The United States

United States of America
Flag Great Seal
Motto:  "In God We Trust" Other traditional mottos   "E pluribus unum" (Latin) (de facto) "Out of many, one" "Annuit cœptis" (Latin) "He has favored our undertakings" "Novus ordo seclorum" (Latin) "New order of the ages"
Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner" March: "The Stars and Stripes Forever"
The contiguous United States plus Alaska and Hawaii
The United States and its territories
Capital	Washington, D.C. 38°53′N 77°01′W / 38.883°N 77.017°W / 38.883; -77.017
Largest city	New York City 40°43′N 74°00′W / 40.717°N 74.000°W / 40.717; -74.000
Official languages	None at federal level
National language	English
Ethnic groups	(By race) 73.1% White 12.7% Black 7.9% Other/multiracial 5.4% Asian 0.8% Native 0.2% Pacific Islander Ethnicity: 17.6% Hispanic or Latino 82.4% non-Hispanic or Latino
Religion	70.6% Christian 22.8% Irreligious 1.9% Jewish 0.9% Muslim 0.7% Hindu 0.7% Buddhist 1.8% other faiths
Demonym	American
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President	Donald Trump
• Vice President	Mike Pence
• Speaker of the House	Paul Ryan
• Chief Justice	John Roberts
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence from Great Britain
• Declaration	July 4, 1776
• Confederation	March 1, 1781
• Treaty of Paris	September 3, 1783
• Constitution	June 21, 1788
• Last polity admitted	March 24, 1976
Area
• Total area	3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2) (3rd/4th)
• Water (%)	6.97
• Total land area	3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)
Population
• 2017 estimate	324,577,000 (3rd)
• 2010 census	309,349,689 (3rd)
• Density	90.6/sq mi (35.0/km2) (180th)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$18.581 trillion (2nd)
• Per capita	$57,294 (14th)
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	$18.558 trillion (1st)
• Per capita	$57,220 (6th)
Gini (2013)	40.8 medium
HDI (2014)	0.915 very high · 8th
Currency	United States dollar ($) (USD)
Time zone	(UTC−4 to −12, +10, +11)
• Summer (DST)	(UTC−4 to −10)
Date format	MM/DD/YYYY
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+1
ISO 3166 code	US
Internet TLD	.us   .gov   .mil   .edu
Website usa.gov
^ English is the official language of 32 states; English and Hawaiian are both official languages in Hawaii, and English and 20 Indigenous languages are official in Alaska. Algonquian, Cherokee, and Sioux are among many other official languages in Native-controlled lands throughout the country. French is a de facto, but unofficial, language in Maine and Louisiana, while New Mexico law grants Spanish a special status. ^ In five territories, English as well as one or more indigenous languages are official: Spanish in Puerto Rico, Samoan in American Samoa, Chamorro in both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Carolinian is also an official language in the Northern Mariana Islands. ^ Whether the United States or China is larger has been disputed. The figure given is from the U.S. Census and United Nations. ^ See Time in the United States for details about laws governing time zones in the United States. ^ Except American Samoa and the Virgin Islands.

Leading population centers (see complete list)
Rank	Core city (cities)	Metro area population	Metropolitan Statistical Area	Region	New York City Los Angeles Chicago Dallas
1	New York	20,182,305	New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA MSA	Northeast
2	Los Angeles	13,340,068	Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA MSA	West
3	Chicago	9,551,031	Chicago–Joliet–Naperville, IL–IN–WI MSA	Midwest
4	Dallas–Fort Worth	7,102,796	Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX MSA	South
5	Houston	6,656,947	Houston–The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA	South
6	Washington, D.C.	6,097,684	Washington, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA	South
7	Philadelphia	6,069,875	Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD MSA	Northeast
8	Miami	6,012,331	Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL MSA	South
9	Atlanta	5,710,795	Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA MSA	South
10	Boston	4,774,321	Boston–Cambridge–Quincy, MA–NH MSA	Northeast
11	San Francisco	4,656,132	San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA MSA	West
12	Phoenix	4,574,531	Phoenix–Mesa–Glendale, AZ MSA	West
13	Riverside–San Bernardino	4,489,159	Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA MSA	West
14	Detroit	4,302,043	Detroit–Warren–Livonia, MI MSA	Midwest
15	Seattle	3,733,580	Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA MSA	West
16	Minneapolis–St. Paul	3,524,583	Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI MSA	Midwest
17	San Diego	3,299,521	San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos, CA MSA	West
18	Tampa–St. Petersburg	2,975,225	Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL MSA	South
19	Denver	2,814,330	Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO MSA	West
20	St. Louis	2,811,588	St. Louis MO–IL MSA	Midwest
Based on 2015 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau

Coordinates: 40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W / 40; -100

The United States of America, commonly referred to as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a constitutional federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Nine time zones are covered. The geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse.