United States
Britain’s American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation’s history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world’s most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Population
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Habitants
301,139,947 (July 2007 est.) Groupes ethniques
white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) Langues
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii |
Espérance de vie
total population: 78 years male: 75.15 years female: 80.97 years (2007 est.) Religions
Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.) Instruction
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
Gouvernement
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Type de gouvernement
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition Indépendance
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain) Constitution
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 |
Capitale du pays
Washington, DC Journée nationale
Independence Day, 4 July (1776) Système légal
federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana’s) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts |
Economie
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PIB
$13.22 trillion (2006 est.) PIB par habitant
$43,500 (2006 est.) Population sous le seuil de pauvereté
12% (2004 est.) Exportations
$1.024 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.) Réserves en Devises et en Or
$69.19 billion (August 2006 est.) Dépenses militaires
4.06% (2005 est.) |
Taux de croissance
3.4% (2006 est.) Taux de chômage
4.8% (2006 est.) Taux d’inflation
2.5% (2006 est.) Importations
$1.869 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.) Monnaie
US dollar (USD)
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Géographie
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Emplacement géographique
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico Climat
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, 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 |
Superficie
9,826,630 sq km Ressources naturelles
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber |
Communication
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Nombre de cellulaires
219.4 million (2005) Bornes Internet
195.139 million (2005) |
Code Internet
.us Utilisateurs d’Internet
205.327 million (2005) |
Transport
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Aéroports
14,858 (2006) Routes et autoroutes (en km)
6,430,366 km |
Rails de train (en km)
226,605 km Pipelines (en km)
petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2003) |