Independence Year : 1776
Population : 278357000
Life Expectancy : 77.1
Capital : 3813
GNP : 8510700.00
GNP Old : 8110900.00
Local Name : United States
Government Form : Federal Republic
Location : North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean in the east and the North Pacific Ocean in the west, between Canada and Mexico
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
Climate : Mostly temperate, tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska
Ethnic Group : white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)
Religions : Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Official Website :
www.whitehouse.gov
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General Information - United States
Background
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country (UK) 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.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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