United States

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Interior Lowlands and their upland fringes
  - The Appalachian Mountain system
  - The Atlantic Plain
  - The Western Cordillera
  - The Western Intermontane Region
- Drainage
  - The Eastern systems
  - The Pacific systems
- Climate
  - Climatic controls
  - The change of seasons
  - The bioclimatic regions
    - The Humid East
    - The Humid Pacific Coast
    - The Dry West
    - The Humid–Arid Transition
    - The Western mountains
- Plant life
- Animal life
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
    - Early models of land allocation
    - Creating the national domain
    - Distribution of rural lands
    - Patterns of farm life
    - Regional small-town patterns
  - The rural–urban transition
    - Weakening of the agrarian ideal
    - Impact of the motor vehicle
    - Reversal of the classic rural dominance
  - Urban settlement
    - Classic patterns of siting and growth
    - New factors in municipal development
    - The new look of the metropolitan area
    - Individual and collective character of cities
    - The supercities
- Traditional regions of the United States
  - The hierarchy of culture areas
  - The cultural hearths
    - New England
    - The South
    - The Midland
  - The newer culture areas
    - The Midwest
    - The problem of “the West”
People
- Ethnic distribution
  - Ethnic European Americans
  - African Americans
  - Hispanics
  - Asian Americans
  - Middle Easterners
  - Native Americans
- Religious groups
- Immigration
Economy
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Taxation
- Labor force
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Minerals
  - Biological resources
  - Power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Foreign trade
- Transportation
  - Roads and railroads
  - Water and air transport
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
  - The executive branch
  - The legislative branch
  - The judicial branch
- State and local government
- Political process
  - Suffrage
  - Voting and elections
  - Money and campaigns
  - Political parties
- Security
  - National security
  - Domestic law enforcement
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Literature
- The visual arts and postmodernism
- The theater
- Motion pictures
- Television
- Popular music
- Dance
- Sports
- Audiences
History
- Colonial America to 1763
  - The European background
  - Settlement
    - Virginia
    - Maryland
    - The New England colonies
    - The middle colonies
    - The Carolinas and Georgia
  - Imperial organization
  - The growth of provincial power
    - Political growth
    - Population growth
    - Economic growth
    - Land, labor, and independence
  - Cultural and religious development
    - Colonial culture
    - From a city on a hill to the Great Awakening
  - Colonial America, England, and the wider world
  - The Native American response
- The American Revolution and the early federal republic
  - Prelude to revolution
    - The tax controversy
    - Constitutional differences with Britain
    - The Continental Congress
  - The American Revolutionary War
  - Treaty of Paris
  - Foundations of the American republic
    - Problems before the Second Continental Congress
    - State politics
    - The Constitutional Convention
  - The social revolution
  - Religious revivalism
  - The United States from 1789 to 1816
    - The Federalist administration and the formation of parties
    - The Jeffersonian Republicans in power
    - Madison as president and the War of 1812
    - The Indian-American problem
- The United States from 1816 to 1850
  - The Era of Mixed Feelings
    - Effects of the War of 1812
    - National disunity
  - The economy
    - Transportation revolution
    - Beginnings of industrialization
  - Social developments
    - Birth of American Culture
    - The people
    - Cities
      Education and the role of women
      Wealth
  - Jacksonian democracy
    - The democratization of politics
    - The Jacksonians
    - The major parties
    - Minor parties
  - An age of reform
    - Abolitionism
    - Support of reform movements
    - Religious-inspired reform
  - Expansionism and political crisis at midcentury
    - Westward expansion
    - Attitudes toward expansionism
- The Civil War
  - Prelude to war, 1850–60
    - Sectionalism and slavery
    - A decade of political crises
      Popular sovereignty
      Polarization over slavery
  - Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65
    - The coming of the war
    - The political course of the war
      Moves toward emancipation
      Sectional dissatisfaction
  - Fighting the Civil War
    - Foreign affairs
    - Aftermath
- Reconstruction and the New South, 1865–1900
  - Reconstruction, 1865–77
    - Reconstruction under Abraham Lincoln
      Lincoln’s plan
      The Radicals’ plan
    - Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson
      Johnson’s policy
      “Black Codes”
      Civil rights legislation
    - The South during Reconstruction
    - The Ulysses S. Grant administrations, 1869–77
  - The New South, 1877–90
    - The era of conservative domination, 1877–90
    - Jim Crow legislation
    - Booker T. Washington and the Atlanta Compromise
- The transformation of American society, 1865–1900
  - National expansion
    - Growth of the nation
      Immigration
      Westward migration
      Urban growth
    - The West
      The mineral empire
      The open range
      The expansion of the railroads
      Indian policy
  - Industrialization of the U.S. economy
    - The growth of industry
      The dispersion of industry
      Industrial combinations
    - Foreign commerce
    - Labor
      Formation of unions
      The Haymarket Riot
  - National politics
    - The Rutherford B. Hayes administration
    - The administrations of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur
    - Grover Cleveland’s first term
      The surplus and the tariff
      The public domain
      The Interstate Commerce Act
      The election of 1888
    - The Benjamin Harrison administration
      The Sherman Antitrust Act
      The silver issue
      The McKinley tariff
      The agrarian revolt
      The Populists
      The election of 1892
    - Cleveland’s second term
    - Economic recovery
- Imperialism, the Progressive era, and the rise to world power, 1896–1920
  - American imperialism
    - The Spanish-American War
    - The new American empire
    - The Open Door in the Far East
    - Building the Panama Canal and American domination in the Caribbean
  - The Progressive era
    - The character and variety of the Progressive movement
      Origins of progressivism
      Urban reforms
      Reform in state governments
    - Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive movement
    - Republican troubles under William Howard Taft
      The Republican insurgents
      The 1912 election
    - The New Freedom and its transformation
  - The rise to world power
    - Woodrow Wilson and the Mexican Revolution
    - The struggle for neutrality
      Loans and supplies for the Allies
      German submarine warfare
      Arming for war
    - The United States enters the Great War
      Break with Germany
      Mobilization
      America’s role in the war
    - Wilson’s vision of a new world order
    - The Paris Peace Conference and the Versailles Treaty
    - The fight over the treaty and the election of 1920
- The United States from 1920 to 1945
  - The postwar Republican administrations
    - Postwar conservatism
    - Peace and prosperity
    - New social trends
    - The Great Depression
  - The New Deal
    - The first New Deal
      Relief
      Agricultural recovery
      Business recovery
    - The second New Deal and the Supreme Court
    - The culmination of the New Deal
    - An assessment of the New Deal
  - World War II
    - The road to war
    - The United States at war
      War production
      Financing the war
      Social consequences of the war
      The 1944 election
    - The new U.S. role in world affairs
- The United States since 1945
  - The peak Cold War years, 1945–60
    - The Truman Doctrine and containment
    - Postwar domestic reorganization
    - The Red Scare
    - The Korean War
    - Peace, growth, and prosperity
    - Eisenhower’s second term
      Domestic issues
      World affairs
    - An assessment of the postwar era
  - The Kennedy and Johnson administrations
    - The New Frontier
    - The Great Society
    - The civil rights movement
    - Latino and Native American activism
    - Social changes
    - The Vietnam War
  - The 1970s
    - The Richard M. Nixon administration
      Foreign affairs
      Domestic affairs
      The Watergate scandal
    - The Gerald R. Ford administration
    - The Jimmy Carter administration
      Foreign affairs
      Domestic policy
  - The late 20th century
    - The Ronald Reagan administration
    - The George H.W. Bush administration
    - The Bill Clinton administration
  - The 21st century
    - The George W. Bush administration
    - The Barack Obama administration
      First term
      Election and inauguration
      Tackling the “Great Recession,” the “Party of No,” and the emergence of the Tea Party movement
      Negotiating health care reform
      Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
      Deepwater Horizon oil spill
      Military de-escalation in Iraq and escalation in Afghanistan
      The 2010 midterm elections
      WikiLeaks, the “Afghan War Diary,” and the “Iraq War Log”
      The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ratification of START, and the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords
      Budget compromise
      The Arab Spring, intervention in Libya, and the killing of Osama bin Laden
      The debt ceiling debate
      The failed “grand bargain”
      Raising the debt ceiling, capping spending, and the efforts of the “super committee”
      Occupy Wall Street, withdrawal from Iraq, and slow economic recovery
      Deportation policy changes, the immigration law ruling, and sustaining Obamacare’s “individual mandate”
      The 2012 presidential campaign, a fluctuating economy, and the approaching “fiscal cliff”
      The Benghazi attack and Superstorm Sandy
      Second Term
      The 2012 election
      The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
      “Sequester” cuts, the Benghazi furor, and Susan Rice on the hot seat
      The IRS scandal, the Justice Department’s AP phone records seizure, and Edward Snowden’s leaks
      Removal of Mohammed Morsi, Obama’s “red line” in Syria, and chemical weapons
      The decision not to respond militarily in Syria
      The 2013 government shutdown
      The Obamacare rollout
      The Iran nuclear deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, and the Ukraine crisis
      The rise of ISIL (ISIS), the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, and imposition of stricter carbon emission standards
      The child migrant border surge, air strikes on ISIL (ISIS), and the 2014 midterm elections
      Normalizing relations with Cuba, the USA FREEDOM Act, and the Office of Personnel Management data breach
      The Ferguson police shooting, the death of Freddie Gray, and the Charleston church shooting
      Same-sex marriage and Obamacare Supreme Court rulings and final agreement on the Iran nuclear deal
      New climate regulations, the Keystone XL pipeline, and intervention in the Syrian Civil War
      The Merrick Garland nomination and Supreme Court rulings on public unions, affirmative action, and abortion
      The Orlando nightclub shooting, the shooting of Dallas police officers, and the shootings in Baton Rouge
    - The Donald Trump administration
      The campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination
      The campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination
      Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server, Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood tape, and the 2016 general election campaign
      Trump’s victory and Russian interference in the presidential election
      “America First,” the Women’s Marches, Trump on Twitter, and “fake news”
      Scuttling U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reconsidering the Keystone XL pipeline, and withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement
      ICE enforcement and removal operations
      The travel ban
      Pursuing “repeal and replacement” of Obamacare
      John McCain’s opposition and the failure of “skinny repeal”
      Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the air strike on Syria, and threatening Kim Jong-Un with “fire and fury”
      Violence in Charlottesville, the dismissal of Steve Bannon, the resignation of Michael Flynn, and the investigation of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign
      Jeff Session’s recusal, James Comey’s firing, and Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel
      Hurricanes Harvey and Maria and the mass shootings in Las Vegas, Parkland, and Santa Fe
      The #MeToo movement, the Alabama U.S. Senate special election, and the Trump tax cut
      Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, Trump-Trudeau conflict at the G7 summit, and imposing tariffs
      The Trump-Kim 2018 summit, “zero tolerance,” and separation of immigrant families
      The Supreme Court decision upholding the travel ban, its ruling on Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, No. 16-1466, and the retirement of Anthony Kennedy
      The indictment of Paul Manafort, the guilty pleas of Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos, and indictments of Russian intelligence officers
      Cabinet turnover
      Trump’s European trip and the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin
      The USMCA trade agreement, the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford, and the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
      Central American migrant caravans, the pipe-bomb mailings, and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
      The 2018 midterm elections
      The 2018–19 government shutdown
      Sessions’s resignation, choosing a new attorney general, and the ongoing Mueller investigation
      The Mueller report
      The impeachment of Donald Trump
      The coronavirus pandemic
      The killing of George Floyd and nationwide racial injustice protests
      The 2020 U.S. election
    - The Joe Biden administration
      The COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Delta and Omicron variants, and the American Rescue Plan Act
      Economic recovery, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the failure of Build Back Better
      Stalled voting rights legislation, the fate of the filibuster, and the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court
      Foreign affairs: U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
      The Buffalo and Uvalde shootings, overturning Roe v. Wade, and the January 6 attack hearings
      Rising inflation
      Immigration surge and the busing of migrants to sanctuary cities
      2022 midterm congressional elections
Presidents of the United States
Vice presidents of the United States
First ladies of the United States
State maps, flags, and seals
State nicknames and symbols

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

A map of the states, boundaries, and capital cities of the United States, along with the bodies of water and other counties surrounding the U.S.

Yosemite: El Capitan

Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

Explore the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the Great Lakes, the Black Hills, and more in the American Midwest

Screw Auger Falls

Ridge-and-valley topography

For Students

United States summary

Read Next

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Manila folders marked confidential.

6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations

Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered

Discover

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)

8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History

Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls

Pro and Con: School Uniforms

The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)

11 Banned Books Through Time

United States: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	America • U.S. • United States of America • U.S.A.
Head Of State And Government	President: Joe Biden
Capital	Washington, D.C.
Population	(2020) 331,449,281; (2024 est.) 341,963,000²
Currency Exchange Rate	1 US dollar equals 0.937 euro
Form Of Government	federal republic with two legislative houses (Senate [100]; House of Representatives [435¹])
Official Language	none
Official Religion	none
Official Name	United States of America
Total Area (Sq Km)	9,866,289³
Total Area (Sq Mi)	3,809,525³
Monetary Unit	dollar (U.S.$)
Population Rank	(2023) 3
Population Projection 2030	358,633,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2024) 89.8
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2024) 34.7
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2018) 82.3% • Rural: (2018) 17.7%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2024) 78.7 years • Female: (2024) 83.1 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2000–2004) 95.7% • Female: (2000–2004) 95.3%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 26,894,543
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 80,300
¹Excludes five nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam and a nonvoting resident commissioner from Puerto Rico.²Includes military personnel overseas.³Total area (excluding 42,334 sq mi [109,645 sq km] of coastal water and 76,804 sq mi [198,921 sq km] of territorial water) equals 3,677,649 sq mi (9,525,067 sq km), of which land area equals 3,531,925 sq mi (9,147,643 sq km), inland water area equals 85,631 sq mi (221,783 sq km), and Great Lakes water area equals 60,093 sq mi (155,641 sq km).

Did You Know?

Annually, the U.S. spends more on its military than the next seven highest-ranking countries in military spending combined.
The internet was first conceptualized in the United States.
Dwarf-tossing in establishments that sell liquor is illegal in Florida.
The U.S. owns the GPS (Global Positioning System).
A cat served as honorary mayor for 20 years in Talkeetna, Alaska.

Photos and Videos

A map of the states, boundaries, and capital cities of the United States, along with the bodies of water and other counties surrounding the U.S.

Yosemite: El Capitan

Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

Screw Auger Falls

Ridge-and-valley topography

Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park

Explore the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the Great Lakes, the Black Hills, and more in the American Midwest

Explore the U.S. Northeast region's Appalachian Mountains, Hudson River, and Atlantic seaboard

Tour the U.S. Southeast region and learn about its warm climate, landforms, and water features

Explore the United States' Mountain region and its diverse landscape, rivers, and settlement

Explore the diverse geography and climates across the United States' Pacific Region

The Star-Spangled Banner

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

casualties of World War II Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929–68 World War II: The horror of war in pictures World War II Anglo-American Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 German Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 indictments of Donald Trump New York indictment of Donald Trump federal indictment of Donald Trump (2020 election and January 6 attack)federal indictment of Donald J. Trump (documents case)Singapore India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American religious leader and civil-rights activist

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

American writer

Edward O'Hare

Edward O’Hare

American aviator and WWII hero

Josiah Bartlett

United States statesman

Deval Patrick

Deval Patrick

American politician and lawyer

Norman Mineta

Norman Mineta

American politician

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa Blunt Rochester

American politician

Vivek Murthy

Vivek Murthy

physician and government official

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

Elise Stefanik

American politician

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Tim Walz

American politician

Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna Pressley

American politician

Lauren Boebert

American politician

Alejandro Mayorkas

Alejandro Mayorkas

U.S. government official

Jesse L. Brown

Jesse L. Brown

United States Navy officer

Lisa Franchetti

Lisa Franchetti

United States admiral

Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

American politician

Ilhan Omar

Ilhan Omar

American politician

Thomas Hudner

Thomas Hudner

United States naval officer

Jack Smith

Jack Smith

American lawyer

Lloyd Austin

Lloyd Austin

United States government official

Kentucky

state, United States

Calabasas, California

Calabasas

California, United States

FBI Academy

Quantico

Virginia, United States

Africatown in Mobile, Alabama

Africatown

community, Mobile, Alabama, United States

North America

North America

continent

Statue of Liberty

New York City

New York, United States

Washington, D.C. flag

Washington, D.C.

national capital, United States

Chicago skyline

Chicago

Illinois, United States

Los Angeles: Harbor Freeway

Los Angeles

California, United States

California: flag

California

state, United States

Alaska

state, United States

Minnesota: flag

Minnesota

state, United States

Michigan

state, United States

New York

state, United States

Texas state flag

Texas

state, United States

Quiz

The original copy of the constitution of the United States; housed in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

American History and Politics Quiz

Canyon. River. Rock formations. Cliff. View of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park from Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah.

U.S. State Mottoes

Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries of the World

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries & Their Features

Mount Rainier highest mountain in the state of Washington, United States, and in the Cascade Range.

U.S. States Dates of Admission to the Union Quiz

The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

U.S. History Highlights: Part Two

USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors

50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz

Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)

Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

Gutzon Borglum. Presidents. Sculpture. National park. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.

U.S. History Highlights: Part One

State capitol building in Austin, Texas.

USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts

Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

The Country Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.

Which Country Is Larger? Quiz

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Betsy Ross showing George Ross and Robert Morris how she cut the stars for the American flag; George Washington sits in a chair on the left, 1777; by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (published c. 1932).

USA Facts

United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865

United States of America Quiz

List

Manila folders marked confidential.

6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations

The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered