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Introduction - United States
Background:
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.
Geography - United States
Location:
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific
Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Geographic coordinates:
38 00 N, 97 00 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 9,826,675 sq km
country comparison to the world: 3
land: 9,161,966 sq km
water: 664,709 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area - comparative:
about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half
the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than
China; more than twice the size of the European Union
Land boundaries:
total: 12,034 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141
km
note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of
Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km
Coastline:
19,924 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified
Climate:
Current Weather
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid
in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin
of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated
occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern
slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain:
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged
mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in
Hawaii
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m
note: the peak of Mauna Kea (4,207 m above sea level) on the island of Hawaii
rises about 10,200 m above the Pacific Ocean floor; by this measurement, it is
the world's tallest mountain - higher than Mount Everest, which is recognized as
the tallest mountain above sea level
Natural resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron,
mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons
accounting for 27% of the world's total
Land use:
arable land: 18.01%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 81.78% (2005)
Irrigated land:
223,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
3,069 cu km (1985)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%)
per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along
the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast;
mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in
northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environment - current issues:
air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the
largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water
pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water
resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management;
desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by
population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North
America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
People - United States
Population:
310,232,863 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 31,853,857/female 30,526,753)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 103,607,835/female 104,015,706)
65 years and over: 13% (male 17,291,694/female 22,937,018) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.8 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 38.1 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.97% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
Birth rate:
13.83 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Death rate:
8.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
Net migration rate:
4.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Urbanization:
urban population: 82% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.047 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 180
male: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.24 years
country comparison to the world: 49
male: 75.78 years
female: 80.81 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.06 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
22,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups:
white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%,
native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July
2007 estimate)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census
Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin
including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish,
and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or
ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population
is Hispanic
Religions:
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%,
Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated
12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Languages:
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island
2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 57
Government - United States
Country name:
conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA
Government type:
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
name: Washington, DC
geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W
time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in
November
note: the 50 United States cover six time zones
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas:
American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston
Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands,
Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island
note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with
all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in
political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the
Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21
October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free
Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact
of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)
Independence:
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system:
federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique
legal system of which all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the
Napoleonic Code) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice
President Joseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January 2009); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice
President Joseph BIDEN (since 20 January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college
of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice
president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held
4 November 2008 (next to be held on 6 November 2012)
election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of popular vote -
Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%;
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, 2 members elected from
each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two
years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members directly elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November
2010); House of Representatives - last held on 4 November 2008 (next to be held
in November 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 41, independent 2; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic
Party 257, Republican Party 178
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the
advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States
Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Timothy KAINE]; Green Party; Libertarian Party [William (Bill)
REDPATH]; Republican Party [Michael STEELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups;
political action committees or PAC; health groups; education groups; civic
groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans
groups; women's groups; reform lobbies
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC, Arctic
Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CBSS (observer), CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, EAPC,
EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI
(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL,
UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Flag description:
13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small,
white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars
(top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the
50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; the blue stands
for loyalty, devotion, truth, justice, and friendship; red symbolizes courage,
zeal, and fervency, while white denotes purity and rectitude of conduct;
commonly referred to by its nickname of Old Glory
note: the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags,
including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
Economy - United States
Economy - overview:
The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world,
with a per capita GDP of $46,400. In this market-oriented economy, private
individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and
state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private
marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts
in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off
surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher
barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US
markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances,
especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their
advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology
largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which
those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of
those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health
insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in
household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The war in March-April
2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq,
required major shifts in national resources to the military. Soaring oil prices
between 2005 and the first half of 2008 threatened inflation and unemployment,
as higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets. Imported oil accounts for
about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate
investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs
of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of
family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit
reached a record $840 billion in 2008 before shrinking to $450 billion in 2009.
The global economic downturn, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, investment bank
failures, falling home prices, and tight credit pushed the United States into a
recession by mid-2008. GDP contracted until the third quarter of 2009, making
this the deepest and longest downturn since the Great Depression. To help
stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled
Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The government used some of these
funds to purchase equity in US banks and other industrial corporations. In
January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill
providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus to be used over 10 years -
two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and
to help the economy recover. Approximately two-thirds of these funds will have
been injected into the economy by the end of 2010. In March 2010, President
OBAMA signed a health insurance reform bill into law that will extend coverage
to an additional 32 million American citizens by 2016, through private health
insurance for the general population and Medicaid for the impoverished. In July
2010, the president signed the DODD-FRANK Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act, a bill designed to promote financial stability by protecting
consumers from financial abuses, ending taxpayer bailouts of financial firms,
dealing with troubled banks that are "too big to fail," and improving
accountability and transparency in the financial system - in particular, by
requiring certain financial derivatives to be traded in markets that are subject
to government regulation and oversight.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.26 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
$14.61 trillion (2008 est.)
$14.55 trillion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.43 trillion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-2.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
0.4% (2008 est.)
2.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$46,400 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$48,000 (2008 est.)
$48,300 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 21.9%
services: 76.9% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
154.2 million
country comparison to the world: 4
note: includes unemployed (2009)
Labor force - by occupation:
farming, forestry, and fishing: 0.7%
manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts: 20.3%
managerial, professional, and technical: 37.3%
sales and office: 24.2%
other services: 17.6%
note: figures exclude the unemployed (2009)
Unemployment rate:
9.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
5.8% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:
12% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
45 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 42
40.8 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
12.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Budget:
revenues: $2.104 trillion
expenditures: $3.52 trillion (2009 est.)
Public debt:
52.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
39.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
note: data cover only what the United States Treasury denotes as "Debt Held by
the Public," which includes all debt instruments issued by the Treasury that are
owned by non-US Government entities. The data include Treasury debt held by
foreign entities. The data exclude debt issued by individual US states, as well
as intra-governmental debt. Intra-governmental debt consists of Treasury
borrowings from surpluses in the trusts for Federal Social Security, Federal
Employees, Hospital Insurance (Medicare and Medicaid), Disability and
Unemployment, and several other smaller trusts. If data for Intra-government
debt were added, "Gross Debt" would increase by about 30% of GDP.
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
3.8% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
0.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 134
0.86% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.09% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 113
8.05% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.436 trillion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 4
$1.383 trillion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$10.99 trillion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 1
$10.12 trillion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$15.36 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 2
$15.06 trillion (31 December 2008)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
$11.74 trillion (31 December 2008)
$19.95 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry,
dairy products; fish; forest products
Industries:
leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically
advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications,
chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
Industrial production growth rate:
-5.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Electricity - production:
4.11 trillion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Electricity - consumption:
3.873 trillion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Electricity - exports:
24.08 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
57.02 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
9.056 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Oil - consumption:
18.69 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Oil - exports:
1.433 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
Oil - imports:
13.47 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Oil - proved reserves:
21.32 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Natural gas - production:
593.4 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - consumption:
646.6 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - exports:
30.35 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Natural gas - imports:
106.1 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.731 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Current account balance:
-$419.9 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
-$706.1 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:
$1.046 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
$1.277 trillion (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic
chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts,
computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles,
medicines) 15.0%
Exports - partners:
Canada 19.37%, Mexico 12.21%, China 6.58%, Japan 4.84%, UK 4.33%, Germany 4.1%
(2009)
Imports:
$1.563 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
$2.117 trillion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital
goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts,
office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles,
clothing, medicines, furniture, toys)
Imports - partners:
China 19.3%, Canada 14.24%, Mexico 11.12%, Japan 6.14%, Germany 4.53% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$130.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
$77.65 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$13.45 trillion (30 June 2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
$13.75 trillion (31 December 2008)
note: approximately 4/5ths of US external debt is denominated in US dollars;
foreign lenders have been willing to hold US dollar denominated debt instruments
because they view the dollar as the world's reserve currency
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.397 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
$2.279 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$3.316 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
$3.162 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
British pounds per US dollar: (2009), 0.6494 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993
(2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005)
Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.1548 (2009), 1.0364 (2008), 1.0724 (2007),
1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005)
Chinese yuan per US dollar: 6.8249 (2009), 6.9385 (2008), 7.61 (2007), 7.97
(2006), 8.1943 (2005)
euros per US dollar: 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),
0.8041 (2005)
Japanese yen per US dollar: 94.5 (2009), 103.58 (2008), 117.99 (2007), 116.18
(2006) 110.22 (2005)
Communications - United States
Telephones - main lines in use:
150 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 2
Telephones - mobile cellular:
270 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 3
Telephone system:
general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose
communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial
cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a
rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the
country
international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems provide
international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic
Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4
Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
2,218 (2006)
Internet country code:
.us
Internet hosts:
383 million (2009); note - the US Internet total host count includes the
following top level domain host addresses: .us, .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net,
and .org
country comparison to the world: 1
Internet users:
231 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 2
Transportation - United States
Airports:
15,095 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5,174
over 3,047 m: 190
2,438 to 3,047 m: 229
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,477
914 to 1,523 m: 2,309
under 914 m: 969 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 9,921
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 158
914 to 1,523 m: 1,757
under 914 m: 8,000 (2009)
Heliports:
126 (2009)
Pipelines:
petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 226,427 km
country comparison to the world: 1
standard gauge: 226,427 km 1.435-m gauge (2007)
Roadways:
total: 6,465,799 km
country comparison to the world: 1
paved: 4,209,835 km (includes 75,040 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,255,964 km (2007)
Waterways:
41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce)
country comparison to the world: 4
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of
3,058 km, shared with Canada (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 422
country comparison to the world: 24
by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 61, cargo 69, carrier 2, chemical tanker
22, container 81, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 59, petroleum tanker 53,
refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 22
foreign-owned: 74 (Australia 1, Denmark 31, Germany 5, Japan 7, Malaysia 2,
Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Singapore 12, Sweden 5, UK 1)
registered in other countries: 732 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia 2, Bahamas
106, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6, Canada 10, Cayman Islands 42, Comoros 2, Cyprus 5,
Ecuador 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 29, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 17, South
Korea 7, Liberia 98, Luxembourg 4, Malta 23, Marshall Islands 123, Netherlands
14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 8, Panama 126, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3,
Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 22,
Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 12, Vanuatu 1, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New
York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City
Military - United States
Military branches:
United States Armed Forces: US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air
Force, US Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the
Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the
Navy (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female
voluntary service; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy),
28 (Marines); service obligation 8 years, including 2-5 years active duty
(Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines) (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 73,145,586
females age 16-49: 71,880,788 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 60,388,734
females age 16-49: 59,217,809 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,174,260
female: 2,065,595 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.06% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
Transnational Issues - United States
Disputes - international:
the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely
with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to monitor and control legal and illegal
personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders; abundant
rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has
ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990 Maritime
Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification;
managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea,
Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North
Rock; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US
Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US
abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered
Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved
the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states;
Marshall Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains
Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643 refugees during FY04/05
including; 10,586 (Somalia); 8,549 (Laos); 6,666 (Russia); 6,479 (Cuba); 3,100
(Haiti); 2,136 (Iran) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest consumer of cocaine (shipped from Colombia through Mexico and
the Caribbean), Colombian heroin, and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major
consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality
Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants,
stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center
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