealth in 2016. Director D. W. Griffith, the top American filmmaker during the silent film period, was central to the development of film grammar, and producer/entrepreneur Walt Disney was a leader in both animated film and movie merchandising. [330] It works closely with fellow NATO members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the Organization of American States and free trade agreements such as the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. [493] The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1929,[494] and the Golden Globe Awards have been held annually since January 1944. ", "What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003", "Metallica's 'Black album' is Top-Selling Disc of last 20 years", "Eagles tribute band landing at Kirkland", "Aerosmith will rock Salinas with July concert", "Taylor Swift: Teen idol to 'biggest pop artist in the world, "Britney Spears is the most searched for celebrity of the decade", "Katy Perry: now the world's richest (famous) woman", "BBC—Imagine—Jay-Z: He Came, He Saw, He Conquered", "The enigma of Kanye West—and how the world's biggest pop star ended up being its most reviled, too", "Nigeria surpasses Hollywood as world's second-largest film producer", "John Landis Rails Against Studios: 'They're Not in the Movie Business Anymore, "Book explores Hollywood 'Golden Age' of the 1960s-'70s", "Marilyn Monroe, the eternal shape shifter", "Top 10 Most Popular Sports in America 2017", "Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport", "Passion for College Football Remains Robust", "Global sports market to hit $141 billion in 2012", "The 10 most fascinating facts about the all-time Winter Olympics medal standings", "With Sochi Olympics approaching, a history of Winter Olympic medals", "As American as Mom, Apple Pie and Football? Alzheimer's disease, drug abuse, kidney disease, cancer, and falls caused the most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 1990 per-capita rates. College football and basketball attract large audiences. [108], Rapid economic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries fostered the rise of many prominent industrialists. Republicans in the federal government made it their goal to oversee the rebuilding of the South and to ensure the rights of African Americans. [75] Nationalists led the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in writing the United States Constitution, ratified in state conventions in 1788. [397][398], In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. "United States", "American" and "U.S." refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S. forces"). [415] The top one percent of income-earners accounted for 52 percent of the income gains from 2009 to 2015, where income is defined as market income excluding government transfers. [87] Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican Cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest, making the U.S. span the continent.[82][88]. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 ended the Cold War and left the United States as the world's sole superpower. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. [169] Barack Obama, the first African-American[170] and multiracial[171] president, was elected in 2008 amid the crisis,[172] and subsequently passed stimulus measures and the Dodd–Frank Act in an attempt to mitigate its negative effects and ensure there would not be a repeat of the crisis. Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police departments and sheriff's offices, with state police providing broader services. [146][147][148][149][150] The late 1980s brought a "thaw" in relations with the Soviet Union, and its collapse in 1991 finally ended the Cold War. [136] The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the first artificial satellite and its 1961 launch of the first crewed spaceflight initiated a "Space Race" in which the United States became the first nation to land a man on the Moon in 1969.
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