USA Facts and Figures
Country name:
conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA

Famous places

Money

Climate: Autumn photos

Government type:
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Capital:
Washington, DC

Population:
295,734,134 (July 2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.71 years
male: 74.89 years
female: 80.67 years (2005 est.)

Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American

Ethnic groups:
white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.)

Religions:
Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.)

Languages:
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Legal system:
federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana's) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Flag description:
13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico

Information Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html