All You Need To Know About The USA

General Facts Population: 301 million GDP: Trillion Life Expectancy: 77.5 Literacy Rate: 93.3% Birth Rate: per 1000 Death Rate: 8.26 per 1000

History of USA The United States declared it’s independence in 1776 and defeated Great Britain with the help of France in the American Revolutionary War. On July 4 th 1776, the Second Continental Congress, still meeting in Philadelphia, declared the independence of a nation called "the United States of America" in the Declaration of Independence, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson. July 4th is celebrated as the nation's birthday. The structure of the national government was profoundly changed on March 4th, 1789, when the people replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The new government reflected a radical break from the normative governmental structures of the time, favouring representative, elective government with a weak executive, rather than the existing monarchical structures common within the western traditions of the time. The system of republicanism borrowed heavily from Enlightenment Age ideas and classical western philosophy in that a primacy was placed upon individual liberty and upon constraining the power of government through division of powers and a system of checks and balances.

Economy The United States has the world's largest GDP, $13.21 trillion in The United States has a mixed economy where corporations and other private firms make the majority of microeconomic decisions regulated by government. As of 2006, the national debt was nearly USD $9 trillion or 64% of GDP. The national debt includes the amount of the cumulative government deficits and interest. The first ingredient of a nation's economic system is its natural resources. The United States is rich in mineral resources and fertile farm soil, and it is fortunate to have a moderate climate. It also has extensive coastlines on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as on the Gulf of Mexico. Rivers flow from far within the continent, and the Great Lakes provide additional shipping access. The second ingredient is labour. The number of available workers and, more importantly, their productivity help determine the health of an economy. Throughout its history, the United States has experienced steady growth in the labour force, and that, in turn, has helped fuel almost constant economic expansion.. Third, there is manufacturing and investment. In the United States, the corporation has emerged as an association of owners, known as stockholders, who form a business enterprise governed by a complex set of rules and customs. Brought on by the process of mass production, corporations such as General Electric have been instrumental in shaping the United States. Through the stock market, American banks and investors have grown their economy by investing and withdrawing capital from profitable corporations.

Cities of America The largest cities in America are; New York (18,498,000); Los Angeles (12,146,000); Chicago (8,711,000); Houston (2,009,960); Philadelphia (1,479,339); Phoenix (1,388,416); San Diego (1,226,753); San Antonio (1,214,725); Dallas (1,208,318); Detroit (911,402).

Health According to the World Health Organization there are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world and that number is projected to grow by 40% over the next 10 years. 1. Naruru (94.5%) 2. Micronesia (91.1%) 3. Cook Islands (90.9%) 4. Tonga (90.8%) 5. Niue (81.7% 6. Samoa (80.4%) 7. Palau (78.4%) 8. Kuwait (74.2%) 9. United States (74.1%) 10. Kiribati (73.6%) The list reflects the percentage of overweight adults aged 15 and over. These are individuals who have individual body mass indexes, which measures weight relative to height, greater than or equal to 25. Obese is defined as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30. The United States appears 9 th on the list, which could reflect badly on the health system of America.

Miscellaneous Data Highest point: Mount McKinley, Alaska 20,320 ft. (6,198 m) Lowest point: Death Valley, Calif. 282 ft. (86 m) below sea level Approximate mean elevation 2,500 ft. (763 m) Points farthest apart (50 states): Log Point, Elliot Key, Fla and Kure Island, Hawaii 5,859 mi. (9,429 km) Geographic centre (50 states): in Butte County, S.D. (west of Castle Rock) 44°58'N lat.103°46'W long. Geographic centre (48 conterminous states): in Smith County, Kan. (near Lebanon) 39°50'N lat. 98°35'W long. Boundaries: Between Alaska and Canada 1,538 mi. (2,475 km) Between the 48 conterminous states and Canada (incl. the Great Lakes) 3,987 mi. (6,416 km) Between the United States and Mexico 1,933 mi. (3,111 km)

Culture The Culture of the United States is a Western culture, and has been developing since long before the United States became a country. Today the United States is a diverse and multi-cultural nation. Its chief early influence was British culture, due to colonial ties with the British that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially countries from which large numbers immigrated such as Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Italy; the Native American peoples; Africa, especially the western part, from which came the ancestors of most African Americans; and young groups of immigrants. American culture also has shared influence on the cultures of its neighbours in the New World. The United States has traditionally been known as a melting pot, but recent academic opinion is tending towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl rather than a melting pot. Due to the extent of American culture there are many integrated but unique subcultures within the United States. The cultural affiliations an individual in the United States may have commonly depend on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as ancestral traditions, sex and sexual orientation. The strongest influences on American culture came from northern European cultures, most prominently from Germany, Ireland and England. There are great regional and sub cultural differences, making American culture mostly heterogeneous.

Politics Politics of the United States takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of the United States is head of state, head of government, and of a two-party legislative and electoral system. The federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments, with the Supreme Court balancing the rights of each. The executive branch is headed by a president and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Judicial power is exercised by the judicial branch (or judiciary), comprised of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States Constitution as well as the federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal government of the United States was established by the Constitution. American politics has been dominated by two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, ever since the American Civil War, though other minor parties of marginal political significance have also always existed. Major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies are the power of the Senate as the upper house of the legislature, the wide scope of power of the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive government, and the dominance of the two main parties - the United States being the only developed democracy without a major third party.

Quick Final Facts Capital City: Washington, D.C. National Independence: July 4, 1776 Motto: In God We Trust Largest Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose Border Countries and Oceans: Canada, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean Population: 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.) Land Area: 3,615,123 sq. mi. (9,375,720 sq. km.) Highest Point: Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft. (6194 m.) above sea level Lowest Point: Death Valley, California, 282 ft (86 m.) below sea level Largest State: Alaska Smallest State: Rhode Island National Bird: Bald Eagle National Flower: Rose National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner