Country Profiles - United States

UNITED STATES

Geography: United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and in area. It consists of 50 states and a federal district. The conterminous (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) United States stretches across central North America from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west, and from Canada on the north to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south. The state of Alaska is located in extreme NW North America between the Arctic and Pacific oceans and is bordered by Canada on the east. The state of Hawaii, an island chain, is situated in the E central Pacific Ocean c.2,100 mi (3,400 km) SW of San Francisco. Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States, and New York is its largest city.
The outlying territories and areas of the United States include: in the Caribbean Basin, Puerto Rico (a commonwealth associated with the United States) and the Virgin Islands of the United States (purchased from Denmark in 1917); in the Pacific Ocean, Guam (ceded by Spain after the Spanish-American War), the Northern Mariana Islands (a commonwealth associated with the United States), American Samoa, Wake Island, and several other islands. The United States also has compacts of free association with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Government: Federal republic.
The president is elected for a four-year term and may be reelected only once. The bicameral Congress consists of the 100-member Senate, elected to a six-year term with one-third of the seats becoming vacant every two years, and the 435-member House of Representatives, elected every two years. The minimum voting age is 18.

History: The Early America (1620-1789) - After the Discovery of America by Christoph Kolumbus in 1492, it took almost 1 ½ Centurys until the settlement from Europe began. Before this, England started to build up Colonies and founded new Cities in the “New Land”. Virgina is the first Colony, named after the Kings daughter. In 1619 the first slaves where brought from the Netherlands to Virginia, after they where ordered for the tobacco industry. In 1620 the so called “Pilgrims” landed in the near of Cape Cod after they emigrated from England to the Netherlands and founded “Plymouth Plantation.” On their ship, the “Mayflower” they signed a Compact which says, that Government and laws should follow from common decisions, without giving up the loyalitiy to the British Crown. After this new Colonies are founded in America, which is called New England by the Pilgrims.
Towards 1775 the people in America suffer under the treatment of  England. The Crown initializes new laws for dutys, and disturb economy. The desire of an independent land grows, and so the Colonies turn away from their motherland and start to fight against the british regiments. They have got a very bad equipment and almost no chances. When british troups try to rob an armbase, the Americans besiege Boston. The 2nd Continental Congress comes together and declares GEORGE WASHINGTON as supreme Commander. A peace petition to the british King is answered by him with the “Proclamation of an open Rebellion”. Now THOMAS JEFFERSON begins to prepare the “Declaration of Independence”, which is published first in 1776.
After some battles against Britain were lost the WAR OF INDEPENDENCE turns in the victory of Saratoga (New York). Even if the british troups won a few several times during 1778 and 1780 in the southern states, after the Americans fought them in Yorktown with the help of France, the British had to capitulate. So the War was won for the Americans and King George III. had to acknowledge the peace contract. Canada was still british, and the other states were declared as the United States of America. In 1787 a Convent of Constitution comes together in Philadelphia therefore to create the first written Constitution. GEORGE WASHINGTON becomes President of the convent. On March 4th, 1789 the new system of government starts his activity with GEORGE WASHINGTON as first President of the United States. It is based on the division of powers - the congress builds the legislative and consists of the “House of Represantatives” and the Senate. It has to decide about Peace and war, Military, Contracts with other States, coins, weights, dutys and taxes. The President is the Executive and has to select the civil servants, and takes care of  the execution of the Congress decisions. The Judicative is given by the trial Court, which watches over law and constitution. In this year also the Bill of Rights are added to the Constitution. They guarantee the basic rights, as Liberty in faith, media and assembling, of every person etc.
The Contrast of North & South (1849-1877) - Slavery is the point which is influencing U.S. History during this period. In the North the ethic Criticism against this System grows. In 1852 Harriet E. Beecher Stowes Novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is published and urges on the discussion about the situation.
In the South Slavery is defended with the Constitutional rights of property and the rights of the states. In the argument about the Slavery ABRAHAM LINCOLN becomes a powerful politician as member of the Republican Party which was against Slavery. In 1860 Lincoln is refined as President. South Carolina declares itself in due to antislavic politic as own state. Missisippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Lousiana and Texas build with it the Confederal States of America with an own Constitution, Jefferson Davis becomes President of them.

In answer to it the Civil War developes, the South defends a long time against the more powerful North. In 1863 Lincoln declares all Slaves as free, and wins the sympathy of Europe. In July 1863 the War is won by the Union. Now the unity of the United States is established again. All in all the War cost over 635.000 lifes. In 1864 Lincoln is refined as President again, but on April 14th, 1865 he is assasinated by an fanatic supporter of the Southern States. In the same breath the 13. Amendment to the Constitution removes the Slavery, 1866 the 14. Amendment promises the civil rights to the former slaves and 1869 the 15. Amendment says that nobody should be left out from the right of voting due to his Coulour or his race.

Map of United States

President: Barack H. Obama (2009)

Vice President: Joseph Biden (2009)

Land area: 3,539,225 sq mi (9,166,601 sq km); total area: 3,718,691 sq mi (9,631,420 sq km)

Population (2014 est.): 318,892,103 (growth rate: 0.77%); birth rate: 13.42/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.17/1000; life expectancy: 79.56; density per sq mi: 88.6

Capital (2013 est.): Washington, DC, 646,449

Largest cities (2013 est.): New York, 8,405,837; Los Angeles, 3,884,307; Chicago, 2,718,782; Houston, 2,195,914; Philadelphia, 1,553,165

Monetary unit: dollar

The United States of America

Languages: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000)

Ethnicity/race (2010 Census): White: 223,553,265 (72.4%); Black: 38,929,319 (12.6%); Asian: 14,674,252 (4.8%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 2,369,431 (0.8%); Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 1,225,195 (0.4%); Hispanic origin:¹ 50,477,594 (16.3%)

Religions: Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007)

Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $16.72 trillion; per capita $52,800. Real growth rate: 1.6%. Inflation: 1.5%. Unemployment: 7.3%. Arable land: 16.29%. Agriculture: wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products. Labor force: 155.4 million (2013 est., includes unemployed); farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 20.3%, managerial, professional, and technical 37.3%, sales and office 24.2%, other services 17.6%; note: figures exclude the unemployed (2009). Industries: highly diversified, world leading, high-technology innovator, second largest industrial output in world; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining. Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber. Exports: $1.575 trillion (2013 est.): agricultural products 9.2% (soybeans, fruit, corn), industrial supplies 26.8% (organic chemicals), capital goods 49.0% (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment), consumer goods 15.0% (automobiles, medicines) (2011). Imports: $2.273 trillion (2013 est.): agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2011). Major trading partners: Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Germany , Japan (2012).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 139 million (2012); mobile cellular: 310 million (2012). Radio broadcast stations: AM about 5,000, FM about 10,000, shortwave 18 (2008). Radios: 575 million (2008). Television broadcast stations: more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks—NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (2008). Televisions: 498 million (2008). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 505 million (2012 est.). Internet users: 245 million (2009).

Transportation: Railways: total: 224,792 km mainline routes (2007). Highways: total: 6,586,610 km; paved: 4,304,715 km (including 76,334 km of expressways); unpaved: 2,281,895 km (2012). Waterways: 41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes (2012). Ports and harbors: Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo. Airports: 13,513 (2013).

International disputes: the US has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; Canada and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution.

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