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 NorthAmerica. It is a federation of 50 states, a federal capital district (Washington,D.C.), and 326 Indian reservations.[j] Outsidethe union of states, it asserts sovereignty over five major unincorporated island territories andvarious uninhabited islands.[k] Thecountry has the world's third-largest land area,[d] second-largest exclusive economic zone, and third-largest population,exceeding 334 million.[l]
Paleo-Indians migratedacross the Bering land bridge morethan 12,000 years ago. British colonization ledto the first settlement of the ThirteenColonies in Virginia in 1607. Clasheswith the BritishCrown over taxation and political representation sparkedthe American Revolution, with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence onJuly 4, 1776. Following its victory in the Revolutionary War (1775–1783),the country continued to expand across North America.As more states were admitted,sectional division over slavery led to thesecession of the Confederate States of America,which fought the remaining states of the Union during the1861–1865 American Civil War. With theUnion's victory and preservation, slaverywas abolished nationally. By 1890, the United States had establisheditself as a greatpower. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor inDecember 1941, the U.S. enteredWorld War II. The aftermath of the war leftthe U.S. and the SovietUnion as the world's two superpowers andled to the ColdWar, during which both countries engaged in a struggle for ideological dominance and international influence.Following the Soviet Union's collapse andthe end of the Cold War in1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's solesuperpower.
The U.S. national government isa presidential constitutional republic and liberaldemocracy with threeseparate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It has a bicameral nationallegislature composed of the House of Representatives, a lowerhouse based on population; and the Senate, an upperhouse based on equal representation for each state. Substantialautonomy is given to states and severalterritories, with a political culture thatemphasizes liberty, equality under the law, individualism,and limited government.
One of the world's mostdeveloped countries, the United States has had the largest nominal GDP since about 1890 andaccounted for 15% of the globaleconomy in 2023.[m] Itpossesses by far the largest amount of wealth ofany country and has the highest disposable household income percapita among OECD countries.The U.S. ranks among the world's highest in human rights, economic competitiveness, productivity, innovation, and higher education. Its hardpower and culturalinfluence have a global reach. The U.S. is a founding member ofthe WorldBank, Organization of American States, NATO, and UnitedNations,[n] aswell as a permanentmember of the UN Security Council.
Furtherinformation: Names of the United States and Demonyms for the United States
The first documented use of the phrase "United States ofAmerica" is a letter from January 2, 1776. StephenMoylan, a ContinentalArmy aide to General GeorgeWashington, wrote to Joseph Reed, Washington's aide-de-camp,seeking to go "with full and ample powers from the United States ofAmerica to Spain" to seek assistance in the Revolutionary War effort.[21][22] Thefirst known public usage is an anonymous essay published in the Williamsburg newspaper, The Virginia Gazette, onApril 6, 1776.[23][24][25] ByJune 1776, the "United States of America" appeared in the Articles of Confederation[26][27] andthe Declaration of Independence.[26] The Second Continental Congress adoptedthe Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.[28]
Main article: History of the United States
For a topicalguide, see Outline of United States history.
Furtherinformation: Native Americans in the United States and Pre-Columbianera
The firstinhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge atleast 12,000 years ago;[30][31] the Clovisculture, which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to be thefirst widespread culture in the Americas.[32][33] Overtime, indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, andsome, such as the Mississippian culture,developed agriculture, architecture, and complexsocieties.[34] Inthe post-archaic period, the Mississippian cultures werelocated in the midwestern, eastern, and southern regions, and the Iroquois in the Great Lakes region, while the Hohokamculture and Ancestral Puebloans inhabitedthe southwest.[35] Nativepopulation estimates of what is now the United States beforethe arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000[36][37] tonearly 10 million.[37][38]
Main article: Colonial history of the United States
See also: European colonization of the Americas
Christopher Columbus beganexploring the Caribbean forSpain in 1492, leading to Spanish-speakingsettlements and missions from Puerto Rico and Florida to NewMexico and California.[39][40][41] France established itsown settlements along the MississippiRiver and Gulfof Mexico.[42] British colonization ofthe East Coast began with the Virginia Colony (1607)and PlymouthColony (1620).[43][44] The MayflowerCompact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut establishedprecedents for representative self-governance and constitutionalism thatwould develop throughout the American colonies.[45][46] WhileEuropean settlers in what is now the United States experienced conflicts withNative Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools forfood and animal pelts.[47][o] Relationsranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonialauthorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adoptEuropean lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity.[51][52] Alongthe eastern seaboard, settlers trafficked African slaves throughthe Atlantic slave trade.[53]
The original ThirteenColonies[p] thatwould later found the United States were administered by GreatBritain,[54] andhad local governments withelections open to most white male property owners.[55][56] Thecolonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations;[57] bythe 1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a smallminority of Americans had been born overseas.[58] Thecolonies' distance from Britain allowed for the development of self-governance,[59] andthe First Great Awakening, aseries of Christian revivals, fueledcolonial interest in religious liberty.[60]
Main articles: American Revolution and American Revolutionary War
Furtherinformation: History of the United States (1776–1789) and History of the United States (1789–1815)
After winning the French and Indian War, Britainbegan to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, creating 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 governmentthat taxed them. In 1774, the First Continental Congress metin Philadelphia,and passed a colonial boycott of British goods thatproved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted inthe 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord,igniting the American Revolutionary War. Atthe Second Continental Congress,the colonies appointed GeorgeWashington commander-in-chief of the ContinentalArmy and created acommittee led by ThomasJefferson to write the Declaration of Independence,adopted on July 4, 1776.[61] Thepolitical values of the American Revolution included liberty, inalienable individual rights;and the sovereignty of the people;[62] supporting republicanism andrejecting monarchy, aristocracy,and hereditary political power; virtue and faithfulness in the performance ofcivic duties; and vilification of corruption.[63] The Founding Fathers of the United States,who included George Washington, BenjaminFranklin, Alexander Hamilton, ThomasJefferson, JohnJay, JamesMadison, ThomasPaine, and JohnAdams, were inspired by Greco-Roman, Renaissance,and Enlightenment philosophiesand ideas.[64][65]
After the British surrender at the siegeof Yorktown in 1781 American sovereignty was internationallyrecognized by the Treaty of Paris (1783),through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the MississippiRiver, north to present-day Canada, and south to SpanishFlorida.[66] The Articles of Confederation wereratified in 1781 and established a decentralized government that operated until1789.[61] The Northwest Ordinance (1787)established the precedent by which the country's territory would expand withthe admission of new states,rather than the expansion of existing states.[67] The U.S. Constitution wasdrafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention toovercome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creatinga federation governedby three separate branches thattogether ensured a system of checks and balances.[68] GeorgeWashington was elected the country'sfirst president under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights wasadopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the morecentralized government.[69][70] Hisresignation as commander-in-chief after the Revolution andlater refusal to run for a third term, established the precedent of peaceful transfer of power andsupremacy of civil authority.[71][72]
Furtherinformation: History of the United States (1815–1849) and Territorial evolution of the United States
The Louisiana Purchase (1803)from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States.[73] Lingering issues with Britain remained,leading to the Warof 1812, which was fought to a draw.[74] Spain ceded Florida andits Gulf Coast territory in 1819.[75] Inthe late 18th century, American settlers began to expand westward, some with asense of manifestdestiny.[76] The Missouri Compromise attemptedto balance desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in thecountry with those of southern states to expand it, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine asa free state and declared a policy of prohibiting slavery in the remainingLouisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel.[77] AsAmericans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans, the federalgovernment often applied policies of Indianremoval or assimilation.[78][79] Organizeddisplacements prompted a long series of American Indian Wars westof the Mississippi.[80][81] The Republicof Texas was annexed in1845,[82] andthe 1846 OregonTreaty led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest.[83] Victoryin the Mexican–American War resultedin the 1848 MexicanCession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest.[76][84] Issuesof slavery in the new territories acquired were temporarily resolved by the Compromise of 1850.[85]
Main articles: History of the United States (1849–1865) and American Civil War
During the colonial period, slavery had been legal in the Americancolonies, though the practice began to be significantly questionedduring the American Revolution.[86] Statesin The North enacted abolition laws,[87] thoughsupport for slavery strengthened in Southern states, as inventionssuch as the cottongin made the institution increasingly profitable for Southernelites.[88][89][90] This sectional conflict regardingslavery culminated in the American Civil War (1861–1865).[91][92] Elevenslave states seceded andformed the Confederate States of America,while the other states remained in the Union.[93] Warbroke out in April 1861 after the Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter.[94] Afterthe January 1863 Emancipation Proclamation,many freed slaves joined the Union Army.[95] Thewar began to turn in the Union's favor followingthe 1863 Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg, and theConfederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the Battle of Appomattox Court House.[96] The Reconstruction era followedthe war. After the assassination ofPresident AbrahamLincoln, Reconstruction Amendments werepassed to protect the rights of African Americans.National infrastructure, including transcontinental telegraph and railroads, spurred growth inthe American frontier.[97]
Main article: History of the United States (1865–1917)
The Compromise of 1877 effectivelyended Reconstruction and whitesupremacists took local control of Southern politics.[104][105] AfricanAmericans endured a period of heightened, overt racism followingReconstruction, a time often called the nadir of American race relations.[106][107] Aseries of Supreme Court decisions, including Plessy v. Ferguson, emptiedthe Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of their force, allowing JimCrow laws in the South to remain unchecked, sundowntowns in the Midwest, and segregation in citiesacross the country, which would be reinforced by the policy of redlining lateradopted by the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation.[108]
An explosion of technological advancement accompaniedby the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor[109] ledto rapideconomic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,allowing the United States to outpace England, France, and Germany combined.[110][111] Thisfostered the amassing of power by a few prominent industrialists,largely by their formation of trusts and monopolies to preventcompetition.[112] Tycoons led the nation'sexpansion in the railroad, petroleum,and steel industries. TheUnited States emerged as a pioneer of the automotive industry.[113] Thesechanges were accompanied by significant increases in economic inequality, slum conditions, and socialunrest, creating the environment for labor unions to begin to flourish.[114][115][116] Thisperiod eventually ended with the advent of the ProgressiveEra, which was characterized by significant reforms.[117][118]
Main article: History of the United States (1917–1945)
Pro-Americanelements in Hawaii overthrew the Hawaiianmonarchy; the islands were annexed in 1898. PuertoRico, Guam,and the Philippines wereceded by Spain following the Spanish–American War.[119] AmericanSamoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the Second Samoan Civil War.[120] The U.S. Virgin Islands werepurchased from Denmark in1917.[121] TheUnited States entered WorldWar I alongside the Allies of World War I, helpingto turn the tide against the CentralPowers.[122] In1920, aconstitutional amendment granted nationwide women's suffrage.[123] Duringthe 1920s and 30s, radio for mass communication andthe invention of early television transformed communications nationwide.[124] The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggeredthe Great Depression, whichPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt respondedto with NewDeal social and economic policies.[125][126]
Atfirst neutral during WorldWar II, the U.S. began supplyingwar materiel to the Allies of World War II inMarch 1941 and entered the war in December after the Empireof Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.[127][128] TheU.S. developed the first nuclear weapons and used them against the Japanese cities ofHiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war.[129][130] TheUnited States was one of the "FourPolicemen" who met to plan the post-war world, alongside the UnitedKingdom, SovietUnion, and China.[131][132] TheU.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater economic power and internationalpolitical influence.[133]
Main article: Cold War
Furtherinformation: History of the United States (1945–1964), History of the United States (1964–1980), and History of the United States (1980–1991)
AfterWorld War II, the United States entered the Cold War, where geopoliticaltensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries todominate world affairs.[134] TheU.S. engaged in regime change againstgovernments perceived to be aligned with the Soviet Union, and competed in the SpaceRace, culminating in the firstcrewed Moon landing in 1969.[135][136][137][138] Domestically,the U.S. experienced economic growth, urbanization, and population growth following World War II.[139] The civil rights movement emerged,with Martin Luther King Jr. becominga prominent leader in the early 1960s.[140] The GreatSociety plan of President LyndonJohnson's administration resulted in groundbreaking andbroad-reaching laws, policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract someof the worst effects of lingering institutional racism.[141] The counterculture movement inthe U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization ofattitudes toward recreational drug use and sexuality.It also encouraged open defiance of the military draft (leadingto the endof conscription in 1973) and wideopposition to U.S. intervention in Vietnam (withthe U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975).[142][143][144] Thesocietal shift in the roles of women partly resulted in large increases infemale labor participation in the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of women aged16 and older were employed.[145] Thelate 1980s and early 1990s saw the collapse of the Warsaw Pact andthe dissolution of the Soviet Union,which marked the end of the Cold War and solidified the U.S. as the world's solesuperpower.[146][147][148][149]
Main articles: History of the United States (1991–2008) and History of the United States (2008–present)
The1990s saw the longest recorded economic expansion inAmerican history, a dramatic decline in crime,and advancesin technology, with the WorldWide Web, the evolution of the Pentium microprocessor inaccordance with Moore'slaw, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, thefirst genetherapy trial, and cloning all emerging andimproved upon throughout the decade. The Human Genome Project wasformally launched in 1990, while Nasdaq became the firststock market in the United States to trade online in 1998.[150] In1991, an American-led international coalitionof states expelled an Iraqi invasionforce from Kuwait inthe GulfWar.[151]
The September 11 attacks in2001 by the pan-Islamist militantorganization al-Qaeda ledto the waron terror and subsequent military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.[152][153] The cultural impact of the attacks wasprofound and long-lasting.
The U.S. housing bubble culminatedin 2007 with the GreatRecession, the largest economic contraction since the GreatDepression.[154] Comingto a head in the 2010s, political polarization increasedas sociopolitical debates on cultural issues dominated politics.[155] Thispolarization was capitalized upon in the January 2021 Capitol attack,when a mob of insurrectionists[156] enteredthe U.S. Capitol andattempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.[157]
Main article: Geography of the United States
See also: Borders of the United States
TheUnited States is the world's third-largest country bytotal area behind Russia and Canada.[d][158][159] The 48 contiguous states and the District ofColumbia occupy a combined area of 3,119,885 square miles(8,080,470 km2).[160][161] The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboardgives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the Piedmont plateau region.[162]
The Appalachian Mountains andthe Adirondack massifseparate the East Coast from the GreatLakes and the grasslands of the Midwest.[163] The Mississippi River System, theworld's fourth-longest river system,runs predominantly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat andfertile prairie ofthe GreatPlains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in thesoutheast.[163]
The RockyMountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south acrossthe country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado.[164] Fartherwest are the rocky GreatBasin and Chihuahua, Sonoran,and Mojave deserts.[165] Inthe northwest corner of Arizona,carved by the ColoradoRiver over millions of years, is the GrandCanyon, a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination knownfor its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape.
The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountainranges run close to the Pacific coast. The lowest and highest points inthe contiguous United States are in the state of California,[166] about84 miles (135 km) apart.[167] Atan elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highestpeak in the country and continent.[168] Active volcanoes are commonthroughout Alaska's Alexander and AleutianIslands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park inthe Rockies isthe continent's largest volcanic feature.[169] In2021, the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and pastures and 10%of cropland.[170]
Main article: Climate of the United States
See also: Climate change in the United States
Withits large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climatetypes. East of the 100th meridian, the climateranges from humid continental in thenorth to humid subtropical in thesouth.[171] Thewestern Great Plains are semi-arid.Many mountainous areas of the American West have an alpineclimate. The climate is arid inthe Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic incoastal Oregon, Washington, and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii, the southerntip of Florida and U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Pacific are tropical.[172]
States bordering the Gulfof Mexico are prone to hurricanes,and most of the world's tornadoes occur in thecountry, mainly in TornadoAlley.[173] Overall,the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than anyother country.[174] Extremeweather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three timesthe number of reported heatwaves as in the 1960s. In the American Southwest, droughtsbecame more persistent and more severe.[175]
Main articles: Fauna of the United States and Flora of the United States
TheU.S. is one of 17 megadiverse countries containinglarge numbers of endemic species: about 17,000species of vascularplants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, andover 1,800 species of floweringplants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[177] TheUnited States is home to 428 mammal species,784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 amphibians,[178] and91,000 insect species.[179]
There are 63 national parks, and hundredsof other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas, managed bythe National Park Service andother agencies.[180] About28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed,[181] primarilyin the western states.[182] Most of this land is protected,though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent is used formilitary purposes.[183][184]
Environmental issues in the United States includedebates on non-renewable resources and nuclear energy, air and water pollution, biodiversity,logging and deforestation,[185][186] and climate change.[187][188] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)is the federal agency charged with addressing most environmental-relatedissues.[189] The idea of wilderness hasshaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the WildernessAct.[190] The Endangered Species Act of 1973 providesa way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service implementsand enforces the Act.[191] Asof 2022, the U.S. ranked 43rd among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index.[192] Thecountry joined the ParisAgreement on climate change in 2016 and has many otherenvironmental commitments.[193]
Main article: Politics of the United States
Furtherinformation: Elections in the United States, Political ideologies in the United States, Americanism (ideology), and American civil religion
TheUnited States is a federalrepublic of 50 states and a federal district, Washington,D.C. It also asserts sovereignty over five unincorporated territories andseveral uninhabited island possessions.[194][195] Theworld's oldest surviving federation,[196] theU.S. has the world's oldest national constitution stillin effect (from March 4, 1789). Its system of government hasbeen adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent nations following decolonization.[197] Itis a liberal representative democracy "inwhich majority rule is tempered by minority rights protectedby law."[198] The Constitution of the United States servesas the country's supremelegal document, also establishing the structure and responsibilitiesof the national federal government and its relationship with the individualstates.[199]
According to V-DemInstitute's 2023 Human Rights Index, the United Statesranks among the highest in the world for human rights.[200]
Main article: Federal government of the United States
Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington,D.C., the federal government is thenational government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of checks and balances.[201]
· The U.S. Congress, a bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federallaw, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse,[202] andhas the power of impeachment.[203] TheSenate has 100 members (2 from each state), elected for a six-year term. TheHouse of Representatives has 435 members, each elected for a two-year term; allrepresentatives serve one congressional district of equivalentpopulation.[204]
· The U.S. president is the commander-in-chief ofthe military, can veto legislativebills before they become law (subject to congressional override), andappoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senateapproval) and other officials, who administer and enforce federal laws andpolicies through their respective agencies.[205] Candidatesfor president campaign with a vice-presidential running mate. Both candidatesare elected together, or defeated together, in a presidential election. Unlikeother votes in American politics, this is technically an indirectelection in which the winner will be determined by the U.S. Electoral College. There, votes areofficially cast by individual electors selected by their state legislature. In practice, however, all 50states choose a group of presidential electors who must confirm the winner oftheir state's popular vote. This group of electors equals their state's numberof U.S. representatives, plus two more electors for the twoU.S. senators the state sends to Congress. (The District of Columbia, with norepresentatives or senators, is allocated three electoral votes.)[q] Bothpresident and vice president serve a four-year term and may be reelected to theoffice only once, for one additional four-year term.[206]
· The U.S. federal judiciary, whose judges are allappointed for life by the President with Senate approval, consists primarily ofthe U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. courts of appeals, and the U.S. district courts. The U.S. Supreme Courtinterprets laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.[207] TheSupreme Court is led by the Chief Justice of the United States. It has ninemembers who serve for life. The members are appointed by the sitting presidentwhen a vacancy becomes available.[208]
The three-branch system is known as the presidential system, incontrast to the parliamentary system, wherethe executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the worldcopied this aspect of the 1789 Constitution of the United States,especially in the Americas.[209]
Main articles: Political parties in the United States and List of political parties in the United States
See also: Political party strength in U.S. states
TheConstitution is silent on political parties. However, they developedindependently in the 18th century with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties.[210] Sincethen, the United States has operated as a de facto two-partysystem, though the parties in that system have been different atdifferent times.[211] Thetwo main national parties are presently the Democratic and the Republican. The former isperceived as relatively liberal in itspolitical platform while the latter is perceived as relatively conservative.[212]
Main article: U.S.state
See also: State governments of the United States
Furtherinformation: 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: nationaland state. People in the states are also represented by local elected governments,which are administrative divisions of the states.[213] Statesare subdivided into counties or county equivalents,and further divided into municipalities.The District of Columbia is a federaldistrict that contains the capital of the United States, the cityof Washington.[214] Theterritories and the District of Columbia are administrative divisions of thefederal government.[215] Federallyrecognized tribes govern 326 Indian reservations.[216]
Main articles: Foreign relations of the United States and Foreign policy of the United States
TheUnited States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it has theworld's second-largest diplomatic corps as of 2024. It is a permanentmember of the United Nations Security Council,[217] andhome to the United Nations headquarters.[218] TheUnited States is a member of the G7,[219] G20,[220] and OECD intergovernmentalorganizations.[221] Almostall countries have embassies and many have consulates (officialrepresentatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal diplomatic missions withthe United States, except Iran,[222] North Korea,[223] and Bhutan.[224] Though Taiwan does not haveformal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close unofficialrelations.[225] TheUnited States regularly supplies Taiwan with militaryequipment to deter potential Chinese aggression.[226] Itsgeopolitical attention also turned to the Indo-Pacific whenthe United States joined the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue withAustralia, India, and Japan.[227]
The United States has a "Special Relationship" with the United Kingdom[228] andstrong ties with Canada,[229] Australia,[230] New Zealand,[231] the Philippines,[232] Japan,[233] South Korea,[234] Israel,[235] andseveral EuropeanUnion countries (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland).[236] TheU.S. works closely with its NATO allieson military and national security issues,and with countries in the Americas through the Organization of American States andthe United States–Mexico–Canada Free TradeAgreement. In South America, Colombia is traditionallyconsidered to be the closest ally of the United States.[237] TheU.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for Micronesia, the MarshallIslands, and Palau throughthe Compact of Free Association.[238] Ithas increasingly conducted strategic cooperation with India,[239] butits ties with China havesteadily deteriorated.[240][241] Since2014, the U.S. has become a key ally of Ukraine;[242] ithas also provided the country with significant military equipment and othersupport in response to Russia's 2022 invasion.[243]
Main article: United States Armed Forces
See also: Military history of the United States
ThePresident is the commander-in-chief of theUnited States Armed Forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense andthe Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defense, whichis headquartered at thePentagon near Washington, D.C., administers five of the sixservice branches, which are made up of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force. The Coast Guard isadministered by the Department of Homeland Security inpeacetime and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy inwartime.[244]
The United States spent $916 billion on its military in2023, which is by far the largest amount of anycountry, making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% ofthe country's GDP.[245][246] TheU.S. has 45% of the world's nuclear weapons,the second-largest amount after Russia.[247]
The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces inthe world, behind the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Indian Armed Forces.[248] Themilitary operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad,[249] andmaintains deployments greater than 100 active dutypersonnel in 25 foreign countries.[250]
Main articles: Law of the United States, Law enforcement in the United States, and Crime in the United States
See also: Censorship in the United States and Race and crime in the United States
Thereare about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in theUnited States.[251] Lawin the United States is mainly enforced by local policedepartments and sheriff departments intheir municipal or county jurisdictions. The state police departments have authority in their respective state,and federal agencies such asthe Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)and the U.S. Marshals Service havenational jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting civilrights, national security andenforcing U.S. federal courts' rulingsand federal laws.[252] State courts conduct mostcivil and criminal trials,[253] andfederal courts handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions.[254]
As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth highest per-capita incarcerationrate in the world, at 531 people per 100,000; and the largest prison and jail population inthe world with almost 2 million people incarcerated.[255][256][257] Ananalysis of the World Health Organization MortalityDatabase from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than inother high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25 timeshigher."[258]
Main article: Economy of the United States
Furtherinformation: Economic history of the United States and Tourism in the United States
TheU.S. has been the world's largest economy nominally since about1890.[261] The2023 nominal U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) of $27 trillion was thehighest in the world, constituting over 25% of the global economy or 15% at purchasing power parity (PPP).[262][13] From1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a2.3% weighted average for the rest of the Group of Seven.[263] Thecountry ranks first in the world by nominal GDP,[264] secondwhen adjusted for purchasing power parities (PPP),[13] andninth by PPP-adjusted GDP per capita.[13] Itpossesses the highest disposable household income percapita among OECD countries.[265]
Of the world's 500 largest companies, 136 areheadquartered in the U.S.[266] The U.S. dollar is thecurrency most used in international transactions andis the world's foremost reservecurrency, backed by the country's dominant economy, its military, the petrodollar system,and its linked eurodollar andlarge U.S.treasuries market.[259] Severalcountries use it as their official currency andin others it is the defacto currency.[267][268] Ithas free trade agreements with several countries, includingthe USMCA.[269] TheU.S. ranked second in the Global Competitiveness Report in2019, after Singapore.[270] Whileits economy has reached a post-industrial level of development,the United States remains an industrial power.[271] Asof 2021, the U.S. is the second-largest manufacturing country afterChina.[272]
NewYork City is the world's principal financialcenter[274][275] andthe epicenter of the world's largest metropolitan economy.[276] The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, both located in NewYork City, are the world's two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization and tradevolume.[277][278] TheUnited States is at or near the forefront of technological advancement and innovation[279] inmany economic fields, especially in artificial intelligence;computers; pharmaceuticals;and medical, aerospace and military equipment.[280] Thecountry's economy is fueled by abundant naturalresources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.[281] The largestU.S. trading partners are the EuropeanUnion, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, the UnitedKingdom, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.[282] TheUnited States is the world's largest importer and the second-largest exporter.[r] Itis by far the world's largest exporter of services.[285]
Americans have the highest average household and employee income among OECD member states,[286] andthe fourth-highest medianhousehold income,[287] upfrom sixth-highest in 2013.[288] Wealth in the United States is highly concentrated; therichest 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. remainsat record highs,[290] withthe top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all income[291] andgiving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among OECD members.[292][293] TheU.S. ranks first in the number of dollarbillionaires and millionaires, with 735billionaires and nearly 22 million millionaires (as of 2023).[294] Therewere about 582,500 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in the U.S. in2022, with 60% staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.[295] In2018, six million children experienced food insecurity.[296] FeedingAmerica estimates that around one in seven, or approximately 11million, children experience hunger anddo not know where they will get their next meal or when.[297] Asof 2021, 38 million people, about 12% of the U.S. population, wereliving in poverty.[298]
The United States has a smaller welfarestate and redistributes less income through government actionthan most other high-income countries.[299][300] Itis the only advancedeconomy that does not guaranteeits workers paid vacation nationally[301] andis one of a few countries in the world without federal paid family leave as alegal right.[302] TheUnited States has a higher percentage of low-income workers than almost anyother developed country, largely because of a weak collective bargaining systemand lack of government support for at-risk workers.[303]
Main articles: Science and technology in the United States, Science policy of the United States, and Energy in the United States
See also: Communications in the United States
TheUnited States has been a leader in technological innovation sincethe late 19th century and scientific research since the mid-20th century.Methods for producing interchangeable parts andthe establishment of a machinetool industry enabled the large-scale manufacturing ofU.S. consumer products in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century,factory electrification,the introduction of the assemblyline, and other labor-savingtechniques created the system of massproduction.[304] TheUnited States is a leader in the development of artificial intelligence technologyand has maintained a space program since thelate 1950s, with plansfor long-term habitation of the Moon.[305][306]
In 2022, the United States was the country with the second-highestnumber of published scientific papers.[307] Asof 2021, the U.S. ranked second by the number of patent applications, and thirdby trademark and industrial design applications.[308] In2023, the United States ranked 3rd in the Global Innovation Index.[309] TheU.S. has the highesttotal research and development expenditure of any country[310] andranks 9th as a percentage of GDP.[311]
As of 2022, the United States receives approximately 81% of itsenergy from fossil fuel and the largest source of the country's energy camefrom petroleum (35.8%),followed by natural gas (33.4%), renewable sources (13.3%), coal (9.8%), and nuclear power (8%).[312][313] TheUnited States constitutes less than 5% of the world'spopulation, but consumes around 16% of the world's energy.[314] TheU.S. ranks as the second-highest emitter of greenhousegases.[315]
Main article: Transportation in the United States
Personaltransportation in the United States is dominatedby automobiles,[317][318] whichoperate on a network of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) ofpublic roads, making it the longest network in theworld.[319][320] The Oldsmobile Curved Dash andthe FordModel T, both American cars, are considered the first mass-produced[321] andmass-affordable[322] cars,respectively. As of 2022, the United States is the second-largest manufacturer of motorvehicles[323] andis home to Tesla,the world's most valuable car company.[324] Americanautomotive company GeneralMotors held the title of the world's best-selling automakerfrom 1931 to 2008.[325] The American automotive industry isthe world's second-largest automobile market by sales, having been overtaken byChina in 2010,[326] andthe U.S. has the highest vehicle ownership per capita inthe world,[327] with910 vehicles per 1000 people.[328] TheUnited States's rail transport network, the longest network in theworld,[329] handlesmostly freight.[330][331]
The American civil airline industry isentirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated since 1978, while most major airports arepublicly owned.[332] Thethree largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; AmericanAirlines is number one after its 2013 acquisition by USAirways.[333] Ofthe world's 50 busiest passenger airports,16 are in the United States, including the top five and the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta InternationalAirport.[334][335] Asof 2022, there are 19,969 airports in the U.S., of which 5,193 are designatedas "public use", including for generalaviation and other activities.[336]
Of the fifty busiest container ports,four are located in the United States, of which the busiest is the Port of Los Angeles.[337] Thecountry's inland waterways are theworld's fifth-longest, and total41,009 km (25,482 mi).[338]
Main article: Demographics of the United States
Main articles: Americans and Race and ethnicity in the United States
See also: List of U.S. states by population
The U.S. Census Bureau reported331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020,[s][341] makingthe United States the third-most-populous country inthe world, after China and India.[342] Accordingto the Bureau's U.S. Population Clock, onJanuary 28, 2021, the U.S. population had a net gain of one person every100 seconds, or about 864 people per day.[343] In2018, 52% of Americans age 15 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced,and 32% had never been married.[344] In2021, the total fertility rate forthe U.S. stood at 1.7 children per woman,[345] andit had the world's highest rate of children (23%) living in single-parent householdsin 2019.[346]
The United States has a diverse population; 37 ancestry groups have morethan one million members.[347] White Americans withancestry from Europe, the Middle East or North Africa form the largest racial and ethnicgroup at 57.8% of the United States population.[348][349] Hispanic and Latino Americans formthe second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population. AfricanAmericans constitute the country's third-largest ancestry groupand are 12.1% of the total U.S. population.[347] AsianAmericans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of the UnitedStates population. The country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about1%,[347] andsome 574 native tribes are recognized by the federal government.[350] In2020, the medianage of the United States population was 38.5 years.[342]
Main article: Languages of the United States
Whilemany languages are spoken in the United States, English isby far the most commonly spoken and written.[351] Althoughthere is no official language at thefederal level, some laws, such as U.S. naturalization requirements,standardize English, and most states have declared it the official language.[352] Threestates and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languagesin addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian),[353] Alaska(twenty Native languages),[t][354] SouthDakota (Sioux),[355] AmericanSamoa (Samoan),Puerto Rico (Spanish), Guam (Chamorro),and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro).In total, 169 Native American languages are spoken in the United States.[356] InPuerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English.[357]
According to the American Community Survey in2010, some 229 million people out of the total U.S. population of 308 millionspoke only English at home. About 37 million spoke Spanish at home, making itthe second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by onemillion 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).[358]
Main article: Immigration to the United States
See also: United States Border Patrol
America'simmigrant population of nearly 51 million is by far the world's largestin absolute terms.[359][360] In2022, there were 87.7 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants inthe United States, accounting for nearly 27% of the overall U.S. population.[361] In2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million)were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanentresidents, 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23%(10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants.[362] In2019, the top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (24% ofimmigrants), India (6%), China (5%), the Philippines (4.5%), and El Salvador(3%).[363] TheUnited States has led the world in refugee resettlement fordecades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.[364]
Main article: Religion in the United States
See also: List ofreligious movements that began in the United States
Religious affiliation in theU.S., according to a 2022 Gallup poll:[7]
The First Amendment guaranteesthe free exercise of religion andforbids Congress from passing laws respecting its establishment.[365][366] Religiouspractice is widespread, among themost diverse in the world,[367] andprofoundly vibrant.[368] Thecountry has the world's largest Christian population[369] A majority of the global Jewish population livesin the United States, as measured by the Lawof Return.[370] Othernotable faiths include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, many New Age movements, and Native American religions.[371] Religiouspractice varies significantly by region.[372] "Ceremonialdeism" is common in American culture.[373]
The overwhelming majority of Americans believein a higherpower or spiritual force, engage in spiritual practices suchas prayer, and consider themselves religious or spiritual.[374][375] Inthe "BibleBelt", located within the Southern United States, evangelicalProtestantism plays a significant role culturally, whereas NewEngland and the Western United States tend tobe more secular.[372] Mormonism—a Restorationist movement,whose members migrated westward from Missouri and Illinois under the leadershipof BrighamYoung in 1847 after the assassination of JosephSmith[376]—remainsthe predominant religion in Utah to this day.[377]
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;[158] abouthalf of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.[378] In2022, 333 incorporated municipalities hadpopulations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, andfour cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) had populationsexceeding two million.[379] ManyU.S. metropolitan populations are growing rapidly, particularly in the Southand West.[380]
See also: Healthcare in the United States
See also: Healthcare reform in the United States and Health insurance in the United States
Accordingto the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),average American life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years in 2022 (74.8 yearsfor men and 80.2 years for women). This was a gain of 1.1 years from 76.4 yearsin 2021, but the CDC noted that the new average "didn't fully offset theloss of 2.4 years between 2019 and 2021". The COVID-19 pandemic andhigher overall mortality due to opioid overdoses and suicides were held mostlyresponsible for the previous drop in life expectancy.[385] Thesame report stated that the 2022 gains in average U.S. life expectancy wereespecially significant for men, Hispanics, and American Indian–Alaskan Nativepeople (AIAN). Starting in 1998, the life expectancy in the U.S. fell behind that of other wealthyindustrialized countries, and Americans' "healthdisadvantage" gap has been increasing ever since.[386] TheU.S. has one of the highest suicide rates among high-income countries.[387] Approximatelyone-third of the U.S. adult population is obese and another thirdis overweight.[388] TheU.S. healthcare system far outspendsthat of any other country, measured both in per capita spending andas a percentage of GDP, but attains worse healthcare outcomes when compared topeer countries for reasons that are debated.[389] TheUnited States is the only developed country without a system of universal healthcare,and a significant proportion of the populationthat does not carry health insurance.[390] Government-fundedhealthcare coverage for the poor (Medicaid) and for those age 65and older (Medicare) is available toAmericans who meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, formerPresident Obama passed the Patient Protection and Affordable CareAct.[u][391]
Main article: Education in the United States
Americanprimary and secondary education (known in the U.S. as K-12, "kindergartenthrough 12th grade") is decentralized. It is operated by state,territorial, and sometimes municipal governments and regulated by the U.S. Department of Education.In general, children are required to attend school or an approved homeschool from the ageof five or six (kindergarten or firstgrade) until they are 18 years old. This often brings studentsthrough the 12thgrade, the final year of a U.S. high school, but some states andterritories allow them to leave school earlier, at age 16 or 17.[392] TheU.S. spends more on education per student than any country in the world,[393] anaverage of $12,794 per year per public elementary and secondary school studentin 2016–2017.[394] AmongAmericans age 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attendedsome college, 27.2% earned a bachelor's degree, and 9.6%earned a graduate degree.[395] The U.S. literacy rate isnear-universal.[158][396] Thecountry has the most Nobel Prize winners of any country,with 411 (having won 413 awards).[397][398]
U.S. tertiary or higher education hasearned a global reputation. Many of the world's top universities, as listed byvarious ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of thetop 25.[399][400] Americanhigher education is dominated by state university systems,although the country's many private universities and colleges enrollabout 20% of all American students. Local communitycolleges generally offer coursework and degree programscovering the first two years of college study. They often have more openadmission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.[401]
As for public expenditures onhigher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the OECD average, andAmericans spend more than all nations in combined public and private spending.[402] Collegesand universities directly funded by the federal government do not chargetuition and are limited to military personnel and government employees,including: the U.S. service academies, the Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges.Despite some student loanforgiveness programs in place,[403] studentloan debt has increased by 102% in the last decade,[404] andexceeded 1.7 trillion dollars as of 2022.[405]
Main articles: Culture of the United States and Society of the United States
Americanshave traditionally been characterized by aunifying political belief in an "American creed"emphasizing liberty, equality under the law,democracy, socialequality, propertyrights, and a preference for limited government.[407][408] Culturally,the country has been described as having the values of individualism and personal autonomy,[409][410] aswell as having a strong workethic,[411] competitiveness,[412] andvoluntary altruism towardsothers.[413][414][415] Accordingto a 2016 study by the Charities Aid Foundation,Americans donated 1.44% of total GDP to charity, the highest rate in the worldby a large margin.[416] TheUnited States is home to a widevariety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. It hasacquired significantcultural and economic softpower.[417][418]
Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from Europe,Africa, and Asia ("the OldWorld") within the past five centuries.[419] Mainstream Americanculture is a Westernculture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants withinfluences from many other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa.[420] Morerecent immigration from Asia andespecially Latin America has addedto a cultural mix that has been described as a homogenizing meltingpot, and a heterogeneous salad bowl, with immigrantscontributing to, and often assimilating into,mainstream American culture. The AmericanDream, or the perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a keyrole in attracting immigrants.[421] Whetherthis perception is accurate has been a topic of debate.[422][423][424] Whilemainstream culture holds that the United States is a classlesssociety,[425] scholarsidentify significant differences between the country's social classes,affecting socialization,language, and values.[426][427] Americanstend to greatly value socioeconomic achievement,but being ordinaryor average is promoted by some as a noble condition as well.[428]
The United States is considered to have the strongest protections of free speech ofany country under the First Amendment,[429] whichprotects flag desecration, hate speech, blasphemy, and lese-majesty asforms of protected expression.[430][431][432] A2016 Pew Research Center pollfound that Americans were the most supportive of free expression of any politymeasured.[433] Theyare the "most supportive of freedom of the press andthe right to use the Internet withoutgovernment censorship."[434] Itis a socially progressive country[435] with permissive attitudessurrounding humansexuality.[436] LGBT rights in the United States areadvanced by global standards.[436][437][438]
Main articles: American literature and American philosophy
See also: List of American novelists
ColonialAmerican authors were influenced by JohnLocke and various other Enlightenment philosophers.[440][441] Beforeand shortly after the Revolutionary War, the newspaper rose to prominence,filling a demand for anti-British national literature.[442][443] Ledby Ralph Waldo Emerson and MargaretFuller in New England,[444] transcendentalism branchedfrom Unitarianism asthe first major American philosophical movement.[445][446] Duringthe nineteenth-century American Renaissance, writerslike WaltWhitman and Harriet Beecher Stowe establisheda distinctive American literary tradition.[447][448] Asliteracy rates rose, periodicals published more stories centered aroundindustrial workers, women, and the rural poor.[449][450] Naturalism, regionalism, and realism—thelatter associated with MarkTwain—were the major literary movements of the period.[451][452]
While modernism generally tookon an international character, modernist authors working within the UnitedStates more often rooted their work in specific regions, peoples, and cultures.[453] Followingthe Great Migration to northern cities, African-American and black West Indian authors ofthe Harlem Renaissance developedan independent tradition of literature that rebuked a history of inequality andcelebrated black culture. An important cultural export during the JazzAge, these writings were a key influence on Négritude,a philosophy emerging in the 1930s among francophone writers of the Africandiaspora.[454][455] Inthe 1950s, an ideal of homogeneity led many authors to attempt to write the Great American Novel,[456] whilethe BeatGeneration rejected this conformity, using styles that elevatedthe impact of the spokenword over mechanics to describe drug use, sexuality, and thefailings of society.[457][458] Contemporaryliterature is more pluralistic than in previous eras, with the closest thing toa unifying feature being a trend toward self-conscious experiments with language.[459]
Main article: Mass media in the United States
See also: Newspapers in the United States, Television in the United States, Broadcasting in the United States, Public broadcasting in the United States, Internet in the United States, Radio in the United States, and Video games in the United States
Mediais broadly uncensored, with the First Amendment providingsignificant protections, as reiterated in New York Times Co. v. United States.[429] Thefour 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 offershundreds of channels catering to a variety of niches.[460] Asof 2021, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listen to broadcast radio, while about40% listen to podcasts.[461] Asof 2020, there were 15,460 licensed full-power radio stations in the U.S.according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[462] Muchof the public radio broadcasting is supplied by NPR, incorporated in February1970 under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.[463]
U.S. newspapers with a global reach and reputation include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USAToday.[464] About800 publications are produced in Spanish.[465][466] Withfew exceptions, newspapers are privately owned, either by large chains such as Gannett or McClatchy, which own dozens oreven hundreds of newspapers; by small chains that own a handful of papers; or,in a situation that is increasingly rare, by individuals or families. Majorcities often have alternative newspapers tocomplement the mainstream daily papers, such as TheVillage Voice in New York City and LAWeekly in Los Angeles. The five most popular websites usedin the U.S. are Google, YouTube, Amazon, Yahoo!, and Facebook—all of themAmerican-owned.[467]
As of 2022, the video game market of the United States is theworld's largest by revenue.[468] Thereare 444 publishers, developers, and hardware companies in California alone.[469]
Main article: Theater in the United States
TheUnited States is well known for its theater. Mainstream theater in the UnitedStates derives from the old European theatrical tradition and has been heavilyinfluenced by the British theater.[470] Bythe middle of the 19th century America had created new distinct dramatic formsin the TomShows, the showboattheater and the minstrelshow.[471] Thecentral hub of the American theater scene isManhattan, with its divisions of Broadway, off-Broadway,and off-off-Broadway.[472]
Many movie and television stars havegotten their big break working in New York productions. Outside New York City,many cities have professional regional or resident theater companies thatproduce their own seasons. The biggest-budget theatrical productions aremusicals. U.S. theater has an active communitytheater culture.[473]
The TonyAwards recognizes excellence in live Broadway theater and arepresented at an annual ceremony in Manhattan.The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is alsogiven for regional theater. Severaldiscretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre,and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.[474]
Main articles: Visual art of the United States and Architecture of the United States
Inthe visual arts, the Hudson River School was amid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European naturalism.The 1913 ArmoryShow in New York City, an exhibition of European modernistart, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.[476]
GeorgiaO'Keeffe, MarsdenHartley, and others experimented with new and individualisticstyles, which would become known as American modernism. Majorartistic movements such as the abstract expressionism of JacksonPollock and Willemde Kooning and the pop art of AndyWarhol and RoyLichtenstein developed largely in the United States. Majorphotographers include AlfredStieglitz, EdwardSteichen, DorotheaLange, EdwardWeston, JamesVan Der Zee, AnselAdams, and GordonParks.[477]
The tide of modernism andthen postmodernism hasbrought global fame to American architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, PhilipJohnson, and FrankGehry.[478] The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan isthe largest artmuseum in the United States.[479]
Main article: Music of the United States
American folk music encompassesnumerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional folkmusic, contemporary folk music, or roots music. Many traditionalsongs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, andsometimes trace back to such origins as the BritishIsles, mainlandEurope, or Africa.[480] Therhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music in particular haveinfluenced American music.[481] Banjos were brought toAmerica through the slave trade. Minstrelshows incorporating the instrument into their acts led to itsincreased popularity and widespread production in the 19th century.[482][483] The electricguitar, first invented in the 1930s, and mass-produced by the 1940s,had an enormous influence on popular music, in particular due to thedevelopment of rockand roll.[484]
Elementsfrom folk idioms such as the blues and old-timemusic were adopted and transformed into populargenres with global audiences. Jazz grew from blues and ragtime in the early 20thcentury, developing from the innovations and recordings of composers such as W.C.Handy and JellyRoll Morton. LouisArmstrong and DukeEllington increased its popularity early in the 20th century.[485] Countrymusic developed in the 1920s,[486] rockand roll in the 1930s,[484] and bluegrass[487] and rhythmand blues in the 1940s.[488] Inthe 1960s, BobDylan emerged from the folk revival to becomeone of the country's most celebrated songwriters.[489] Themusical forms of punk and hip hop both originatedin the United States in the 1970s.[490]
The United States has the world's largest music market witha total retail value of $15.9 billion in 2022.[491] Mostof the world's majorrecord companies are based in the U.S.; they are represented bythe Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[492] Mid-20th-centuryAmerican popstars, such as FrankSinatra[493] and ElvisPresley,[494] became globalcelebrities and best-selling music artists,[485] ashave artists of the late 20th century, such as MichaelJackson,[495] Madonna,[496] WhitneyHouston,[497] and Prince,[498] andof early 21st century such as TaylorSwift and Beyoncé.[499]
Main article: Fashion in the United States
TheUnited States, along with China, collectively accounts for the majority ofglobal apparel demand.Apart from professional businessattire, American fashion is eclectic and predominantly informal.While Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing, sneakers, jeans, T-shirts, and baseballcaps are emblematic of American styles.[500] NewYork is considered to be one of the "big four" global fashioncapitals, along with Paris, Milan, and London. A study demonstratedthat general proximity to Manhattan's Garment District hasbeen synonymous with American fashion since its inception in the early 20thcentury.[501]
The headquarters of many designerlabels reside in Manhattan.Labels cater to nichemarkets, such as pre teens. There has been a trend in the UnitedStates fashion towards sustainable clothing.[502] New York Fashion Week isone of the most influential fashion weeks in the world, and occurs twice a year;[503] whilethe annual MetGala in Manhattan is commonly known as the fashion world's"biggest night".[504][505]
Main article: Cinema of the United States
TheU.S. film industry has a worldwide influence and following. Hollywood, a district innorthern Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city, is alsometonymous for the American filmmaking industry.[506][507][508] The major film studios of theUnited States are the primary source of the most commercially successful andmost ticket-selling movies in the world.[509][510] Sincethe early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in andaround Hollywood, although in the 21st century an increasing number of filmsare not made there, and film companies have been subject to the forces ofglobalization.[511] The AcademyAwards, popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually bythe Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences since 1929,[512] andthe Golden Globe Awards havebeen held annually since January 1944.[513]
The industry enjoyed its golden years, in what is commonlyreferred to as the "Golden Age of Hollywood",from the early sound period until the early 1960s,[514] withscreen actors such as JohnWayne and MarilynMonroe becoming iconic figures.[515][516] Inthe 1970s, "NewHollywood" or the "Hollywood Renaissance"[517] wasdefined by grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist pictures ofthe post-war period.[518] The21st century was marked by the rise of American streaming platforms, which cameto rival traditional cinema.[519][520]
Main article: Americancuisine
Furtherinformation: List of American regional and fusion cuisines
Earlysettlers were introduced by Native Americans to foods such as turkey, sweetpotatoes, corn, squash,and maplesyrup. Of the most enduring and pervasive examples are variations ofthe native dish called succotash.Early settlers and later immigrants combined these with foods they werefamiliar with, such as wheatflour,[521] beef,and milk, to create a distinctive American cuisine.[522][523] NewWorld crops, especially pumpkin, corn, potatoes, and turkey as themain course are part of a shared national menu on Thanksgiving, when manyAmericans prepare or purchase traditional dishes to celebrate the occasion.[524]
Characteristic American dishes such as applepie, friedchicken, doughnuts, frenchfries, macaroni and cheese, icecream, pizza, hamburgers,and hotdogs derive from the recipes of various immigrant groups.[525][526][527][528] Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos preexisted theUnited States in areas later annexed from Mexico, and adaptations of Chinese cuisine aswell as pasta dishes freely adapted from Italiansources are all widely consumed.[529] American chefs have had asignificant impact on society both domestically and internationally. In 1946,the Culinary Institute of America wasfounded by Katharine Angell and FrancesRoth. This would become the United States' most prestigious culinaryschool, where many of the most talented American chefs would study prior tosuccessful careers.[530][531]
The United States restaurant industry wasprojected at $899 billion in sales for 2020,[532][533] andemployed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the nation'sworkforce directly.[532] Itis the country's second-largest private employer and the third-largest employeroverall.[534][535] TheUnited States is home to over 220 MichelinStar rated restaurants, 70 of which are in New York City alone.[536] Wine hasbeen produced in what is now the United States since the 1500s, with the firstwidespread production beginning in what is now New Mexico in1628.[537][538][539] Inthe modern U.S., wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with Californiaproducing 84 percent of all U.S. wine. With more than 1,100,000acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is thefourth-largest wine producing country inthe world, after Italy, Spain,and France.[540][541]
The American fast-food industrydeveloped alongside the nation's carculture.[542] Americanrestaurants developed the drive-in formatin the 1920s, which they began to replace with the drive-through formatby the 1940s.[543][544] Americancompanies such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and many others have numerousoutlets around the world.[545][546][547]
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
Themost popular spectator sports in the U.S. are American football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey.[548] Whilemost major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved outof European practices, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding,and snowboarding areAmerican inventions, many of which have become popular worldwide.[549] Lacrosse and surfing arose from NativeAmerican and Native Hawaiian activities that predate European contact.[550] Themarket 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.[551]
American football is by several measures the most popularspectator sport in the United States;[552] the National Football League hasthe highest average attendance of any sports league in the world, and the SuperBowl is watched by tens of millions globally.[553] However,baseball has been regarded as the U.S. "nationalsport" since the late 19th century. After American football,the next four most popular professional team sports are basketball, baseball,soccer, and ice hockey. Their premier leagues are, respectively, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the National Hockey League. Themost-watched individualsports in the U.S. are golf and autoracing, particularly NASCAR and IndyCar.[554][555]
On the collegiate level, earnings forthe member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,[556] and collegefootball and basketball attract largeaudiences, as the NCAA March Madness tournament andthe College Football Playoff aresome of the most watched national sporting events.[557] Inthe U.S., the intercollegiate sports level serves as a feeder system forprofessional sports. This differs greatly from practices in nearly all othercountries, where publicly and privately funded sports organizations serve thisfunction.[558]
Eight OlympicGames 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.[559] TheOlympic Games will be held in the U.S. for a ninth time when Los Angeles hoststhe 2028 Summer Olympics. U.S. athletes have won atotal of 2,968 medals (1,179 gold) at the Olympic Games, the most of anycountry.[560][561][562]
In international competition, the U.S. men's national soccer team hasqualified for eleven World Cups, while the women's national team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup and Olympic soccer tournament fourtimes each.[563] TheUnited States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup andwill co-host, along with Canada and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[564] The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup wasalso hosted by the United States. Its final match was watchedby 90,185, setting the world record for most-attended women's sporting event atthe time.[565]
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