|
|
||
|
|
||
| 1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006) | ||
United States
n 1: North American republic containing 50 states - 48
conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in
northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the
Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776 [syn: United
States, United States of America, America, the
States, US, U.S., USA, U.S.A.]
2: the executive and legislative and judicial branches of the
federal government of the United States [syn: United States
government, United States, U.S. government, US
Government, U.S.]
| ||
| 2. CIA World Factbook 2002 | ||
United States
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) 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.
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: 9,629,091 sq km
land: 9,158,960 sq km
water: 470,131 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; about
two and a half times the size of
Western Europe
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
thus remains part of Cuba; the base
boundary is 29 km
Coastline: 19,924 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: 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 6,194
m
Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum,
phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold,
iron, mercury, nickel, potash,
silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum,
natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 19.32%
other: 80.46% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 0.22% NEGL%
Irrigated land: 214,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: 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
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; very
limited natural fresh water
resources in much of the western
part of the country require careful
management; desertification
Environment - international party to: Air Pollution, Air
agreements: 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, Nuclear Test Ban,
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: 280,562,489 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (male 30,116,782;
female 28,765,183)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 92,391,120;
female 93,986,468)
65 years and over: 12.6% (male
14,748,522; female 20,554,414) (2002
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.89% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 14.1 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.4 years
male: 74.5 years
female: 80.2 years (2002 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.61% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 850,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 20,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups: 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)
note: a separate listing for
Hispanic is not included because the
US Census Bureau considers Hispanic
to mean a person of Latin American
descent (especially 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: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%,
Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a
sizable minority)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
male: 97%
female: 97% (1979 est.)
total population: 97%
People - note: note: data for the US are based on
projections that do not take into
consideration the results of the
2000 census
Government United States
------------------------
Country name: conventional long form: United
States of America
conventional short form: United
States
abbreviation: US or USA
Government type: federal republic; strong democratic
tradition
Capital: Washington, DC
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, but recently entered into a
new 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: 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March
1789
Legal system: based on English common law;
judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President George W.
BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and
Vice President Richard B. CHENEY
(since 20 January 2001); note - the
president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President George
W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and
Vice President Richard B. CHENEY
(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 7 November 2000 (next to be
held 2 November 2004)
election results: George W. BUSH
elected president; percent of
popular vote - George W. BUSH
(Republican Party) 48%, Albert A.
GORE, Jr. (Democratic Party) 48%,
Ralph NADER (Green Party) 3%, other
1%
Legislative branch: 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)
election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Democratic Party 50,
Republican Party 49, independent 1;
House of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Republican Party 221,
Democratic Party 211, independent 2,
vacant 1
elections: Senate - last held 7
November 2000 (next to be held 4
November 2002); House of
Representatives - last held 7
November 2000 (next to be held 4
November 2002)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (its nine justices are
appointed for life by the president
with confirmation by the Senate);
United States Courts of Appeal;
United States District Courts; State
and County Courts
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Terence McAULIFFE,
national committee chairman]; Green
Party [leader NA]; Republican Party
[Governor Marc RACICOT, national
committee chairman]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue
participation: partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue
partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO,
G- 8, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security
Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET,
UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTrO, ZC
Flag description: thirteen 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
Economy United States
---------------------
Economy - overview: The US has the largest and most
technologically powerful economy in
the world, with a per capita GDP of
$36,300. 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,
lay off surplus workers, and 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, although 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 witnessed the end of
the boom psychology and performance,
with output increasing only 0.3% and
unemployment and business failures
rising substantially. The response
to the terrorist attacks of
September 11 showed the remarkable
resilience of the economy. Moderate
recovery is expected in 2002, with
the GDP growth rate rising to 2.5%
or more. 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. Long-term problems
include inadequate investment in
economic infrastructure, rapidly
rising medical and pension costs of
an aging population, sizable trade
deficits, and stagnation of family
income in the lower economic groups.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.082
trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $36,300
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2%
industry: 18%
services: 80% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 12.7% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 1.8%
percentage share: highest 10%: 30.5% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini 40.8 (1997)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2001)
Labor force: 141.8 million (includes unemployed)
(2001)
Labor force - by occupation: managerial and professional 31%,
technical, sales and administrative
support 28.9%, services 13.6%,
manufacturing, mining,
transportation, and crafts 24.1%,
farming, forestry, and fishing 2.4%
(2001)
note: figures exclude the unemployed
Unemployment rate: 5% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $1.828 trillion
expenditures: $1.703 trillion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (1999)
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: -3.7% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 3,799.944 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 70.76%
hydro: 7.19%
other: 2.21% (2000)
nuclear: 19.84%
Electricity - consumption: 3.613 trillion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 14.829 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 48.879 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, other grains, corn, fruits,
vegetables, cotton; beef, pork,
poultry, dairy products; forest
products; fish
Exports: $723 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: capital goods, automobiles,
industrial supplies and raw
materials, consumer goods,
agricultural products
Exports - partners: Canada 22.4%, Mexico 13.9%, Japan
7.9%, UK 5.6%, Germany 4.1%, France,
Netherlands (2001)
Imports: $1.148 trillion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum
products, machinery, automobiles,
consumer goods, industrial raw
materials, food and beverages
Imports - partners: Canada 19%, Mexico 11.5%, Japan
11.1%, China 8.9%, Germany 5.2%, UK,
Taiwan (2001)
Debt - external: $862 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar -
0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944
(2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180
(1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106
(1997); Canadian dollars per US
dollar - 1.6003 (January 2002),
1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857
(1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846
(1997); French francs per US dollar
- 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995
(1998), 5.8367 (1997); Italian lire
per US dollar - 1,668.7 (January
1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1
(1997); Japanese yen per US dollar -
132.66 (January 2002), 121.53
(2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91
(1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99
(1997); German deutsche marks per US
dollar - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692
(1998), 1.7341 (1997); euros per US
dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000),
0.93863 (1999)
note: financial institutions in
France, Italy, and Germany and eight
other European countries started
using the euro on 1 January 1999
with the euro replacing the local
currency in consenting countries for
all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications United States
----------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 194 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 69.209 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: a very 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: 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: AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18
(1998)
Radios: 575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 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)
Televisions: 219 million (1997)
Internet country code: .us
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7,800 (2000 est.)
Internet users: 166 million (2001)
Transportation United States
----------------------------
Railways: total: 212,433 km mainline routes
standard gauge: 212,433 km 1.435-
m gauge
note: represents the aggregate
length of roadway of all line-haul
railroads including an estimate for
Class II and III railroads (1998)
Highways: total: 6,370,031 km
paved: 5,733,028 km (including
74,091 km of expressways)
unpaved: 637,003 km (1997)
Waterways: 41,009 km
note: navigable inland channels,
exclusive of the Great Lakes
Pipelines: petroleum products 276,000 km;
natural gas 331,000 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: 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
Merchant marine: total: 264 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 6,911,641 GRT/9,985,660 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk
11, cargo 14, chemical tanker 16,
collier 1, combination bulk 4,
combination tanker 11, container 86,
multi-functional large-load carrier
4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 81, roll on/roll off 28,
specialized tanker 3, vehicle
carrier 2
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Australia 1, Canada 4,
Denmark 15, France 1, Germany 1,
Netherlands 3, Norway 7, Puerto Rico
4, Singapore 11, Sweden 1, United
Kingdom 3 (2002 est.)
Airports: 14,695 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 5,127
over 3,047 m: 183
2,438 to 3,047 m: 222
914 to 1,523 m: 2,413
under 914 m: 967 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,342
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9,568
under 914 m: 7,716 (2001)
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1,679
1,524 to 2,437 m: 165
Heliports: 132 (2001)
Military United States
----------------------
Military branches: Department of the Army, Department
of the Navy (includes Marine Corps),
Department of the Air Force
note: the Coast Guard is normally
subordinate to the Department of
Transportation, but in wartime
reports to the Department of the
Navy
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 70,819,436 (2001
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military NA (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 2,053,179 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $276.7 billion (FY99 est.)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 3.2% (FY99 est.)
GDP:
Military - note: note: 2002 estimates for military
manpower are based on projections
that do not take into consideration
the results of the 2000 census
Transnational Issues United States
----------------------------------
Disputes - international: maritime boundary disputes with
Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort
Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias
Seal Island); 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
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 state; Marshall Islands claims
Wake Island
Illicit drugs: consumer of cocaine shipped from
Colombia through Mexico and the
Caribbean; consumer of heroin,
marijuana, and increasingly
methamphetamine from Mexico;
consumer of high-quality Southeast
Asian heroin; illicit producer of
cannabis, marijuana, depressants,
stimulants, hallucinogens, and
methamphetamine; money-laundering
center
| ||
| Thesaurus Results for United States: | ||
| 1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 | ||
| Common Misspellings > | ||
| Most Popular Searches: Define Misanthrope, Define Pulchritudinous, Define Happy, Define Veracity, Define Cornucopia, Define Almuerzo, Define Atresic, Define URL, Definitions Of Words, Definition Of Get Up, Definition Of Quid Pro Quo, Definition Of Irreconcilable Differences, Definition Of Word, Synonyms of Repetitive, Synonym Dictionary, Synonym Antonyms. See our main index and map index for more details. | ||
| ©2011-2024 ZebraWords.com - Define Yourself - The Search for Meanings and Meaning Means I Mean. All content subject to terms and conditions as set out here. Contact Us, peruse our Privacy Policy | ||