United states of america

The USA is the fourth-largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. The 50 states span North America from coast to coast. The largest state is Alaska, the smallest is Rhode Island. The state with the largest population is California, whereas the least populated state is Wyoming.

The federal capital is Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia). The area is 3,536,855 square miles, the population is 248,710,000 people.

The US is the world's third-largest nation by population after China and India. Until 1840 immigrants came mostly from England and Scotland, but thereafter increasingly from other, mainly European lands, including Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and the Slavic countries. From 1965 large number of Latin Americans and Asians have been admitted.

The first blacks came as slaves (from 1619). Today there are some 30 million black Americans, of whom the majority still live in the South and in large cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. Indians, the original inhabitants, are found in all states, with major concentrations in the Great Plains and the West. Other significant national groups include Spanish-Americans (Mexicans and Puerto Ricans), Chinese and Japanese.

About 75% of Americans are urban dwelling and about 16% of the total population lives in the highly urbanized Boston to Washington, D.C. stretch of the Atlantic coastal belt which contains the most densely populated states, New Jersey and Rhode Island. During the 1960s California overtook New York to become the most populous state in the Union.

The US has many religious groups, the strongest being the Protestants (73,700,000) and Roman Catholics (52,000,000).

The economy of the US is predominantly free-enterprise. The rich mineral resources include coal, iron ore, petroleum and natural gas and other valuable minerals. But reserves of some minerals are declining and the US has increasingly become an importer of ores and oil. Major products include steel (Pittsburgh, Chicago and elsewhere), automobiles (Detroit), aircraft and aerospace products, electric and electronic equipment, textiles and most kinds of consumer goods.

The supreme law of the nation is the United States Constitution. Written in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, the Constitution was approved by 55 delegates representing the 13 original states and went into effect on March 4, 1789, after ratification by the required nine states. A Bill of Rights to guarantee personal freedoms was also added as the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

The US capital - Washington, D.C. - is located on the East bank of the Potomac River. The focal point is the domed Capitol, home of the Congress of the United States. To the North-West lies the White House. Other important buildings are the headquarters of numerous government departments and agencies, the Supreme Court, Pentagon, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Library of Congress. Also a cultural and educational centre, Washington is the site of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the John F. Kennedy Centre of Performing Arts. There are many parks and famous memorials: the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. There is little industry but many large corporations and other organizations have their offices there.

The largest city is New York, consisting of five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Richmond. The long narrow island of Manhattan is the city's economic and cultural heart. New York is the nation's richest port, and a world leader in trade and finance. It is also a manufacturing (notably garments), communications (broadcasting, advertising and publishing) and performing arts center.

New York occupies a central position in the nation's and the world's cultural and business affairs. New York has over 100 parks. The city's cultural and entertainment facilities offer an enormous range of interest and opportunity.

New York's population is 7,323,000 (city) and 8,547,000 (metro).