The United States of America, usually referred to as the United States or just the USA, is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere, the contiguous United States stretches from the Pacific on the west to the Atlantic on the east, with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, and bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
The United States is the world's third largest country in population and in area. It consists of 50 states and a federal district. Washington D.C., is the nation's capital, while New York is its largest city.
The state of Alaska is located in extreme NW North America between the Arctic and Pacific oceans and is bordered by Canada on the east, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. Hawaii occupies an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America. The country also possesses several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.
The United States possesses the vastest territories with large resources demographic. The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest.
The Mississippi Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north south through the heart of the country. The fertile prairie land of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region along its south eastern portion.
The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the continental United States, reaching altitudes higher than 4,300 m. in Colorado. The Sierra Nevada runs parallel to the Rockies, relatively close to the Pacific coast.
Alaska has one of the highest peaks, Mount McKinley, consists of 6194 m. Active volcanoes are common throughout the Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and the entire state of Hawaii is built upon tropical volcanic islands. The super volcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.
Its climate and temperate is varied in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, polar in Alaska, semi arid in the Great Plains, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in Coastal California, and arid in the Great Basin.
Extreme weather is not uncommon the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the continental United States, primarily in the Midwest's Tornado Alley.
The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world. The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fuelled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.
The United States is the largest importer of goods and third largest exporter, though exports per capita are relatively low. Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.
The leading export commodity is electrical machinery, capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products, while vehicles constitute the leading import. The private sector constitutes the bulk of the economy; the United States remains an industrial power, with chemical products the leading manufacturing field. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world.
It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, sulphur, phosphates, and salt. The United States is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans, other grains, fruits, beef, forest products, fish. The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest by dollar volume. Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the two most recognized brands in the world.
The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. English is the national language, 82% of the population speaks only English at home, 10% Spanish the second most common language and other foreign languages. Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law.
New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.
The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late nineteenth century. The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor.
Since the early twentieth century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, California. Iconic figures like John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe or producer Walt Disney were leader in cine, animated film and movie merchandising.
The major film studios of Hollywood are the primary source of the most commercially successful movies in the world, and the products of Hollywood today dominate the global film industry.