View source for United States

{{Stub}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = United States of America
|common_name            = the United States
|image_flag             = Flag_of_the_United_States_(Pantone).svg‎
|image_coat             = US-GreatSeal-Obverse.svg
|length                 = 1776–Present
|symbol_type            = Great Seal
|national_motto         = <!--Please read the talk page before editing these mottos:-->[[In God We Trust]]{{spaces|2}}<small>(official)</small><br />{{lang|la|''[[E pluribus unum|E Pluribus Unum]]''}}{{spaces|2}}<small>(traditional)</small><br /><small>([[Latin]]: Out of Many, One)</small>
|image_map              = United States (orthographic projection).svg
|map_width              = 220px
|national_anthem        = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"
|official_languages     = None at federal level{{Ref label|engoffbox|a|}}
|languages_type         = [[National language]]
|languages              = [[English language|English]] (''[[de facto]]''){{Ref label|engfactobox|b|}}
|capital                = [[Washington, D.C.]]
|largest_city           = [[New York City]]
|latd                   = 
|government_type        = [[Federalism|Federal]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[constitutional republic]]
|leader_title1          = [[President of the United States|President]]
|leader_name1           = [[Barack Obama]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|leader_title2          = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]
|leader_name2           = [[Joe Biden]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|leader_title3          = {{nowrap|[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]}}
|leader_name3           = [[John Boehner]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
|leader_title4          = [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]]
|leader_name4           = [[John Roberts]]
|legislature            = [[United States Congress|Congress]]
|upper_house            = [[United States Senate|Senate]]
|lower_house            = [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
|sovereignty_type       = [[American Revolutionary War|Independence]] {{nobold|from the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]}}
|established_event1     = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declared]]
|established_date1      = July 4, 1776
|established_event2     = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Recognized]]
|established_date2      = September 3, 1783
|established_event3     = [[United States Constitution|Current constitution]]
|established_date3      = June 21, 1788
|area_footnote          = <ref name="WF"/>{{Ref label|areabox|c|}}
|area_sq_mi             = 3794101
|area_km2               = 9826675
|area_rank              = 3rd/4th
|area_magnitude         = 1 E12
|percent_water          = 6.76
|population_census        = 308,745,538<ref name="2010.census.gov">{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-dens-text.php|title=Resident Population Data – 2010|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2010-12-22|year=2010}}</ref>
|population_census_year   = 2010
|population_density_km2   = 33.7
|population_density_sq_mi = 87.4
|population_density_rank  = <!-- 178th (unknown source, commented for now) -->
|GDP_PPP_year             = 2010
|GDP_PPP                  = $14.624 trillion<ref name=IMF_GDP>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=111&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=40&pr.y=10|title=United States|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank             = 1st
|GDP_PPP_per_capita       = $47,123<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank  = 6th
|GDP_nominal              = $14.624 trillion<ref name="IMF GDP"/>
|GDP_nominal_rank         = 1st
|GDP_nominal_year         = 2010
|GDP_nominal_per_capita   = $47,132<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th
|HDI_year                 = 2010
|HDI                      = {{increase}} 0.902<ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Tables_reprint.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2010|year=2010|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=4 November 2010}}</ref>
|HDI_rank                 = 4th
|HDI_category             = <span style="color:#090;">very high</span>
|EFI_year                 = 2011
|EFI                      = {{decrease}} 77.8<ref name="EFI">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/Country/UnitedStates|title=Index of Economic Freedom 2011|year=2011|publisher=[[The Heritage Foundation]]|accessdate=2011-05-08}}</ref>
|EFI_rank                 = 9th
|EFI_category             = <span style="color:#006000;">high</span>
|CPI_year                 = 2010
|CPI                      = {{decrease}} 7.1<ref name="CPI">{{cite web|url=http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/in_detail|title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2010|year=2010|publisher=[[Transparency International]]|accessdate=2011-05-08}}</ref>
|CPI_rank                 = 22nd
|CPI_category             = <span style="color:#006000;">high</span>
|GIR_year                 = 2009
|GIR                      = {{decrease}} 85<ref name="GIR">{{cite web|url=http://report.globalintegrity.org/United%20States/2009|title=Global Integrity Report 2009|year=2009|publisher=[[Global Integrity]]|accessdate=2011-05-08}}</ref>
|GIR_rank                 = 
|GIR_category             = <span style="color:#006000;">strong</span>
|DBR_year                 = 2011
|DBR                      = {{steady}}<ref name="DBR">{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/united-states/|title=Doing Business Report 2011|year=2011|publisher=[[International Finance Corporation]], [[World Bank]]|accessdate=2011-05-08}}</ref>
|DBR_rank                 = 5th
|DBR_category             = <span style="color:#090;">very high</span>
|Gini                     = 45.0<ref name="WF">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html|title=United States|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=2009-09-30|accessdate=2010-01-05 (area given in square kilometers)}}</ref>
|Gini_rank                = 44th
|Gini_year                = 2007
|currency                 = [[United States dollar]] ($)
|currency_code            = USD
|country_code             = USA
|utc_offset               = −5 to −10
|utc_offset_DST           = −4 to −10
|cctld                    = [[.us]] [[.gov]] [[.mil]] [[.edu]]
|calling_code             = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
|date_format              = m/d/yy ([[Anno Domini|AD]])
|drives_on                = right
|demonym                  = [[Names for U.S. citizens|American]]
|footnotes                =
{{note|engoffbox}}a. English is the official language of at least 28 states—some sources give a higher figure, based on differing definitions of "official".<ref name=ILW>{{cite web|author=Feder, Jody| url = http://www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily/news/2007,0515-crs.pdf| title = English as the Official Language of the United States—Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress|date=2007-01-25| publisher = Ilw.com (Congressional Research Service)| accessdate = 2007-06-19}}</ref> English and [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] are both official languages in the state of Hawaii.

{{note|engfactobox}}b. English is the ''de facto'' language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the [[Spanish in the United States|second most commonly spoken language]].

{{note|areabox}}c. Whether the United States or the [[People's Republic of China]] is larger is [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|disputed]]. The figure given is from the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s ''[[World Factbook]]''. Other sources give smaller figures. All authoritative calculations of the country's size include only the 50 states and the District of Columbia, not the territories.

{{note|popbox}}d. The population estimate includes people whose usual residence is in the fifty states and the District of Columbia, including noncitizens. It does not include either those living in the territories, amounting to more than 4&nbsp;million U.S. citizens (most in [[Puerto Rico]]), or U.S. citizens living outside the United States.
}}

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 to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Over a span of more than five decades, the economy has achieved steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.<ref name="CIA_US">CIA - The World Factbook. [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_us.html "United States"], from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-09-21.</ref>

{{See also|History of money and banking in the US}}

== Economic characteristics ==
* '''Currency''': [[United States dollar]] (ISO code: USD)
* Central bank '''[[Wikipedia:Discount rate|discount rate]]''': 0.5% (31 December 2009)<ref name="CIA_US" />
* Commercial banks '''lending rate''': 5.09% (31 December 2008)<ref name="CIA_US" />
* '''Stock of money''' ([[Money supply#M1|M1]]): $1.436 trillion (31 December 2008)<ref name="CIA_US" />
* '''Quasi money''' (with M1 makes [[Money supply#M2|M2]]): $10.99 trillion (31 December 2008)<ref name="CIA_US" />
* According to an estimate, for every 1.65 employed persons in the private sector, 1 person receives welfare assistance. Also, for every 1.25 employed persons in the private sector, 1 person receives welfare assistance or works for the government.<ref name="Alexander_Failure">Gary D. Alexander, Secretary of Public Welfare, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. [http://www.aei.org/files/2012/07/11/-alexander-presentation_10063532278.pdf "Welfare’s Failure and the Solution"], ''The American Enterprise Institute'', July 2012. Referenced 2012-12-04.</ref>

===Notable events:===
* [[Banking crisis]]: August 1814, [[Panic of 1819|1818-1819]], [[Panic of 1825|January 1825]], [[Panic of 1837|1836-1838]], March 1841, [[Panic of 1857|August 1857]], December 1861, April 1864, [[Panic of 1873|September 1873]], [[Panic of 1884|May 1884]], [[Panic of 1890|1890]], [[Panic of 1907|March 1907]], July 1914, [[Great Depression|1929-1933]], [[Savings and loan crisis|1984-1991]]<ref name="Reinhart_crisis">Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. [http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8973.html "This Time is Different"], ''Princeton University Press'', ISBN 978-0-691-14216-6, p. 389-390. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-21.</ref>
* Years in [[inflation]]:  1.4% (share of years 1790-2009 with annual inflation above 20 per cent per annum)
* [[Public default]]: 1790 (external), 1790, 1841-1842, 1873-1884, 1933 (domestic)<ref name="Reinhart_histories">Carmen M. Reinhart. [http://www.princeton.edu/economics/seminar-schedule-by-prog/macro-s10/papers/Reinhardt-Chartbook.pdf "This Time is Different Chartbook: Country Histories on Debt, Default, and Financial Crises"] (pdf), March 3, 2010, p. 116. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-21.</ref>

===Statistics===
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" style="text-align:center"
| Statistic / Year
! 1999
! 2000
! 2001
! 2002
! 2003
! 2004
! 2005
! 2006
! 2007
! 2008
|-
! [[GDP]] (million USD)<ref name="WorldBank_GDP_US">World Bank. [http://open.worldbank.org/countries/us/indicators%5BNY.GDP.MKTP.CD%5D?date=1999:2009 "United States: GDP"], from World Bank [http://data.worldbank.org/ Data]. Referenced 2010-09-21.</ref>
| 9 216 200
| 9 764 800
| 10 075 900
| 10 417 600
| 10 908 000
| 11 630 900
| 12 364 100
| 13 116 500
| 13 741 600
| 14 093 300
|-
! Govt. debt (% of GDP)<ref name="WorldBank_Debt_US">World Bank. [http://open.worldbank.org/countries/us/indicators%5BGC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS%5D?date=1999:2009 "United States: government debt"], from World Bank [http://data.worldbank.org/ Data]. Referenced 2010-09-21.</ref>
| 
| 
| 32.957
| 44.103
| 46.834
| 47.680
| 48.016
| 47.128
| 47.484
| 55.662
|-
! Govt. revenue (% of GDP)<ref name="WorldBank_Revenue_US">World Bank. [http://open.worldbank.org/countries/us/indicators%5BGC.REV.XGRT.GD.ZS%5D?date=1999:2009 "United States: government revenue"], from World Bank [http://data.worldbank.org/ Data]. Referenced 2010-09-21.</ref>
| 
| 
| 20.431
| 18.187
| 17.531
| 17.609
| 18.856
| 19.569
| 19.659
| 17.874
|-
! Govt. expenses (% of GDP)<ref name="WorldBank_Expenses_US">World Bank. [http://open.worldbank.org/countries/us/indicators%5BGC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS%5D?date=1999:2009 "United States: government expenses"], from World Bank [http://data.worldbank.org/ Data]. Referenced 2010-09-21.</ref>
| 
| 
| 19.857
| 20.717
| 21.324
| 21.186
| 21.590
| 21.442
| 21.803
| 23.464
|-
! Debt to revenue (years)
| 
| 
| 1.613
| 2.425
| 2.671
| 2.708
| 2.546
| 2.408
| 2.415
| 3.114
|}

==References==
<small>Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.</small>
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.federalreserve.gov Central bank] of United States
*[http://countrystudies.us/united-states/ Studies] from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
*BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm country profile]
*[http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/why-did-17-million-students-go-to-college/27634 Why Did 17 Million Students Go to College?] by Richard Vedder, October 2010
*[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704541004575011684172064228.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion The U.S. Isn't as Free as It Used to Be] by Terry Miller, January 2010
*[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/A-look-at-Obamas-2011-budget-apf-1842462821.html?x=0 A look at Obama's 2011 budget for govt agencies], ''Associated Press'', February 2010
*[http://www.cnbc.com/id/35438488 China Will Keep Trimming Treasurys: Jim Rogers] by Antonia Oprita, February 2010
*[http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/?content=cogdteas10 August 19, 2010 - Cost of Government Day Has Arrived!], 2010
*[http://www.businessinsider.com/americas-biggest-tariffs-2010-9#non-specific-dairy-products-20-tariff-on-imports-1 25 American Products That Rely On Huge Protective Tariffs To Survive] by Gus Lubin, September 2010
*[http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2011/5/24/fdic-says-list-of-problem-banks-is-still-growing FDIC says list of ‘problem banks’ is still growing], ''BizTimes Daily'', May 2011
*[http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-18-fderal-job-security_n.htm Some federal workers more likely to die than lose jobs] by Dennis Cauchon, July 2011
*[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/7/government-borrows-46-cents-every-dollar-it-spends/ U.S. borrows 46 cents of every dollar it spends] by Stephen Dinan, December 2012
*{{md|6554|There Is Life after Default|Peter G. Klein|October 2013}}
*{{md|5463|A Short History of US Credit Defaults|John S. Chamberlain|July 2011}}
*[http://www.howmoneywalks.com/web-app/ How Money Walks] (maps the movements of people and money between US states and counties)
*{{wplink}}

[[Category:United States| ]]