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North America / North America · Card 036

United States

The United States is a federal republic in North America. Its capital is Washington, D.C.

Find United States

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. The regional map includes the contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii at their geographic positions. Separate territories have their own cards.

At a glance

Capital: Washington, D.C.
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: United States dollar (USD)
Population: 341.8 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 9,833,517 km²The 50 states and District of Columbia, including water; overseas territories excluded.
Independence: 1776 / 1783Independence declared in 1776; recognized by Britain in 1783.

United States in context

North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Washington, D.C.; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

The United States spans a wide range of landscapes, including eastern mountains, central plains, western ranges and deserts. Major river basins connect these regions. Alaska adds Arctic and subarctic terrain, while Hawaii has a distinct volcanic island setting in the Pacific.

The Grand Canyon illustrates deep river erosion within the Colorado Plateau. The Everglades represent a contrasting low, seasonally wet landscape in Florida. These examples show why one national climate or landform description would be inadequate.

Climate & seasons

The country includes temperate, desert, tropical, subarctic and Arctic climates. Latitude, mountain ranges and distance from the ocean produce major regional differences.

Continental variety

Forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands and alpine habitats occur across the country. Climate depends on latitude, elevation and ocean influence. Individual state pages in this deck provide more local detail about these physical regions.

Flag

13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue rectangle in the upper-left corner has 50 five-pointed white stars, arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · US National Archives · English-language executive order

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

English was designated the official language of the United States by a federal executive order in March 2025. State and territorial language arrangements can differ.

Community and regional languages

Spanish is widely spoken, alongside Chinese languages, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic and many others. Indigenous languages include Navajo, Cherokee, Yup’ik languages and Hawaiian, while American Sign Language is also widely used. National official status does not describe every resident’s first language.

Sources: USAGov · Official language · Executive Order 14224, March 2025 · CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Indigenous nations lived across the continent before European colonization. Thirteen British colonies declared independence in 1776 and secured recognition after the Revolutionary War in 1783. The Constitution established the federal system. The Civil War ended in 1865, the year the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, except as punishment for crime.

1776
The colonies declare independence
1783
Britain recognizes US independence
1787
The Constitution is signed
1865
The Civil War ends and the Thirteenth Amendment is ratified

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · US National Archives · English-language executive order

Economy

Main activities

Services dominate a highly diversified economy, including health, finance, technology, education and professional activities. Manufacturing, agriculture and energy remain important. Total GDP measures production and does not show how income is distributed among households.

Industry and production

Manufacturing includes aerospace, vehicles, electronics, chemicals and food products. Energy, mining and agricultural production are also substantial.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · US National Archives · English-language executive order

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

341.82025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	205,052,000	205.052
1980	227,225,000	227.225
1990	249,623,000	249.623
2000	282,162,411	282.162
2010	309,378,227	309.378
2020	331,578,104	331.578
2025	341,784,857	341.785

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

23.22025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	9,785,238,027,484	9.785
1991	9,774,639,354,975	9.775
1992	10,118,950,749,880	10.119
1993	10,397,403,618,009	10.397
1994	10,816,317,372,732	10.816
1995	11,106,673,921,189	11.107
1996	11,525,703,481,708	11.526
1997	12,038,266,260,882	12.038
1998	12,577,957,790,986	12.578
1999	13,180,243,872,423	13.180
2000	13,717,679,619,695	13.718
2001	13,848,757,307,490	13.849
2002	14,084,248,131,472	14.084
2003	14,477,988,212,190	14.478
2004	15,035,068,144,287	15.035
2005	15,558,822,251,171	15.559
2006	15,992,063,823,765	15.992
2007	16,312,522,122,670	16.313
2008	16,331,051,067,548	16.331
2009	15,910,281,498,142	15.910
2010	16,339,094,225,609	16.339
2011	16,594,704,135,238	16.595
2012	16,974,575,729,645	16.975
2013	17,334,068,402,850	17.334
2014	17,771,549,056,393	17.772
2015	18,295,019,000,000	18.295
2016	18,627,887,993,796	18.628
2017	19,085,691,123,386	19.086
2018	19,651,869,117,636	19.652
2019	20,159,639,089,819	20.160
2020	19,740,041,204,593	19.740
2021	20,954,452,976,800	20.954
2022	21,483,388,181,185	21.483
2023	22,113,788,823,329	22.114
2024	22,731,468,331,925	22.731
2025	23,222,782,186,839	23.223

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.938Very High human developmentRank 17 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.878

20000.895

20100.919

20200.925

20230.938

79.3 yearsLife expectancy at birth

13.9 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A federal presidential republic. An elected President heads the executive; Congress comprises the House of Representatives and Senate. The Supreme Court heads the federal judiciary. The Constitution divides powers between the federal government and the states.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · US National Archives · English-language executive order

Knowledge check

Three questions about United States.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

What is the capital of the United States?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · US National Archives · English-language executive order

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.