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), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs.

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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 307,212,123 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704) 15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2009 est.)

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Median age: total: 36.7 years male: 35.4 years female: 38 years (2009 est.)

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Population growth rate: 0.975% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

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Birth rate: 13.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153 Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

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Net migration rate: 4.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25

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Urbanization: urban population: 82% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 180 male: 6.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.11 years country comparison to the world: 50 male: 75.65 years female: 80.69 years (2009 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 22,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21

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Nationality: noun: American(s) adjective: American

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Ethnic groups: white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

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Religions: Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)

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Languages: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

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Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 57

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $48,000. 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 greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II.

The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households.

The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices between 2005 and the first half of 2008 threatened inflation and unemployment, as higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets.

Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007, but declined to $810 billion in 2008, as a depreciating exchange rate for the dollar against most major currencies discouraged US imports and made US exports more competitive abroad.

The global economic downturn, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, investment bank failures, falling home prices, and tight credit pushed the United States into a recession by mid-2008. To help stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008.

The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and other industrial corporations. In January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.29 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $14.11 trillion (2007) $13.83 trillion (2006) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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GDP (official exchange rate): $14.33 trillion (2008 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 181 2% (2007 est.) 2.8% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $47,000 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $46,800 (2007 est.) $46,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.2% industry: 19.6% services: 79.2% (2008 est.)

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Labor force: 155.2 million (includes unemployed) (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

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Labor force - by occupation: farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%, managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%, other services 16.5% note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)

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Unemployment rate: 7.2% (December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 45 (2007) country comparison to the world: 44

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Investment (gross fixed): 14.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

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Budget: revenues: $2.524 trillion expenditures: $2.979 trillion (2008 est.)

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Public debt: 60.8% of GDP (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

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Central bank discount rate: 0.5% (31 March 2009) country comparison to the world: 133

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Commercial bank prime lending rate: 3.25% (31 March 2009) country comparison to the world: 160

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Stock of money: $1.596 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 4

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Stock of quasi money: $8.154 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 2

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Stock of domestic credit: $14.15 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 2

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Market value of publicly traded shares: $19.95 trillion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 1

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Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

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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

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Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

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Electricity - production: 4.167 trillion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Electricity - consumption: 3.892 trillion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Electricity - exports: 20.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

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Electricity - imports: 51.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

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Oil - production: 8.457 million bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

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Oil - consumption: 20.68 million bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Oil - exports: 1.165 million bbl/day (2005) country comparison to the world: 20

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Oil - imports: 13.71 million bbl/day (2005) country comparison to the world: 1

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Oil - proved reserves: 20.97 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

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Natural gas - production: 545.9 billion cu m (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

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Natural gas - consumption: 652.9 billion cu m (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Natural gas - exports: 23.28 billion cu m (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

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Natural gas - imports: 130.3 billion cu m (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 5.977 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 6

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Current account balance: -$568.8 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 191

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Exports: $1.377 trillion f.o.b. (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

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Exports - commodities: agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003)

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Exports - partners: Canada 21.4%, Mexico 11.7%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.4%, UK 4.3%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

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Imports: $2.19 trillion f.o.b. (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Imports - commodities: agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003)

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Imports - partners: China 16.9%, Canada 15.7%, Mexico 10.6%, Japan 7.4%, Germany 4.8% (2007)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.57 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

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Debt - external: $12.25 trillion (30 June 2007) country comparison to the world: 1

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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $2.22 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $2.751 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

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Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar: 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004) Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.0364 (2008), 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004) Chinese yuan per US dollar: 6.9385 (2008), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004) euros per US dollar: 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004) Japanese yen per US dollar: 103.58 (2008), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006) 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)