CIA World Fact Book, 2004/United States


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!| 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) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. 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. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: land: 9,161,923 sq km water: 469,495 sq km note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: 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 29 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: other: 80.65% (2001) permanent crops: 0.22% !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes !| Geography - note:
 * North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
 * 38 00 N, 97 00 W
 * North America
 * total: 9,631,418 sq km
 * 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; about two and a half times the size of Western Europe
 * total: 12,034 km
 * 19,924 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * 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
 * 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
 * lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
 * coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
 * arable land: 19.13%
 * 214,000 sq km (1998 est.)
 * tsunamis, volcanoes, and 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 97,756,380; female 98,183,309) 65 years and over: 12.4% (male 15,078,204; female 21,172,956) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 34.7 years female: 37.4 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 5.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 7.31 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 74.63 years female: 80.36 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: American !| Ethnic groups: note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1999 est.)
 * 293,027,571 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 31,122,974; female 29,713,748)
 * total: 36 years
 * 0.92% (2004 est.)
 * 14.13 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 6.63 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 77.43 years
 * 2.07 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.6% (2003 est.)
 * 950,000 (2003 est.)
 * 14,000 (2003 est.)
 * noun: American(s)
 * white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)
 * Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.)
 * English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Dependent areas: 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); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association 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) !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) ; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval 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; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: George W. BUSH reelected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 50.9%, John KERRY (Democratic Party) 48.1%, other 1.0% !| Legislative branch: election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 55, Democratic Party 44, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 231, Democratic Party 200, undecided 4 elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: United States of America
 * Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
 * Washington, DC
 * 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
 * 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
 * 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
 * Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
 * 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
 * federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana's) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
 * bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
 * Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for life on condition of good behavior by the president with confirmation by the Senate); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
 * Democratic Party [Terence McAULIFFE]; Green Party [leader NA]; Libertarian Party [Steve DASBACH]; Republican Party [Edward GILLESPIE]
 * NA
 * AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
 * 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; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 26.2% services: 72.5% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 30.5% (1997) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: note: figures exclude the unemployed (2004) !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $2.156 trillion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - donor: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $37,800. 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 considerably 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 entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in 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 years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. The year 2001 saw the end of boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising substantially. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. Moderate recovery took place in 2002 with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.4%. A major short-term problem in first half 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. The war in March/April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq shifted resources to the military. In 2003, growth in output and productivity and the recovery of the stock market to above 10,000 for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were promising signs. Unemployment stayed at the 6% level, however, and began to decline only at the end of the year. 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $10.99 trillion (2003 est.)
 * 3.1% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $37,800 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 1.4%
 * 15.2% of GDP (2003)
 * 12% (2003 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 1.8%
 * 45 (1997)
 * 2.3% (2003)
 * 147.4 million (includes unemployed) (2003)
 * managerial, professional, and technical 34.9%, sales and office 25.5%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.7%, other services 16.3%, farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%
 * 6% (2003)
 * revenues: $1.782 trillion
 * 62.4% of GDP (2003)
 * wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish
 * 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
 * 0.3% (2003 est.)
 * 3.719 trillion kWh (2001)
 * 3.602 trillion kWh (2001)
 * 18.17 billion kWh (2001)
 * 38.48 billion kWh (2001)
 * 8.054 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 19.65 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 22.45 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 548.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 640.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 11.16 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 114.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.195 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-541.8 billion (2003)
 * $714.5 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
 * Canada 23.4%, Mexico 13.5%, Japan 7.2%, UK 4.7%, Germany 4% (2003)
 * $1.26 trillion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
 * Canada 17.4%, China 12.5%, Mexico 10.7%, Japan 9.3%, Germany 5.3% (2003)
 * $85.94 billion (2003)
 * $1.4 trillion (2001 est.)
 * ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
 * US dollar (USD)
 * USD
 * British pounds per US dollar - 0.6139 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.4045 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), Japanese yen per US dollar - 116.08 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), euros per US dollar - 0.8866 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999)
 * 1 October - 30 September
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone 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; 24 ocean cable systems in use; 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: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 181,599,900 (2003)
 * 158.722 million (2003)
 * general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system
 * AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998)
 * 575 million (1997)
 * more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)
 * 219 million (1997)
 * .us
 * 115,311,958 (2002)
 * 7,000 (2002 est.)
 * 159 million (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 228,464 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 4,148,395 km (including 74,898 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,257,902 km (2002) !| Waterways: note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2004) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: barge carrier 8, bulk 69, cargo 75, chemical tanker 12, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 1, container 100, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 81, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 83, short-sea/passenger 3, vehicle carrier 12 foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 7, Denmark 17, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 6, Singapore 3, United Kingdom 5 registered in other countries: 670 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 188 2,438 to 3,047 m: 221 914 to 1,523 m: 2,383 under 914 m: 961 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,375 !| Airports - with unpaved runways: under 914 m: 7,843 (2004 est.) over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1,718 1,524 to 2,437 m: 160 !| Heliports:
 * total: 228,464 km
 * total: 6,406,296 km
 * 41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce)
 * petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2003)
 * Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo
 * total: 466 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 12,436,658 GRT/14,630,116 DWT
 * 14,807 (2003 est.)
 * total: 5,128
 * total: 9,729
 * 155 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard (Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy)
 * 18 years of age (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 73,597,731 (2004 est.)
 * NA (2004 est.)
 * males: 2,124,164 (2004 est.)
 * $370.7 billion (FY04 est.) (March 2003)
 * 3.3% (FY03 est.) (February 2004)
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