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American (people)

Americans
Flag of the United States.svg
Total population
c. 308 million
2010 United States Census
c. 320 million
2015 estimate
Regions with significant populations
Mexico 738,100–1,000,000
Canada 316,350–1,000,000
Philippines 250,000–600,000
Germany 324,000
Israel 200,000
United Kingdom 139,000–197,143
South Korea 120,000–158,000
Costa Rica 130,000
France 100,000
China 71,493
Brazil 28,000 - 70,000
Colombia 60,000
Hong Kong 60,000
India 60,000
Australia 56,276
Japan 51,321
Italy 50,000
United Arab Emirates 50,000
Haiti 45,000
Saudi Arabia 40,000
Argentina 37,000
Norway 33,509
Bahamas 30,000
Russia 30,000
Lebanon 25,000
Panama 25,000
El Salvador 19,000
New Zealand 17,751
Honduras 15,000
Chile 12,000
Taiwan 10,645
Austria 10,175
Bermuda 8,000
Kuwait 8,000
Languages
Primarily English, but also Spanish and others
Religion
Primarily Christian (Protestantism, Catholicism, and Mormonism)
Various non-Christian religions (Judaism and others)

Americans are citizens of the United States of America. The country is home to people of many different national origins. As a result, Americans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance. Although citizens make up the majority of Americans, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an American identity.

English-speakers typically use the term "American" to exclusively mean people of the United States; this developed from its original use to differentiate English people of the American colonies from English people of England. The word "American" can also refer to people from the Americas in general. See Names for United States citizens.

The majority of Americans or their ancestors immigrated to America or were brought as slaves within the past five centuries, with the exception of the Native American population and people from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands who became American through expansion of the country in the 19th century, and American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th century.

Despite its multi-ethnic composition, the culture of the United States held in common by most Americans can also be referred to as mainstream American culture, a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Northern and Western European colonists, settlers, and immigrants. It also includes influences of African-American culture. Westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements. Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot, or pluralistic salad bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics.


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