Thirteen of 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 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.
- Capital
- Washington, D.C.
- Government
- constitutional federal republic
- Population
- 338,016,259
- Area
- 9,833,517 sq km
- Location
- North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
- Climate
- mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River…
- Natural resources
- coal; copper; lead; molybdenum; phosphates; rare earth elements…
- Languages
- English only (official) 78.2%; Spanish 13.4%; Chinese 1.1%; other 7.3%
- Religions
- Protestant 46.5%; Roman Catholic 20.8%; Jewish 1.9%; Church of Jesus Christ 1.6%…
- Independence
- 4 July 1776 (declared independence from Great Britain);
- Administrative divisions
- 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of…
- Export partners
- Canada 14%; Mexico 13%; China 8%; Germany 5%…
- Import partners
- Mexico 15%; China 15%; Canada 14%; Germany 5%…