"America", "US", "USA", and "United States of America" redirect here.

For the landmass

comprising North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean, 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]

Other traditional mottos  [show]

Anthem: 

"The Star-Spangled Banner"

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March: 
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"[3][4]

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Great Seal:

 
 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 language None at federal level[a]

s

National English
language

Ethnic groups  By race:
(2018) [7]

76.5% White
13.4% Black
5.9% Asian
2.7% Other/multiracial
1.3% Native American
0.2% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity:

18.3% Hispanic or Latino
81.7% non-Hispanic or Latino

Religion See Religion in the United States

Demonym(s) American[b][8]

Government Federal presidential constitutional
 republic

• President Donald Trump (R)

• Vice President Mike Pence (R)
• 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
• Current constitution June 21, 1788
• Last state admitted August 21, 1959 (Hawaii)

Area
• Total area 3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[c]
 (3rd/4th)
[9]

• Water (%) 6.97
• Total land area 3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)

Population
• 2019 estimate 328,239,523[7] (3rd)

• 2010 census 308,745,538[d][10] (3rd)
• Density 87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (146th)

GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate
• Total $22.321 trillion[11] (2nd)
• Per capita $67,426[11] (11th)

GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate
• Total $22.321 trillion[11] (1st)
• Per capita $67,426[11] (7th)

Gini (2017)  39.0[12]
medium · 56th

HDI (2018)  0.920[13]
very high · 15th

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

.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, .mi
l
ccTLD (generally not used in the
U.S.)
.us, .pr, .as, .gu, .mp, .vi, .um

Periods in United States history

 [hide]

Colonial period 1607–1765

American Revolution 1765–1783
Confederation Period 1783–1788
Federalist Era 1788–1801
Jeffersonian Era 1801–1817
Era of Good Feelings 1817–1825
Jacksonian Era 1825–1849
Civil War Era 1850–1865
Reconstruction era 1865–1877
Gilded Age 1877–1895
Progressive Era 1896–1916
World War I 1917–1919
Roaring Twenties 1920–1929
Great Depression 1929–1941
World War II 1941–1945
Post-war Era 1945–1964
Civil Rights Era 1965–1980
Reagan Era 1981–1989

Timeline

 v
 t
 e

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S.)

or simply America, is a country consisting of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-
governing territories, and various possessions.[g] At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2), it is
the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area[c]. Most of the country is located in
central North America between Canada and Mexico. With an estimated population of over
328 million, the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world (after China and India). The
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.
[19]
 European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen
British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and
the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783, leading to
independence.[20] The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America
throughout the 19th century—gradually acquiring new territories,[21] displacing Native Americans,
and admitting new states—until 1848 when it spanned the continent.[21] During the second half of
the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.[22]
[23]
 The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global
military power.
The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower. It was the first country to
develop nuclear weapons and is the only country to have used them in warfare. During the Cold
War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the
1969 Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. The end of the
Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole
superpower.[24]
The United States is a federal republic and a representative democracy. It is a founding member
of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American
States (OAS), NATO, and other international organizations. It is a permanent member of
the United Nations Security Council.
A highly developed country, the United States is the world's largest economy by nominal GDP,
the second-largest by purchasing power parity, and accounts for approximately a quarter of
global GDP.[25] The United States is the world's largest importer and the second-largest
exporter of goods, by value.[26][27] Although its population is 4% of the world total,[28] it holds 29.4%
of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of