United States (Balkanization of North America)

The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, the States, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising twenty-eight states and a federal district. The country is situated in eastern-central North America, where its states and Washington DC, the capital district (not part of a state), lay. Canada is to the north, the Atlantic Ocean is to the east, the Confederate States of America is to the south, and the California Republic is to the west.

The flag of the United States.

Indigenous peoples of Asian origin have inhabited what is now the mainland United States for many thousands of years. This Native American population was greatly reduced by disease and warfare after European contact. The United States was founded by thirteen British colonies located along the Atlantic Seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their right to self-determination and their establishment of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated the British Empire in the American Revolution, the first successful colonial war of independence. The current United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fundamental civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791.

In the 19th century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, and annexed the Republic of Texas. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over states rights and the expansion of slavery provoked the Confederate Independence War of the 1860s. In 1865, the war ended with the Confederacy gaining full independence. From their on, American influence around North America greatly declined. The United States experienced little growth and economic stagnation in the second half of the 19th century and first half of the twentieth. The USA stayed neutral in the first two North American wars because it had no reason to intervene. In the 1920s and 1930s, after a nation-wide strike and revolt in 1920, the United States "woke up" and embarked on an industrialization that modernized the country.

By the 1940s, US leaders realized only getting involved in a war would expand American influence around the world. Attempting to provoke a war, the US assisted Mexico against other Allied nations when World War II broke out in 1939. The United States and Britain were at war by 1940, with Britain with the Allies and the USA with the Axis. The Axis were victorious by 1945, and at the end of that year, the United States occupied most of North America, including Canada, California, the Confederacy, and Florida. Up until the present, the USA was and still is the most modern independent country in North America. It supported Mexico and the Central American Union during the Fourth North American War, which brought it close into conflict with European states. Fortunately, war was avoided. Today, the United States has the 6th largest economy by nominal GDP and the 7th largest by purchasing power, with the 5th largest military budget. It is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states. The United States is a permanent member of the Axis Pact, a member of the G8, G20, the Trans-Atlantic Council, Western Economic Corporation Council, the Moscow Cooperation Organization, and the North American Cooperation Council.

The United States of America, in green.

The United States

Motto

• In God We Trust (official)
• E Pluribus Unum (traditional)

Anthem

The Star Spangled Banner

Important Cities

• Washington DC (capital)
• New York City (largest city)

The capital of the United States is Washington, DC.

National Language(s)

• None (de jure)
• English (de facto)

Demonym

American

Government

Constitutional democratic republic.

Leaders

• Hillary Clinton (President)
• Joe Biden (Vice President)
• Cheri Bustos (Speaker of the House)
• John Roberts (Chief Justice)

Hillary Rodham Clinton is currently the 34th President of the United States.

Legislature

Congress

Upper House

Senate

Lower House

House of Representatives

Formation

Independence from the United Kingdom

• Declared July 4th, 1776
• Recognized September 3rd, 1783
• Current Constitution June 21st, 1788
• Great Re-organization October 1st, 1922
• Current Government December 26th, 1991

Population

141,927,297 (2010 estimate)

145,166,731 (2002 census)

Economy

Nominal GDP (2009 estimate)

$1.229 trillion (total)

$8,693 (per capita)

Currency

United States Dollar (USD)

Random Info

Time Zones

• Eastern Time Zone
• Central Time Zone

Drives on the...

right side of the road

Internet TLD

.com, .org, .gov, .net