AMERICA
United States, officially United
States of America,
abbreviated U.S. or U.S.A.,
byname America, country in N
orth America, a
federal republic of 50 states
Besides the 48 conterminous
states that occupy the middle
latitudes of the continent,
the United States includes the
state of Alaska, at the
northwestern extreme of
North America, and the island
state of Hawaii, in the mid-
Pacific Ocean
The United States is the
fourth largest country in
the world in area
(after Russia, Canada,
and China). The national
capital is Washington,
which is coextensive with
the District of Columbia, the
federal capital region
created in 1790. The major
characteristic of the United
States is probably its great
variety.
The United States contains
a highly diverse population.
Unlike a country such as
China that largely
incorporated indigenous peo
ples, the United States has
a diversity that to a great
degree has come from an
immense and sustained
global immigration
The United States is relatively young by world standards, being less than 250 years old; it
achieved its current size only in the mid-20th century. America was the first of the European
colonies to separate successfully from its motherland, and it was the first nation to be established
on the premise that sovereignty rests with its citizens and not with the government. In its first
century and a half, the country was mainly preoccupied with its own territorial expansion
and economic growth and with social debates that ultimately led to civil war and a healing period
that is still not complete.
The United States has many competitive private and
public institutions of higher education. The majority of the world's
top universities listed by different ranking organizations are in
the U.S There are also local community colleges with generally
more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and
lower tuition As for public expenditures on higher education, the
U.S. trails some other OECD nations but spends more per student
than the OECD average, and more than all nations in combined
public and private spending.As of 2018, student loan
debt exceeded 1.5 trillion dollars, more than Americans owe on
credit cards
The president is the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces and
appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The United States Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including
the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force. The Coast Guard is run
by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and by the Department of
the Navy during times of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel
on active duty
Taxes in the United States are levied at the federal, state, and local
government levels. These include taxes on income, payroll, property, sales,
imports, estates and gifts, as well as various fees. Taxation in the United
States is based on citizenship, not residency. Both non-resident citizens
and Green Card holders living abroad are taxed on their income irrespective
of where they live or where their income is earned. It is the only country in
the world, other than Eritrea, to do so.
The United States has been a leader in
technological innovation since the late 19th
century and scientific research since the
mid-20th century. Methods for
producing interchangeable parts were
developed by the U.S. War Department by
the Federal Armories during the first half of
the 19th century.
Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network
of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) of public roads, including one of the
world's longest highway systems at 57,000 mi (91,700 km). The world's second-largest
automobile market, the United States has the highest rate of per-capita vehicle
ownership in the world, with 765 vehicles per 1,000 Americans (1996). About 40%
of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks. The average American adult
(accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day,
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