United States of America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.[fn 6] At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2) and with over 325 million people, the United States is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area[fn 7] and the third-most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.[19]

United States of America
Flag of the United States
Flag
Great Seal of the United States
Great Seal
Motto:
"In God We Trust"[1][fn 1]
Other traditional mottos
"E pluribus unum" (Latin) (de facto)
"Out of many, one"
"Annuit cœptis" (Latin)
"He has favored our undertakings"
"Novus ordo seclorum" (Latin)
"New order of the ages"
Anthem:
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
March:
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"[2][3]
Projection of North America with the United States in green
The contiguous United States plus Alaska and Hawaii
The United States and its territories
The United States including its territories
Capital
Washington, D.C.
38°53′N 77°01′W
Largest city
New York City
40°43′N 74°00′W
Official languages
None at federal level[fn 2]
National language
English[fn 3]
Ethnic groups (2016[6])
By race:
77.1% White
13.3% Black
5.6% Asian
2.6% Other/multiracial
1.2% American Indian
0.2% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity:
17.6% Hispanic or Latino
82.4% non-Hispanic or Latino
Religion (2017[7])
69% Christian
24% Unaffiliated
3% Unanswered
2% Jewish
1% Muslim
1% Buddhist
1% Hindu
1% Other
Demonym
American
Government
Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President
Donald Trump
• Vice President
Mike Pence
• House Speaker
Paul Ryan
• Chief Justice
John Roberts
Legislature
Congress
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
House of Representatives
Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain
• Declaration
July 4, 1776
• Confederation
March 1, 1781
• Treaty of Paris
September 3, 1783
• Constitution
June 21, 1788
• Last polity admitted
March 24, 1976
Area
• Total area
3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[8] (3rd/4th)
• Water (%)
6.97
• Total land area
3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)
Population
• 2017 estimate
325,719,178[9] (3rd)
• 2010 census
308,745,538[10] (3rd)
• Density
85/sq mi (32.8/km2) (179th)
GDP (PPP)
2017 estimate
• Total
$19.390 trillion[11] (2nd)
• Per capita
$59,501[11] (11th)
GDP (nominal)
2017 estimate
• Total
$19.390 trillion[11] (1st)
• Per capita
$59,501[11] (7th)
Gini (2015)
Positive decrease 39.0[12]
medium
HDI (2015)
Increase 0.920[13]
very high · 10th
Currency
United States dollar ($) (USD)
Time zone
(UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11)
• Summer (DST)
(UTC−4 to −10[fn 4])
Date format
mm/dd/yyyy
Drives on the
right[fn 5]
Calling code
+1
ISO 3166 code
US
Internet TLD
.us