United States

Alaska

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico

Area

Total area: 9,372,610 sq km
Land area: 9,166,600 sq km
Comparative area: about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly smaller than China; about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe

Note: Includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia

Land Boundaries

Total 12,248 km, Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba 29 km (U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km

Coastline

19,924 km

Maritime Claims

Contiguous zone: 12 nm
Continental shelf: not specified
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

Maritime boundary with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island); U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or U.S. abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; U.S. has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Republic of Marshall Islands claims Wake Island

Climate

Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

Terrain

Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m

Natural Resources

Coal
Copper
Lead
Molybdenum
Phosphates
Uranium
Bauxite
Gold
Iron
Mercury
Nickel
Potash
Silver
Tungsten
Zinc
Petroleum
Natural gas
Timber

Land Use

Arable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 26%
Forest and woodland: 29%
Other: 25%

Irrigated Land

181,020 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the U.S. and Canada; the U.S. is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic coast; tornadoes in the midwest; mudslides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
International agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Tropical Timber 94

Note: World's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)

PEOPLE

Population

263,814,032 (July 1995 est.)
266,476,278 (July 1996 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

22% (male 29,845,630; female 28,391,451) (1995)
22% (male 29,718,390; female 28,335,934) (1996)

15-64 Years

65% (male 85,474,002; female 86,454,415) (1995)
65% (male 86,225,056; female 87,411,573) (1996)

65 Years and Over

13% (male 13,698,559; female 19,949,978) (July 1995 est.)
13% (male 13,850,234; female 20,021,655) (July 1996 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.02% (1995 est.)
0.91% (1996 est.)

Birth Rate

15.25 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
14.8 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death Rate

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
8.8 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net Migration Rate

3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

7.88 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 75.99 years (1995)
75.95 years (1996)
Male: 72.8 years (1995)
72.65 years (1996)
Female: 79.7 years (1995 est.)
79.41 years (1996 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.08 children born/woman (1995 est.)
2.06 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

Noun: American(s)
Adjective: American

Ethnic Divisions

White 83.4%
Black 12.4%
Asian 3.3%
Native American 0.8% (1992)

Religions

Protestant 56%
Roman Catholic 28%
Jewish 2%
Other 4%
None 10% (1989)

Languages

English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable (growing) minority)

Literacy

Age 15 and over that has completed five or more years of schooling (1979)

Total population: 97%
Male: 97%
Female: 97%

Labor Force

131.056 million (includes unemployed) (1994)
132.304 million (includes unemployed) (1995)

By occupation:

Managerial and professional 27.5% (1995) 28.3% (1996)
Technical, sales and administrative support 30.3% (1995) 30.0% (1996)
Services 13.7% (1995) 13.5%(1996)
Manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts 25.5% (1995) 25.3% (1996)
Farming, forestry, and fishing 2.9% (1995) 2.8% (1996)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: United States of America
Conventional short form: United States

Abbreviation

U.S. or USA

Digraph

Type

Federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Capital

Washington, DC

Administrative Divisions

50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Dependent Areas

American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island

Note: From 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the U.S. has administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units:

the Northern Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth in political union with the U.S. (effective 3 November 1986)
Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. (effective 1 October 1994)
the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. (effective 3 November 1986)
the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. (effective 21 October 1986)

Independence

4 July 1776 (from England)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution

17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Legal System

Based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993, re-elected 5 November 1996); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993); election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held November 2000)
(1989-1993) George Bush
(1981-1989) Ronald Reagan
(1977-1981) Jimmy Carter
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president with Senate approval

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Congress

Senate

Elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held November 1998)

House of Representatives

Elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held November 1998)

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court, justices are appointed for life by the president with confirmation by the Senate

Political Parties and Leaders

Republican Party, Haley BARBOUR, national committee chairman; Jeanie AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, David C. WILHELM, national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Anthem

Flag

Thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bo.htm alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico

ECONOMY

Overview

The U.S. has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $27,500 (1995), the largest among major industrial nations. The economy is market oriented with most decisions made by private individuals and business firms and with government purchases of goods and services made predominantly in the marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US markets. In all economic sectors, US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers, medical equipment, and aerospace, although their advantage has steadily narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. The years 1994-95 witnessed moderate gains in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment below 6%. The capture of both houses of Congress by the Republicans in the elections of 8 November 1994 has intensified the debate over how the US should address its major economic problems. These problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs of an aging population, sizable budget and trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The outlook for 1996 is for continued moderate growth, low inflation, and about the same level of unemployment.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.7384 trillion (1994) $7.2477 trillion (1995 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

4.1% (1994)
2.1% (1995 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$25,850 (1994)
$27,500 (1995 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

2.6% (1994)
2.5% (1995)

Unemployment Rate

5.5% (March 1995)
5.6% (December 1995)

Budget

Revenues: $1.258 trillion
Expenditures: $1.461 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA (1994)

Exports

$513 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
$578 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

Commodities:

Capital goods
Automobiles
Industrial supplies and raw materials
Consumer goods
Agricultural products

Partners:

Western Europe 24.3%
Canada 22.1%
Japan 10.5% (1993)

Imports

$664 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
$751 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)

Commodities:

Crude oil and refined petroleum products
Machinery
Automobiles
Consumer goods
Industrial raw materials
Food and beverages

Partners:

Canada 19.3%
Western Europe 18.1%
Japan 18.1% (1993)

External Debt

Industrial Production

Growth rate 5.4% (1994 est.)

Electricity

Capacity: 695,120,000 kW
Production: 3.1 trillion kWh
Consumption per capita: 11,236 kWh (1993)

Industries

Leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced
Petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Agriculture

Accounts for 2% of GDP and 2.9% of labor force; favorable climate and soils support a wide variety of crops and livestock production; world's second largest producer and number one exporter of grain; surplus food producer; fish catch of 4.4 million metric tons (1990)

Illicit Drugs

Illicit producer of cannabis for domestic consumption with 1987 production estimated at 3,500 metric tons or about 25% of the available marijuana; ongoing eradication program aimed at small plots and greenhouses has not reduced production

Economic Aid

Donor: commitments, including ODA and OOF, (FY80-89), $115.7 billion ODA, $9.721 billion (1993)

Currency

1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

British pounds: (�) per US$ - 0.6535 (January 1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991)
Canadian dollars: (Can$) per US$ - 1.3666 (January 1996), 1.3724 (1995), 1.3656 (1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992), 1.1457 (1991)
French francs: (F) per US$ - 5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991)
Italian lire: (Lit) per US$ - 1,583.8 (January 1996), 1,629.6 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991)
Japanese yen: (�) per US$ - 105.84 (January 1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992), 134.71 (1991)
German deutsche marks: (DM) per US$ - 1.4617 (January 1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994), 1.6533 (1993), 1.5617 (1992), 1.6595 (1991)

Fiscal Year

1 October - 30 September

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Total: 240,000 km mainline routes (nongovernment owned)
Standard gauge: 240,000 km 1.435-m gauge (1989)

Highways

Total: 6,243,163 km
Paved: 3,633,520 km (including 84,865 km of expressways)
5,574,341 km (in 1991, included 85,267 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 2,609,643 km (1990)
710,147 km (1993 est.)

Inland Waterways

41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes (est.)

Pipelines

Petroleum 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991)

Ports

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

Merchant Marine

Total: 354 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,462,000 GRT/16,477,000 DWT (1995) 322 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,716,000 GRT/15,259,000 DWT (1996)
bulk 21, cargo 20, chemical tanker 17, intermodal 125, liquefied gas tanker 14, passenger-cargo 2, tanker 110, tanker tug-barge 13

Note: In addition, there are 190 government-owned vessels (1995 est.)

Airports

total: 13,387
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 179
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 201
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1,204
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2,361
with paved runways under 914 m: 7,720
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 7
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 151
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1,563 (1995 est.)
Heliports
63 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

126,000,000 telephones; 7,557,000 cellular telephones

Local: NA
Intercity: large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites
International: 16 satellites and 24 ocean cable systems in use; 61 INTELSAT (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean) earth stations (1990), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions)

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 4,987, FM 4,932, shortwave 0
Radios: 530 million 540.5 million (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 1,092 (about 9,000 cable TV systems)
Televisions: 193 million
215 million (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (includes Marine Corps), Department of the Air Force note: the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Transportation, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 69,302,573
males fit for military service: NA
males reach military age (18) annually: 1,864,580 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

$284.4 billion, 4.2% of GDP (1994 est.)
$272.2 billion, 3.8% of GDP (1995 est.)

History
World Atlas

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