United States

United States of America
United States of America
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "In God We Trust" Other traditional mottos: E pluribus unum (Latin); "Out of many, one" ; Annuit cœptis (Latin); "Providence favors our undertakings" ; Novus ordo seclorum (Latin); "New order of the ages" ;
	Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Capital	Washington, D.C.; 38°53′N 77°1′W / 38.883°N 77.017°W
Largest city	New York City; 40°43′N 74°0′W / 40.717°N 74.000°W
Official languages	English
Ethnic groups (2020)	By race: 61.6% White; 12.4% Black; 6% Asian; 1.1% Native American; 0.2% Pacific Islander; 10.2% two or more races; 8.4% other; By origin: 81.3% non-Hispanic or Latino; 18.7% Hispanic or Latino;
Religion (2025)	65% Christianity 32% Protestantism; 20% Catholicism; 12% other Christian; 1% Mormonism; ; ; 24% unaffiliated; 2% Judaism; 6% other religion; 3% unanswered;
Demonym	American
Government	Federal presidential republic
• President	Donald Trump
• Vice President	JD Vance
• House Speaker	Mike Johnson
• 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
• Recognition	September 3, 1783
• Constitution	March 4, 1789
Area
• Total area	3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2) (4th)
• Water (%)	7.0 (2010)
• Land area	3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2) (3rd)
Population
• 2025 estimate	341,784,857
• 2020 census	331,449,281 (3rd)
• Density	96.8/sq mi (37.4/km2) (180th)
GDP (PPP)	2026 estimate
• Total	$32.384 trillion (2nd)
• Per capita	$94,430 (10th)
GDP (nominal)	2026 estimate
• Total	$32.384 trillion (1st)
• Per capita	$94,430 (8th)
Gini (2024)	41.8; medium inequality
HDI (2023)	0.938; very high (17th)
Currency	U.S. dollar ($) (USD)
Time zone	UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 to −10
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy
Calling code	+1
ISO 3166 code	US
Internet TLD	.us

The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclave of Alaska in the northwest and the archipelago of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also asserts sovereignty over five major island territories and various uninhabited islands in Oceania and the Caribbean. It is a megadiverse country, with the world's fourth-largest total area and third-largest population, exceeding 341 million.

Paleo-Indians migrated from North Asia to North America at least 15,000 years ago and formed various civilizations. Beginning in 1607, British colonization established the Thirteen Colonies. The 18th-century American Enlightenment spread values of republicanism and liberalism there, and clashes with the British Crown over taxation without parliamentary representation, among other denied rights, sparked the American Revolution. Independence from Great Britain was formally declared in the Lee Resolution of July 2, 1776, two days before the Declaration of Independence. Victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War brought international recognition of U.S. sovereignty.

The U.S. expanded westward through the purchase, settlement, and conquest of European- and Indigenous-controlled territory. As more states joined the Union, a sectional division over slavery led 11 Southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America, fighting the Union in the Civil War of 1861–1865. With the United States' victory and reunification, slavery was abolished. By 1900, the U.S. emerged as a great power, a status solidified after its involvement in World War I. Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, it entered World War II on the Allied side. The war's aftermath left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as rival superpowers, vying for geopolitical dominance during the Cold War. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 left the U.S. as the world's sole superpower, although it has faced competition from China in the 2020s.

The U.S. federal government is a republic under the Constitution, which created a a separation of powers among legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Executive authority is vested in a president, while Congress is a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives (a lower house based on population) and the Senate (an upper house based on equal representation for each state). Federalism grants substantial autonomy to the 50 states.

A developed country, the United States ranks high in economic competitiveness, innovation, and higher education. Its economy accounts for over a quarter of nominal global GDP and has been the world's largest since about 1890. The U.S. is the wealthiest country, with the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD members, though its wealth inequality is highly pronounced. American culture, shaped by centuries of immigration, is diverse and globally influential. The U.S. makes up nearly a third of global military spending and is widely considered to have the most powerful armed forces in the world. A member of numerous international organizations, it plays a dominant role in global political, cultural, economic, and military affairs.