The United States of America (USA or U.S.A.

), commonly known as the United

States (US or U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. The third-largest
country in the world by land and total area,[c] the U.S. is a federal republic of 50 states, with its
capital (Washington, D.C.) in a separate federal district and 326 Indian reservations that overlap
with state boundaries. Outside this union of states, it asserts sovereignty over five
major unincorporated territories and 11 minor outlying islands.[i] It shares land borders with
Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south, and has maritime borders with several other
countries.[j] With a population of over 334 million,[k] the United States is the third-most populous
country in the world; its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City.
The federal government is a constitutional presidential republic and liberal democracy with three
separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The U.S. states and several
territories have substantial autonomy.

Its territory was first settled when Paleo-Indians migrated across the Bering land bridge more
than 12,000 years ago. Beginning in 1607, British colonization led to the establishment of
the Thirteen Colonies, among others. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political
representation led to the American Revolution, the United States Declaration of Independence on
July 4, 1776, and victory in the Revolutionary War. The country began expanding across North
America, spanning the continent by the late 1840s. Sectional division over slavery led to the
secession of the southern Confederate States of America, which were defeated by the
remaining Union in the American Civil War (1861–65); slavery was abolished nationally. By 1900,
the United States had established itself as a great power, becoming the world's largest economy.
It joined the Allies during World War II and its aftermath made the U.S. and the Soviet Union the
two global superpowers. The Cold War struggle for ideological dominance and international
influence resulted in the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

The United States is one of the world's most developed countries and ranks among the highest
in the world in international measures of income, wealth, economic
competitiveness, productivity, innovation, human rights, and education. It has the highest median
income per capita of any non-microstate and possesses by far the largest amount of wealth of
any country, with the American economy accounting for over a quarter of global GDP and being
the largest nominally. The United States is a founding member of the United Nations, the World
Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American
States, NATO and WHO and is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The world's sole superpower, it is its foremost political, cultural, economic, military,
and scientific power.

Etymology
Further information: Names of the United States and Demonyms for the United States
The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" dates back to a letter
from January 2, 1776, written by Stephen Moylan, a Continental Army aide to General George
Washington, to Joseph Reed, Washington's aide-de-camp. Moylan expressed his desire to go
"with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in
the Revolutionary War effort.[26][27] The first known publication of the phrase "United States of
America" was in an anonymous essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, on
April 6, 1776.[28]

By June 1776, the name "United States of America" appeared in drafts of the Articles of
Confederation and Perpetual Union, authored by John Dickinson, a Founding Father from
the Province of Pennsylvania,[29][30] and in the Declaration of Independence, written primarily
by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, on July
4, 1776.[29][31]

History
Main article: History of the United States
For a topical guide, see Outline of United States history.

Indigenous peoples
Further information: Native Americans in the United States and Pre-Columbian era

Cliff Palace, built by Ancestral Puebloans in present-

day Montezuma County, Colorado, between c. 1200 and 1275 [32]

The first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge at
least 12,000 years ago;[33][34] the Clovis culture, which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to
be the first widespread culture in the Americas.[35][36] Over time, indigenous North American
cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the Mississippian culture,
developed agriculture, architecture, and complex societies.[37] Indigenous peoples and cultures
such as the Algonquian peoples,[38] Ancestral Puebloans,[39] and the Iroquois developed across the
present-day United States.[40] Native population estimates of what is now the United States before
the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000[41][42] to nearly 10 million.[42][43]

European colonization
Main article: Colonial history of the United States

The 1750 colonial possessions of Britain (in pink and

purple), France (in blue), and Spain (in orange) in present-day Canada and the United States
Christopher Columbus began exploring the Caribbean in 1492, leading to Spanish settlements in
present-day Puerto Rico, Florida, and New Mexico.[44][45][46] France established their own
settlements along the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.[47] British colonization of the East
Coast began with the Virginia Colony (1607) and Plymouth Colony (1620).[48][49] The Mayflower
Compact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established precedents for
representative self-governance and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the
American colonies.[50][51]

While European settlers experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in
trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts.[52] The Columbian exchange was
catastrophic for native populations. It is estimated that up to 95 percent of the indigenous
populations in the Americas perished from infectious diseases during the years following
European colonization;[53] remaining populations were often displaced by European expansion.[54]
[55]
Colonial authorities pursued policies to force Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles,[56]
[57]
and European settlers trafficked African slaves into the colonial United States through
the Atlantic slave trade.[58]
The original Thirteen Colonies[l] that would later found the United States were administered
by Great Britain,[59] and had local governments with elections open to most white male property
owners.[60][61] The colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations;[62] by the
1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a small minority of Americans
had been born overseas.[63] The colonies' distance from Britain allowed for the development of
self-governance,[64] and the First Great Awakening—a series of Christian revivals—fueled colonial
interest in religious liberty.[65]

American Revolution and Revolutionary War (1765–1783)

Further information: History of the United States (1776–1789) and History of the United States
(1789–1849)
See also: American Revolution and American Revolutionary War

The Thirteen Colonies of British North America as they

existed in 1775; the same year, the American Revolutionary War was launched at the Battles

of Lexington and Concord. Declaration of Independence, a

portrait by John Trumbull depicting the Committee of Five presenting the draft of
the Declaration to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776, in Philadelphia
After winning the French and Indian War, Britain began to assert greater control over local
colonial affairs, which resulted in colonial political resistance. One of the primary colonial
grievances was a denial of their rights as Englishmen, particularly the right to representation in
the British government that taxed them. They also objected to British mercantile practice that
allowed the East India Company and other British companies to impose taxes on products sold
to the colonies.

On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, a group of American patriots opposed to Britain's
taxation policies and its colonial governance, launched the Boston Tea Party, boarding ships and
throwing chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The British saw this as an act of treason, but the
Americans saw it as a decisive action that would serve to escalate open rebellion. In September
1774, twelve of the thirteen colonies sent delegates to First Continental
Congress in Philadelphia in support of the American Revolution, where they passed a colonial
boycott of British goods. The British responded assertively by attempting to disarm colonists,
especially in and around Boston, which led to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on
April 19, 1775, and the commencement of the American Revolutionary War. On June 14, 1775,
the Second Continental Congress responded by formalizing the creation of the Continental
Army to engage the British, and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief.

The following year, on June 11, 1776, the Congress appointed the Committee of Five, comprised
of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger
Sherman, to write the Declaration of Independence as a formal statement asserting the
independence of the thirteen colonies. The Committee of Five, in turn, asked Jefferson to author
the document's first draft, which Jefferson largely wrote in isolation between June 11 and 28,
1776, from a floor he was renting in a home at 700 Market Street in Center City Philadelphia.
[66]
The Declaration was unanimously adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4,
1776, and includes what historian Joseph Ellis has described as "the most potent and
consequential words in American history."[67][68]

The political values of the American Revolution included liberty, inalienable individual rights,
the sovereignty of the people, faithfulness in the performance of civic duties,
[69]
and republicanism. The revolutionary cause rejected monarchy, aristocracy, and hereditary
political power, and vilified corruption.[70] The Founding Fathers of the United States, which
included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John
Jay, James Madison, Thomas Paine, and John Adams, drew inspiration from Greco-
Roman, Renaissance, and Age of Enlightenment philosophies and ideas.[71][72]

The Revolutionary War was a multi-year conflict fought predominantly in

the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic colonial states in North America but also in the Caribbean and
the Atlantic Ocean. The war appeared bleak at times for the revolutionary cause and
Washington's Continental Army. The revolutionary capital in Philadelphia fell under British
control for nine months, from September 1777 to June 1778, forcing Washington and 12,000
Continental Army troops to endure a brutal encampment at Valley Forge, where an estimated
1,700 to 2,000 Continental Army troops died from disease, possibly exacerbated by malnutrition.
[73]

In 1781, however, following the British surrender at the siege of Yorktown, American sovereignty
was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, which established U.S.
sovereignty in the thirteen states, west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada,
and south to Spanish Florida.[74] Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation established a
decentralized government that operated until 1789.[68] The Northwest Ordinance (1787)
established the precedent by which the country's territory would expand with the admission of
new states, rather than the expansion of existing states.[75]

United States Constitution (1787–1789)

Further information: Constitution of the United States and Constitutional Convention (United
States)
The U.S. Constitution was drafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention to overcome the
limitations of the Articles; it went into effect in 1789, creating a federation administered by three
branches on the principle of checks and balances.[76] Washington was elected the country's first
president under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 to allay concerns by
skeptics of the more centralized government;[77][78] his resignations first as commander-in-
chief after the Revolution and later President set a precedent followed by John Adams,
establishing the peaceful transfer of power between rival parties.[79][80]

Early Republic (1789–1861)

Further information: Territorial evolution of the United States
See also: Louisiana Purchase
In the late 18th century, American settlers began to expand westward.[81] The Louisiana
Purchase (1803) from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States.[82] Lingering issues
with Britain remained, leading to the War of 1812, which was fought to a draw.[83] Spain ceded
Florida and their Gulf Coast territory in 1819.[84] The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance
desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the nation with those of southern
states to expand it, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, and instituting
a policy of prohibiting slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′
parallel.[85] As Americans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans, the federal
government often applied policies of Indian removal or assimilation,[86][87] prompting a long series
of American Indian Wars west of the Mississippi River.[88][89] The Republic of
Texas was annexed in 1845,[90] and the 1846 Oregon Treaty led to U.S. control of the present-
day American Northwest.[91] Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican
Cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest, resulting in the U.S.
stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.[81][92]

Civil War (1861–1865)

Main articles: History of the United States (1849–1865) and American Civil War

show
Division of the states during the American Civil War
During the colonial period, slavery was legal in the American colonies, though the practice began
to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution.[93] States in The
North enacted abolition laws,[94] though support for slavery strengthened in Southern states, as
inventions such as the cotton gin made the institution increasingly profitable for Southern elites.[95]
[96][97]
This sectional conflict regarding slavery culminated in the American Civil War (1861–1865).[98]
[99]
Eleven slave states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America, while the other
states remained in the Union.[100] War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederacy bombarded
Fort Sumter.[101] After the January 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, many freed slaves joined the
Union Army.[102] The war began to turn in the Union's favor following the 1863 Siege of
Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg, and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's
victory in the Battle of Appomattox Court House.[103]

The Reconstruction era followed the war. After the assassination of President Abraham
Lincoln, Reconstruction Amendments were passed to protect the rights of African Americans.
National infrastructure, including transcontinental telegraph and railroads, spurred growth in
the American frontier.[104]

The Gilded Age (1865–1898)

Main article: History of the United States (1865–1917)
Duration: 2 minutes and 43 seconds.2:43An Edison Studios film showing immigrants
arriving at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, a major point of entry for
European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries [105][106]

From 1865 through 1917 an unprecedented stream of immigrants arrived in the United States,
including 24.4 million from Europe.[107] Most came through the port of New York City, and New
York City and other large cities on the East Coast became home to large Jewish, Irish,
and Italian populations, while many Germans and Central Europeans moved to the Midwest. At
the same time, about one million French Canadians migrated from Quebec to New England.
[108]
During the Great Migration, millions of African Americans left the rural South for urban areas
in the North.[109] Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867.[110]

The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction and white supremacists took local
control of Southern politics.[111][112] African Americans endured a period of heightened, overt racism
following Reconstruction, a time often called the nadir of American race relations.[113][114] A series of
Supreme Court decisions, including Plessy v. Ferguson, emptied the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments of their force, allowing Jim Crow laws in the South to remain unchecked, sundown
towns in the Midwest, and segregation in cities across the country, which would be reinforced by
the policy of redlining later adopted by the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation.[115]

An explosion of technological advancement accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant

labor[116] led to rapid economic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
allowing the United States to outpace England, France, and Germany combined.[117][118] This
fostered the amassing of power by a few prominent industrialists, largely by their formation
of trusts and monopolies to prevent competition.[119] Tycoons led the nation's expansion in
the railroad, petroleum, and steel industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of
the automotive industry.[120] These changes were accompanied by significant increases
in economic inequality, slum conditions, and social unrest, creating the environment for labor
unions to begin to flourish.[121][122][123] This period eventually ended with the advent of
the Progressive Era, which was characterized by significant reforms.[124][125]

Rise as a superpower (1898–1945)

Main article: History of the United States (1917–1945)

The Allied leaders of the European theatre (left to

right): Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meeting at the Tehran
Conference in late 1943.
Pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy; the islands
were annexed in 1898. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines were ceded by Spain following
the Spanish–American War.[126] American Samoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after
the Second Samoan Civil War.[127] The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in
1917.[128] The United States entered World War I alongside the Allies of World War I, helping to
turn the tide against the Central Powers.[129] In 1920, a constitutional amendment granted
nationwide women's suffrage.[130] During the 1920s and 30s, radio for mass communication and
the invention of early television transformed communications nationwide.[131] The Wall Street
Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded
to with New Deal social and economic policies.[132][133]

At first neutral during World War II, the U.S. began supplying war materiel to the Allies of World
War II in March 1941 and entered the war in December after the Empire of Japan's attack
on Pearl Harbor.[134][135] The U.S. developed the first nuclear weapons and used them against the
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war.[136][137] The United
States was one of the "Four Policemen" who met to plan the postwar world, alongside the United
Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China.[138][139] The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war,
with even greater economic and international political influence.[140]

Cold War (1945–1991)

Main articles: History of the United States (1945–1964), History of the United States (1964–
1980), and History of the United States (1980–1991)
 Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign
the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House, 1987.
After World War II, the United States entered the Cold War, where geopolitical tensions between
the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries to dominate world affairs.[141] The U.S.
engaged in regime change against governments perceived to be aligned with the Soviet Union,
and competed in the Space Race, culminating in the first crewed Moon landing in 1969.[142][143][144][145]

Domestically, the U.S. experienced economic growth, urbanization, and population growth
following World War II.[146] The civil rights movement emerged, with Martin Luther King
Jr. becoming a prominent leader in the early 1960s.[147] The Great Society plan of
President Lyndon Johnson's administration resulted in significant and broad reaching laws,
policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract some of the worst effects of
lingering institutional racism.[148] The counterculture movement in the U.S. brought significant
social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes towards recreational drug
use and sexuality as well as open defiance of the military draft and opposition to intervention in
Vietnam.[149][150][151] The societal shift in the roles of women partly resulted in large increases in
female labor participation around the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of women aged 16 and
over were employed.[152] The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the collapse of the Warsaw
Pact and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which marked the end of the Cold War and
solidified the U.S. as the world's sole superpower.[153][154][155][156]

Contemporary (1991–present)
Main articles: History of the United States (1991–2008) and History of the United States (2008–
present)

The Twin Towers in New York City during the September

11 attacks of 2001
The 1990s saw the longest recorded economic expansion in American history, a dramatic
decline in crime, and advances in technology, with the World Wide Web, the evolution of
the Pentium microprocessor in accordance with Moore's law, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries,
the first gene therapy trial, and cloning all emerging and being improved upon throughout the
decade. The Human Genome Project was formally launched in 1990, building of the Large
Hadron Collider commenced in 1998, and Nasdaq became the first stock market in the United
States to trade online.[157] In 1991, an American-led international coalition of states expelled
an Iraqi invasion force from Kuwait in the Gulf War.[158]

The September 11, 2001 attacks by the pan-Islamist militant organization Al-Qaeda led to
the war on terror and subsequent military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.[159][160] The cultural
impact of the attacks was profound and long-lasting.
The U.S. housing bubble culminated in 2006 with the Great Recession, the largest economic
contraction since the Great Depression.[161] Coming to a head in the 2010s, political polarization
increased as sociopolitical debates on cultural issues dominated politics.[162] This polarization was
capitalized upon in the January 2021 Capitol attack,[163] attempting to prevent the peaceful
transfer of power.[164]

Geography
Main article: Geography of the United States

A topographic map of the United States

The United States is the world's third-largest country by land and total area behind Russia and
Canada.[c][165][166] The 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia occupy a combined area of
3,119,885 square miles (8,080,470 km2).[167][168] The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives
way to inland forests and rolling hills in the Piedmont plateau region.[169]

The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif separate the East Coast from the Great
Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest.[170] The Mississippi River System—the world's fourth
longest river system—runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat,
fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the
southeast.[170]

The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country,
peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado.[171] Farther west are the rocky Great
Basin and Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Mojave deserts.[172] The Sierra
Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast. The lowest and highest
points in the contiguous United States are in the state of California,[173] about 84 miles (135 km)
apart.[174] At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the
country and continent.[175] Active volcanoes are common throughout
Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands.
The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest
volcanic feature.[176] In 2021 the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and
pastures and 10% of cropland.[177]

Climate
Main articles: Climate of the United States and Climate change in the United States
 The Köppen climate types of the United States
With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. East of
the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in
the south.[178] The western Great Plains are semi-arid. Many mountainous areas of the American
West have an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal
California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon, Washington, and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska
is subarctic or polar. Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida are tropical, as well as its territories in
the Caribbean and the Pacific.[179]

States bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the
world's tornadoes occur in the country, mainly in Tornado Alley.[180] Overall, the United States
receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country.[181] Extreme
weather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of
reported heat waves as in the 1960s. In the American Southwest, droughts became more
persistent and more severe.[182]

Biodiversity and conservation

Main articles: Fauna of the United States and Flora of the United States

The bald eagle, the national bird of the United States since
1782 [183]

The U.S. is one of 17 megadiverse countries containing large numbers of endemic species:
about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and
over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.
[184]
The United States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 amphibians,
[185]
and 91,000 insect species.[186]

There are 63 national parks, and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests,
and wilderness areas, managed by the National Park Service and other agencies.[187] About 28%
of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed,[188] primarily in the western states.
 Most of this land is protected, though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one
[189]

percent is used for military purposes.[190][191]

Environmental issues in the United States include debates on non-renewable

resources and nuclear energy, air and water pollution, biodiversity, logging and deforestation,[192]
[193]
and climate change.[194][195] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal
agency charged with addressing most environmental-related issues.[196] The idea of
wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.
[197]
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a way to protect threatened and endangered
species and their habitats. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service implements and enforces
the Act.[198] As of 2022, the U.S. ranked 43rd among 180 countries in the Environmental
Performance Index.[199] The country joined the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2016 and
has many other environmental commitments.[200]

Government and politics

Main articles: Constitution of the United States, Politics of the United States, and Federal
government of the United States
Further information: Political parties in the United States, Elections in the United States, Political
ideologies in the United States, Americanism (ideology), and American civil religion

The Capitol and its two legislative chambers,

the Senate (left) and the House of Representatives (right)

The White House, the residence and workplace of the U.S. president and the offices of

the presidential staff The Supreme Court Building, which

houses the nation's highest court
The United States is a federal republic of 50 states, with its capital in a federal district, asserting
sovereignty over five unincorporated territories and several uninhabited island
possessions (some of which are disputed).[201][202] It is the world's oldest surviving federation, and,
according to the World Economic Forum, the oldest democracy as well.[203] It is a
liberal representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected
by law."[204] The Constitution of the United States serves as the country's supreme legal
document, also establishing the structure and responsibilities of the national federal government
and its relationship with the individual states.[205]

National government
Comprised of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is
the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of checks and
balances.[206]

 The U.S. Congress, a bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate and the House of
Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power
of the purse,[207] and has the power of impeachment.[208] The Senate has 100 members
(2 from each state), elected for a six-year term. The House of Representatives has
435 members from single member congressional districts allocated to each state on
the basis of population, elected for a two-year term.[209]
 The U.S. president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative
bills before they become law (subject to congressional override), and appoints
the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officials, who
administer and enforce federal laws and policies through their respective agencies.
[210]
The president and the vice president run and are elected together in a presidential
election. Unlike any others in American politics, it is an indirect election, with the
winner being determined by votes cast by electors of the Electoral College. The
President and Vice President serve a four-year term and may be elected to the
office no more than twice.[211]
 The U.S. federal judiciary, whose judges are all appointed for life by the President
with Senate approval, consists primarily of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. courts
of appeals, and the U.S. district courts. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets laws and
overturn those they find unconstitutional.[212] The Supreme Court is led by the chief
justice of the United States. It has nine members who serve for life. The members
are appointed by the sitting president when a vacancy becomes available.[213]
Political subdivisions
Main articles: State governments of the United States, Local government in the United States,
and U.S. state
Further information: List of states and territories of the United States, Indian
reservation, Territories of the United States, and Territorial evolution of the United States
In the American federal system, sovereign powers are shared between two levels of elected
government: national and state. People in the states are also represented by local elected
governments, which are administrative divisions of the states.[214] States are subdivided
into counties or county equivalents, and further divided into municipalities. The District of
Columbia is a federal district that contains the capital of the United States, the city of
Washington.[215] The territories and the District of Columbia are administrative divisions of the
federal government.[216]
Political parties

U.S. state governments (governor and legislature) by party

control:
Democratic control
Republican control
Split control
Main article: Political parties in the United States
The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th
century with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties.[217] Since then, the United States has
operated as a de facto two-party system, though the parties in that system have been different at
different times.

The two main national parties are presently the Democratic and the Republican. The former is
perceived as relatively liberal in its political platform while the latter is perceived as relatively
conservative.[218] Each has a primary system to nominate a presidential ticket, and each runs
candidates for other offices in every state in the Union. Other smaller and less influential parties
exist but do not have the national scope and breadth of the two main parties.

Foreign relations
Main articles: Foreign relations of the United States and Foreign policy of the United States
The United Nations headquarters has been situated along the East River in Midtown
Manhattan since 1952; in 1945, the United States was a founding member of the UN.
The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it had the world's
second-largest diplomatic corps in 2021.[219] It is a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council,[220] and home to the United Nations headquarters.[221] The United States is a
member of the G7,[222] G20,[223] and OECD intergovernmental organizations.[224] Almost all countries
have embassies and many have consulates (official representatives) in the country. Likewise,
nearly all countries host formal diplomatic missions with the United States, except Iran,[225] North
Korea,[226] and Bhutan.[227] Though Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.,
it maintains close unofficial relations.[228] The United States regularly supplies Taiwan with military
equipment to deter potential Chinese aggression.[229]

The United States has a "Special Relationship" with the United Kingdom[230] and strong ties with
Canada,[231] Australia,[232] New Zealand,[233] the Philippines,[234] Japan,[235] South Korea,[236] Israel,
[237]
and several European Union countries (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland).[238] The
U.S. works closely with its NATO allies on military and national security issues, and with
countries in the Americas through the Organization of American States and the United States–
Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement. In South America, Colombia is traditionally considered
to be the closest ally of the United States.[239] The U.S. exercises full international defense
authority and responsibility for Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau through the Compact
of Free Association.[240] It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation with India,[241] and
its ties with China have steadily deteriorated.[242][243] Since 2014, the U.S. has become a key ally of
Ukraine;[244] it has also provided considerable military equipment and other support to the country
since Russia's 2022 invasion.[245]

Military
Main articles: United States Armed Forces and Military history of the United States

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of

Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, is one of the world's largest office buildings with
about 6.5 million square feet (600,000 m ) of floor space.
2

The President is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces and appoints its
leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defense,
which is headquartered at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., administers five of the six
service branches, which are made up of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space
Force. The Coast Guard is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime
and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy in wartime.[246]

The United States spent $877 billion on its military in 2022, which is by far the largest amount of
any country, making up 39% of global military spending and accounting for 3.5% of the country's
GDP.[247][248] The U.S. has 45% of the world's nuclear weapons, the second-largest amount after
Russia.[249]

The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces in the world, behind the Chinese
People's Liberation Army and Indian Armed Forces.[250] The military operates about 800 bases
and facilities abroad,[251] and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25
foreign countries.[252]

Law enforcement and crime

Main articles: Law of the United States, Law enforcement in the United States, Crime in the
United States, and Censorship in the United States

J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters of the Federal

Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in Washington, D.C.
There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in the United States.
[253]
Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and sheriff
departments in their municipal or county jurisdictions. The state police departments have
authority in their respective state, and federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have national jurisdiction and specialized
duties, such as protecting civil rights, national security and enforcing U.S. federal courts' rulings
and federal laws.[254] State courts conduct most civil and criminal trials,[255] and federal courts
handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions.[256]

As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth highest per-capita incarceration rate in the
world, at 531 people per 100,000; and the largest prison and jail population in the world with
almost 2 million people incarcerated.[257][258][259] An analysis of the World Health
Organization Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher
than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25 times higher."[260]

Economy
Main article: Economy of the United States
Further information: Economic history of the United States and Tourism in the United States

The U.S. dollar, most-used currency in international

transactions and the world's foremost reserve currency [261]

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, the world's largest stock exchange by market

capitalization [262]
Microsoft campus, in Redmond,
Washington, is the headquarters of Microsoft, the world's biggest company by market
capitalization.[263]

The U.S. has been the world's largest economy nominally since about 1890.[264] The U.S. gross
domestic product (GDP) of $27 trillion is the largest in the world, constituting over 15% of gross
world product at purchasing power parity (PPP).[265][13] From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded
annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the Group
of Seven.[266] The country ranks first in the world by disposable income per capita, nominal GDP,
[267]
second by GDP (PPP) after China,[13] and ninth by GDP (PPP) per capita.[13]

Of the world's 500 largest companies, 136 are headquartered in the U.S.[268] The U.S. dollar is the
currency most used in international transactions and is the world's foremost reserve currency,
backed by the country's dominant economy, its military, the petrodollar system, and its
linked eurodollar and large U.S. treasuries market.[261] Several countries use it as their official
currency and in others it is the de facto currency.[269][270] It has free trade agreements with several
countries, including the USMCA.[271] The U.S. ranked second in the Global Competitiveness
Report in 2019, after Singapore.[272] While its economy has reached a post-industrial level of
development, the United States remains an industrial power.[273] As of 2021, the U.S. is
the second-largest manufacturing country after China.[274]

New York City is the world's principal financial center and the epicenter of the world's largest
metropolitan economy.[275][276][277] The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, both located in New
York City, are the world's two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization and trade volume.
[278][279]
The United States is at or near the forefront of technological
advancement and innovation[280] in many economic fields, especially in artificial intelligence;
computers; pharmaceuticals; and medical, aerospace and military equipment.[281] The country's
economy is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high
productivity.[282] The largest U.S. trading partners are the European Union, Mexico, Canada,
China, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.[283] The United
States is the world's largest importer and the second-largest exporter after China.[284] It is by far
the world's largest exporter of services.[285]

Americans have the highest average household and employee income among OECD member
states,[286] and the fourth-highest median household income,[287] up from sixth-highest in 2013.
[288]
Wealth in the United States is highly concentrated; the richest 10% of the adult population
own 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 2%.[289] Income
inequality in the U.S. remains at record highs,[290] with the top fifth of earners taking home more
than half of all income[291] and giving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among OECD
members.[292][293] The U.S. ranks first in the number of dollar billionaires and millionaires, with 735
billionaires and nearly 22 million millionaires (as of 2023).[294] There were about 582,500 sheltered
and unsheltered homeless persons in the U.S. in 2022, with 60% staying in an emergency
shelter or transitional housing program.[295] In 2018, six million children experienced food
insecurity.[296] Feeding America estimates that around one in seven, or approximately 11
million, children experience hunger and do not know where they will get their next meal or when.
[297]
As of 2021, 38 million people, about 12% of the U.S. population, were living in poverty.[298]

The United States has a smaller welfare state and redistributes less income through government
action than most other high-income countries.[299][300] It is the only advanced economy that does
not guarantee its workers paid vacation nationally[301] and is one of a few countries in the world
without federal paid family leave as a legal right.[302] The United States has a higher percentage of
low-income workers than almost any other developed country, largely because of a
weak collective bargaining system and lack of government support for at-risk workers.[303]

Science, technology, and energy

Main articles: Science and technology in the United States, Science policy of the United
States, Communications in the United States, and Energy in the United States
 U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag on
the Moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission; the United States is the only country that
has landed crews on the lunar surface.
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 and
the establishment of a machine tool industry enabled the large-scale manufacturing of U.S.
consumer products in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, factory electrification, the
introduction of the assembly line, and other labor-saving techniques created the system of mass
production.[304] The United States is a leader in the development of artificial
intelligence technology and has maintained a space program since the late 1950s, with plans for
long-term habitation of the Moon.[305][306]

In 2022, the United States was the country with the second-highest number of published
scientific papers.[307] As of 2021, the U.S. ranked second by the number of patent applications,
and third by trademark and industrial design applications.[308] In 2023, the United States ranked
3rd in the Global Innovation Index.[309]

As of 2022, the United States receives approximately 81% of its energy from fossil fuel and the
largest source of the country's energy came from petroleum (35.8%), followed by natural
gas (33.4%), renewable sources (13.3%), coal (9.8%), and nuclear power (8%).[310][311] The United
States constitutes less than 5% of the world's population, but consumes 17% of the world's
energy.[312][313] The U.S. ranks as the second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases.[314]

Transportation
Main article: Transportation in the United States

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, serving

the Atlanta metropolitan area, is the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic with over 93
million passengers annually in 2022. [315]

Personal transportation in the United States is dominated by automobiles,[316][317] which operate on

a network of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) of public roads, making it the longest
network in the world.[318][319] The Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the Ford Model T, both American
cars, are considered the first mass-produced[320] and mass-affordable[321] cars, respectively. As of
2022, the United States is the second-largest manufacturer of motor vehicles[322] and is home
to Tesla, the world's most valuable car company.[323] American automotive company General
Motors held the title of the world's best-selling automaker from 1931 to 2008.[324] Currently,
the American automotive industry is the world's second-largest automobile market by sales,
[325]
and the U.S. has the highest vehicle ownership per capita in the world,[326] with 910 vehicles
per 1000 people.[327] The United States's rail transport network, the longest network in the world,
[328]
handles mostly freight.[329][330]

The American civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated
since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned.[331] The three largest airlines in the
world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; American Airlines is number one after its 2013
acquisition by US Airways.[332] Of the world's 50 busiest passenger airports, 16 are in the United
States, including the top five and the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[333]
[334]
As of 2022, there are 19,969 airports in the U.S., of which 5,193 are designated as "public
use", including for general aviation and other activities.[335]

Of the fifty busiest container ports, four are located in the United States, of which the busiest is
the Port of Los Angeles.[336] The country's inland waterways are the world's fifth-longest, and total
41,009 km (25,482 mi).[337]

Demographics
Main article: Demographics of the United States

Population
Main articles: Americans and Race and ethnicity in the United States
See also: List of U.S. states by population

United States population density map based on Census

2010 data
The U.S. Census Bureau reported 331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020,[m][338] making the
United States the third-most populous country in the world, after China and India.[339] According to
the Bureau's U.S. Population Clock, on January 28, 2021, the U.S. population had a net gain of
one person every 100 seconds, or about 864 people per day.[340] In 2018, 52% of Americans age
15 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 32% had never been
married.[341] In 2021, the total fertility rate for the U.S. stood at 1.7 children per woman,[342] and it
had the world's highest rate of children (23%) living in single-parent households in 2019.[343]

The United States has a diverse population; 37 ancestry groups have more than one million
members.[344] White Americans with ancestry from Europe, the Middle East or North Africa, form
the largest racial and ethnic group at 57.8% of the United States population.[345][346] Hispanic and
Latino Americans form the second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population.
African Americans constitute the country's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total
U.S. population.[344] Asian Americans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of
the United States population, while the country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about
1%.[344] In 2020, the median age of the United States population was 38.5 years.[339]

Language
Main article: Languages of the United States
 Most spoken languages in the U.S.
While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is by far the most common.
[347]
Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws, such as U.S.
naturalization requirements, standardize English, and most states have declared it the official
language.[348] Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous
languages in addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian),[349] Alaska (twenty Native
languages),[n][350] South Dakota (Sioux),[351] American Samoa (Samoan), Puerto Rico (Spanish),
Guam (Chamorro), and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro). In Puerto Rico,
Spanish is more widely spoken than English.[352]

According to the American Community Survey in 2010, some 229 million people out of the total
U.S. population of 308 million spoke only English at home. About 37 million spoke Spanish at
home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home
by one million people or more include Chinese (2.8 million), Tagalog (1.6
million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), French (1.3 million), Korean (1.1 million), and German (1
million).[353]

Immigration

Mexico–United States border wall between San Diego's

border patrol offices in California, US (left) and Tijuana, Mexico (right)
Main article: Immigration to the United States
America's immigrant population, 51 million, is by far the world's largest in absolute terms.[354][355] In
2022, there were 87.7 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants in the United
States, accounting for nearly 27% of the overall U.S. population.[356] In 2017, out of the U.S.
foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million)
were lawful permanent residents, 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23%
(10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants.[357] In 2019, the top countries of origin for immigrants
were Mexico (24% of immigrants), India (6%), China (5%), the Philippines (4.5%), and El
Salvador (3%).[358] The United States has led the world in refugee resettlement for decades,
admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.[359]

Religion
Religious affiliation in the U.S., according to a 2022 Gallup poll[7]
 Protestantism (34%)
Catholicism (23%)
Non-specific Christian (11%)
Mormonism (2%)
Judaism (2%)
Other religions (6%)
Unaffiliated (21%)
No answer (1%)

Main articles: Religion in the United States and Irreligion in the United States
See also: List of religious movements that began in the United States
The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids Congress from passing
laws respecting its establishment.[360][361] Religious practice is widespread, among the most diverse
in the world,[362] and profoundly vibrant.[363] The country has the world's largest
Christian population.[364] A majority of the global Jewish population lives in the United States, as
measured by the Law of Return.[365] Other notable faiths include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam,
many New Age movements, and Native American religions.[366] Religious practice varies
significantly by region.[367] "Ceremonial deism" is common in American culture.[368]

The overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a higher power or spiritual force, engage
in spiritual practices such as prayer, and consider themselves religious or spiritual.[369][370] In the
"Bible Belt", located within the Southern United States, evangelical Protestantism plays a
significant role culturally, whereas New England and the Western United States tend to be more
secular.[367] Mormonism—a Restorationist movement, whose members migrated westward from
Missouri and Illinois under the leadership of Brigham Young in 1847 after the assassination
of Joseph Smith[371]—remains the predominant religion in Utah to this day.[372]

Urbanization
Main articles: Urbanization in the United States and List of United States cities by population
About 82% of Americans live in urban areas, including suburbs;[165] about half of those reside in
cities with populations over 50,000.[373] In 2022, 333 incorporated municipalities had populations
over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four cities (New York City, Los
Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) had populations exceeding two million.[374] Many U.S.
metropolitan populations are growing rapidly, particularly in the South and West.[375]

 v
 t
 e
Largest metropolitan areas in the United States
2021 MSA population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Regi
1 New York Northeast 19,768,458 11 Boston Northea
2 Los Angeles West 12,997,353 12 Riverside–San Bernardino West
3 Chicago Midwest 9,509,934 13 San Francisco West
4 Dallas–Fort Worth South 7,759,615 14 Detroit Midwes
5 Houston South 7,206,841 15 Seattle West
New York 6 Washington, D.C. South 6,356,434 16 Minneapolis–Saint Paul Midwes
7 Philadelphia Northeast 6,228,601 17 San Diego West
8 Atlanta South 6,144,050 18 Tampa–St. Petersburg South
9 Miami South 6,091,747 19 Denver West
 10 Phoenix West 4,946,145 20 Baltimore South

Health
See also: Healthcare in the United States, Healthcare reform in the United States, and Health
insurance in the United States

Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical

complex in the world. [376][377]
As of 2018, it employed 120,000 people and treated 10 million
patients annually. [378]

In a preliminary report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that
U.S. life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years in 2021 (73.2 years for men and 79.1 years for
women), down 0.9 years from 2020. The chief causes listed were the COVID-19 pandemic,
accidents, drug overdoses, heart and liver disease, and suicides.[379][380] Life expectancy was
highest among Asians and Hispanics and lowest among Black and American Indian–Alaskan
Native (AIAN) peoples.[381][382] Starting in 1998, the life expectancy in the U.S. fell behind that
of other wealthy industrialized countries, and Americans' "health disadvantage" gap has been
increasing ever since.[383] The U.S. has one of the highest suicide rates among high-income
countries.[384] Approximately one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese and another third is
overweight.[385] The U.S. healthcare system far outspends that of any other country, measured
both in per capita spending and as a percentage of GDP, but attains worse healthcare outcomes
when compared to peer countries for reasons that are debate.[386] The United States is the only
developed country without a system of universal healthcare, and a significant proportion of the
population that does not carry health insurance.[387] Government-funded healthcare coverage for
the poor (Medicaid) and for those age 65 and older (Medicare) is available to Americans who
meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, former President Obama passed
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[o][388]

Education
Main articles: Education in the United States and Higher education in the United States

The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas

Jefferson in 1819, is one of many public colleges and universities in the United States.
American K-12 education is operated by state and local governments and regulated by
the United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants.[original research?] In
most states, children are required to attend school from the age of five or six (beginning
with kindergarten or first grade) until they turn 18 (generally bringing them through twelfth grade,
the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at 16 or 17.[389] The U.S.
spends more on education per student than any country in the world,[390] spending an average of
$12,794 per year on public elementary and secondary school students in the 2016–2017 school
year.[391] Of Americans 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some
college, 27.2% earned a bachelor's degree, and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.[392] The
basic literacy rate is near-universal.[165][393] The country has the most Nobel Prize winners in
history, with 411 (having won 413 awards).[394][395]

The United States tertiary education is primarily through the state university system, though
many private universities and colleges serve about 20% of students. State university systems
should not be confused with federally funded colleges and universities, at which attendance is
limited to military personnel and government employees and include the United States service
academies, Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges. Many of the world's top
universities, as listed by various ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of
the top 25.[396][397] There are local community colleges with generally more open admission policies,
shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.[398]

As for public expenditures on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than
the OECD average, and more than all nations in combined public and private spending.
[399]
Despite some student loan forgiveness programs in place,[400] student loan debt has increased
by 102% in the last decade,[401] and exceeded 1.7 trillion dollars as of 2022.[402]

Culture and society

Main articles: Culture of the United States and Society of the United States

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) on Liberty

Island in New York Harbor was an 1866 gift from France that has become an iconic symbol
of the American Dream. [403]

Americans have traditionally been characterized by a unifying political belief in an "American

creed" emphasizing liberty, equality under the law, democracy, social equality, property rights,
and a preference for limited government.[404][405] Culturally, the country has been described as
having the values of individualism and personal autonomy,[406][407] having a strong work ethic,
[408]
competitiveness,[409] and voluntary altruism towards others.[410][411][412] According to a 2016 study
by the Charities Aid Foundation, Americans donated 1.44% of total GDP to charity, the highest
rate in the world by a large margin.[413] The United States is home to a wide variety of ethnic
groups, traditions, and values. It has acquired significant cultural and economic soft power.[414][415]

Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from Europe, Africa, and Asia ("the Old
World") within the past five centuries.[416] Mainstream American culture is a Western
culture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants with influences from many
other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa.[417] More recent immigration
from Asia and especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has been described as a
homogenizing melting pot, and a heterogeneous salad bowl, with immigrants contributing to, and
often assimilating into, mainstream American culture. The American Dream, or the perception
that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a key role in attracting immigrants.[418] Whether
this perception is accurate has been a topic of debate.[419][420][421] While mainstream culture holds
that the United States is a classless society,[422] scholars identify significant differences
between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values.[423] Americans
tend to greatly value socioeconomic achievement, but being ordinary or average is promoted by
some as a noble condition as well.[424]

The United States is considered to have the strongest protections of free speech of any
country under the First Amendment,[425] which protects flag desecration, hate speech, blasphemy,
and lese-majesty as forms of protected expression.[426][427][428] A 2016 Pew Research Center poll
found that Americans were the most supportive of free expression of any polity measured.
[429]
They are the "most supportive of freedom of the press and the right to use the Internet without
government censorship."[430] It is a socially progressive country[431] with permissive attitudes
surrounding human sexuality.[432] LGBT rights in the United States are advanced by global
standards.[432][433][434]

Literature
Main articles: American literature and American philosophy
See also: List of American novelists

Mark Twain, who William Faulkner called "the father of American

literature" [435]

Colonial American authors were influenced by John Locke and various other Enlightenment
philosophers.[436][437] Before and shortly after the Revolutionary War, the newspaper rose to
prominence, filling a demand for anti-British national literature.[438][439] Led by Ralph Waldo
Emerson and Margaret Fuller in New England,[440] transcendentalism branched
from Unitarianism as the first major American philosophical movement.[441][442] During the
nineteenth-century American Renaissance, writers like Walt Whitman and Harriet Beecher
Stowe established a distinctive American literary tradition.[443][444] As literacy rates rose, periodicals
published more stories centered around industrial workers, women, and the rural poor.[445]
[446]
Naturalism, regionalism, and realism—the latter associated with Mark Twain—were the major
literary movements of the period.[447][448]

While modernism generally took on an international character, modernist authors working within
the United States more often rooted their work in specific regions, peoples, and cultures.
[449]
Following the Great Migration to northern cities, African-American and black West
Indian authors of the Harlem Renaissance developed an independent tradition of literature that
rebuked a history of inequality and celebrated black culture. An important cultural export during
the Jazz Age, these writings were a key influence on the négritude philosophy.[450][451] In the 1950s,
an ideal of homogeneity led many authors to attempt to write the Great American Novel,[452] while
the Beat Generation rejected this conformity, using styles that elevated the impact of the spoken
word over mechanics to describe drug use, sexuality, and the failings of society.[453]
[454]
Contemporary literature is more pluralistic than in previous eras, with the closest thing to a
unifying feature being a trend toward self-conscious experiments with language.[455]

Mass media
Further information: Mass media in the United States
See also: Newspapers in the United States, Television in the United States, Internet in the
United States, Radio in the United States, and Video games in the United States

Comcast Center in Philadelphia, headquarters of Comcast, the

world's largest telecommunications and media conglomerate
Media is broadly uncensored, with the First Amendment providing significant protections, as
reiterated in New York Times Co. v. United States.[425] The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are
the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), American
Broadcasting Company (ABC), and Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX). The four major broadcast
television networks are all commercial entities. Cable television offers hundreds of channels
catering to a variety of niches.[456] As of 2021, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listen
to broadcast radio, while about 40% listen to podcasts.[457] As of 2020, there were 15,460 licensed
full-power radio stations in the U.S. according to the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC).[458] Much of the public radio broadcasting is supplied by NPR, incorporated in
February 1970 under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.[459]

Globally-recognized newspapers in the United States include The Wall Street Journal, The New
York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.[460] About 800 publications are produced in
Spanish.[461][462] With few exceptions, newspapers are privately owned, either by large chains such
as Gannett or McClatchy, which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by small chains
that own a handful of papers; or, in a situation that is increasingly rare, by individuals or families.
Major cities often have alternative newspapers to complement the mainstream daily papers, such
as The Village Voice in New York City and LA Weekly in Los Angeles. The five most popular
websites used in the U.S. are Google, YouTube, Amazon, Yahoo, and Facebook, with all of them
being American companies.[463]

As of 2022, the video game market of the United States is the world's largest by revenue.
[464]
There are 444 publishers, developers, and hardware companies in California alone.[465]

Theater
Main article: Theater in the United States
 Broadway theatres in Theater District, Manhattan
The United States is well known for its cinema and theater. Mainstream theater in the United
States derives from the old European theatrical tradition and has been heavily influenced by
the British theater.[466] By the middle of the 19th century America had created new distinct
dramatic forms in the Tom Shows, the showboat theater and the minstrel show.[467] The
central hub of the American theater scene is Manhattan, with its divisions of Broadway, off-
Broadway, and off-off-Broadway.[468]

Many movie and television stars have gotten their big break working in New York productions.
Outside New York City, many cities have professional regional or resident theater
companies that produce their own seasons. The biggest-budget theatrical productions are
musicals. U.S. theater has an active community theater culture.[469]

The Tony Awards recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre and are presented at an
annual ceremony in Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and
performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive
awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in
Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.[470]

Visual arts
Main articles: Visual art of the United States and Architecture of the United States

American Gothic (1930) by Grant Wood is one of the most

famous American paintings and is widely parodied. [471]

In the visual arts, the Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of
European naturalism. The 1913 Armory Show in New York City, an exhibition of
European modernist art, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.[472]

Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and others experimented with new and individualistic styles,
which would become known as American modernism. Major artistic movements such as
the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning and the pop art of Andy
Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein developed largely in the United States. Major photographers
include Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, James Van Der
Zee, Ansel Adams, and Gordon Parks.[473]

The tide of modernism and then postmodernism has brought global fame to American architects,
including Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry.[474] The Metropolitan Museum of
Art in Manhattan is the largest art museum in the United States.[475]

Music
Main article: Music of the United States
American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional
music, traditional folk music, contemporary folk music, or roots music. Many traditional songs
have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back
to such origins as the British Isles, Mainland Europe, or Africa.[476] The rhythmic and lyrical styles
of African-American music in particular have influenced American music.[477] Banjos were brought
to America through the slave trade. Minstrel shows incorporating the instrument into their acts led
to its increased popularity and widespread production in the 19th century.[478][479] The electric
guitar, first invented in the 1930s, and mass-produced by the 1940s, had an enormous influence
on popular music, in particular due to the development of rock and roll.[480]

The Country Music Hall of Fame and

Museum in Nashville, Tennessee
Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and old-time music were adopted and transformed
into popular genres with global audiences. Jazz grew from blues and ragtime in the early 20th
century, developing from the innovations and recordings of composers such as W.C.
Handy and Jelly Roll Morton. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington increased its popularity early
in the 20th century.[481] Country music developed in the 1920s,[482] rock and roll in the 1930s,
[480]
and bluegrass[483] and rhythm and blues in the 1940s.[484] In the 1960s, Bob Dylan emerged
from the folk revival to become one of the country's most celebrated songwriters.[485] The musical
forms of punk and hip hop both originated in the United States in the 1970s.[486]

The United States has the world's largest music market with a total retail value of $15.9 billion in
2022.[487] Most of the world's major record companies are based in the U.S.; they are represented
by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[488] Mid-20th-century American pop
stars, such as Frank Sinatra[489] and Elvis Presley,[490] became global celebrities and best-selling
music artists,[481] as have artists of the late 20th century, such as Michael Jackson,[491] Madonna,
[492]
Whitney Houston,[493] and Prince,[494] and of early 21st century such as Taylor
Swift and Beyoncé.[495]

Fashion
Main article: Fashion in the United States
 Haute couture fashion models on the catwalk during New
York Fashion Week
The United States and China collectively account for the majority of global apparel demand.
Apart from professional business attire, American fashion is eclectic and predominantly informal.
While Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing, sneakers, jeans, T-shirts,
and baseball caps are emblematic of American styles.[496] New York is considered to be one of the
"big four" global fashion capitals, along with Paris, Milan, and London. A study demonstrated that
general proximity to Manhattan's Garment District has been synonymous with American fashion
since its inception in the early 20th century.[497]

The headquarters of many designer labels reside in Manhattan. Labels cater to niche markets,
such as pre teens. There has been a trend in the United States fashion towards sustainable
clothing.[498][non-primary source needed] New York Fashion Week is one of the most influential fashion weeks in
the world, and occurs twice a year.[499]

Cinema
Main article: Cinema of the United States

The iconic Hollywood Sign, in the Hollywood Hills, often

regarded as the symbol of the American film industry
The U.S. film industry has a worldwide influence and following. Hollywood, a district in northern
Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city, is also metonymous for the American
filmmaking industry, the third-largest in the world, following India and Nigeria.[500][501][502] The major
film studios of the United States are the primary source of the most commercially successful and
most ticket-selling movies in the world.[503][504] Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry
has largely been based in and around Hollywood, although in the 21st century an increasing
number of films are not made there, and film companies have been subject to the forces of
globalization.[505] The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually
by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1929,[506] and the Golden Globe
Awards have been held annually since January 1944.[507]

The industry enjoyed its golden years, in what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of
Hollywood", from the early sound period until the early 1960s,[508] with screen actors such as John
Wayne and Marilyn Monroe becoming iconic figures.[509][510] In the 1970s, "New Hollywood" or the
"Hollywood Renaissance"[511] was defined by grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist
pictures of the post-war period.[512] The 21st century was marked by the rise of American
streaming platforms, which came to rival traditional cinema.[513][514]

Cuisine
Main article: American cuisine
Further information: List of American regional and fusion cuisines
A Thanksgiving dinner with roast turkey, mashed potatoes, pickles, corn, candied
yams, cranberry jelly, shrimps, stuffing, green peas, deviled eggs, green salad and apple
sauce
Early settlers were introduced by Native Americans to foods such as turkey, sweet
potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup. Of the most enduring and pervasive examples are
variations of the native dish called succotash. Early settlers and later immigrants combined these
with foods they were familiar with, such as wheat flour,[515] beef, and milk to create a distinctive
American cuisine.[516][517] New World crops, especially pumpkin, corn, potatoes, and turkey as the
main course are part of a shared national menu on Thanksgiving, when many Americans prepare
or purchase traditional dishes to celebrate the occasion.[518]

Characteristic American dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, doughnuts, french
fries, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes
of various immigrant groups.[519][520][521][522] Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos preexisted the
United States in areas later annexed from Mexico, and adaptations of Chinese cuisine as well
as pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are all widely consumed.
[523]
American chefs have had signifiant impact on society both domestically and internationally. In
1946, the Culinary Institute of America was founded by Katharine Angell and Frances Roth. This
would become the United States' most prestigious culinary school, where many of the most
talented American chefs would study prior to successful careers.[524][525]

The United States restaurant industry was projected at $899 billion in sales for 2020,[526][527] and
employed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the nation's workforce directly.[526] It
is the country's second largest private employer and the third largest employer overall.[528][529] The
United States is home to over 220 Michelin Star rated restaurants, 70 of which are in New York
City alone.[530] Wine has been produced in what is now the United States since the 1500s, with
the first widespread production beginning in what is now New Mexico in 1628.[531][532][533] Today,
wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84 percent of all US
wine. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-
largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.[534][535]

The American fast-food industry, the world's first and largest, pioneered the drive-through format
in the 1940s[536] and is often viewed as being a symbol of U.S. marketing dominance. American
companies such as McDonald's,[537] Burger King, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken,
and Domino's Pizza, among many others, have numerous outlets around the world.[538]

Sports
Main article: Sports in the United States
See also: Professional sports leagues in the United States, National Collegiate Athletic
Association, and United States at the Olympics

American football is the most popular sport in the United

States; in this September 2022 National Football League game, the Jacksonville Jaguars play
the Washington Commanders at FedExField.
The most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are American football, basketball, baseball, soccer,
and ice hockey.[539] While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have
evolved out of European practices, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding, and snowboarding are
American inventions, many of which have become popular worldwide.
[540]
Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate
European contact.[541] The market for professional sports in the United States was approximately
$69 billion in July 2013, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
combined.[542]

American football is by several measures the most popular spectator sport in the United States;
[543]
the National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any sports league
in the world, and the Super Bowl is watched by tens of millions globally.[544] Baseball has been
regarded as the U.S. national sport since the late 19th century, with Major League
Baseball being the top league. Basketball, soccer and ice hockey are the country's next three
most popular professional team sports, with the top leagues being the National Basketball
Association and the National Hockey League, which are the premier leagues worldwide for these
sports. The most-watched individual sports in the U.S. are golf and auto racing,
particularly NASCAR and IndyCar.[545][546]

On the collegiate level, earnings for the member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,
[547]
and college football and basketball attract large audiences, as the NCAA Final Four is one of
the most watched national sporting events.[548] The intercollegiate sports level serves as a feeder
system to the professional level, which differs greatly from nearly all other countries in the world,
where government-funded sports organizations serve this function.[549]

Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. The 1904 Summer Olympics in St.
Louis, Missouri, were the first-ever Olympic Games held outside of Europe.[550] The Olympic
Games will be held in the U.S. for a ninth time when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer
Olympics. U.S. athletes have won a total of 2,959 medals (1,173 gold) at the Olympic Games, by
far the most of any country.[551][552][553]

In international soccer, the men's national soccer team qualified for eleven World Cups, and
the women's national team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup and Olympic soccer
tournament four times each.[554] The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and will co-
host, along with Canada and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[555]