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Location:
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North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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38 00 N, 97 00 W |
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Map references:
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North America |
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Area:
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total: 9,629,091 sq km
land: 9,158,960 sq km
water: 470,131 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 12,034 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with
Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US
and thus remains part of Cuba; the base boundary is 29 km |
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Coastline:
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19,924 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska,
semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in
the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the
northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm
chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
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Terrain:
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vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east;
rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic
topography in Hawaii |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold,
iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum,
natural gas, timber |
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Land use:
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arable land: 19%
other: 81% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: NEGL% |
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Irrigated land:
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214,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin;
hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in
the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the
west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to
development |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US
is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of
fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers;
very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part
of the country require careful management; desertification |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes |
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Geography - note:
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world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by
population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in
North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
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Population:
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280,562,489 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 21% (male 30,116,782; female 28,765,183)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 92,391,120; female 93,986,468)
65 years and over: 12.6% (male 14,748,522; female 20,554,414)
(2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.89% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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14.1 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.4 years
male: 74.5 years
female: 80.2 years (2002 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.07 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: American(s)
adjective: American |
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Ethnic groups:
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white 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%,
native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the
US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American
descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in
the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian,
etc.) |
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Religions:
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Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
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Languages:
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English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
male: 97%
female: 97% (1979 est.)
total population: 97% |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA |
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Government type:
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federal republic; strong democratic tradition |
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Capital:
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Washington, DC |
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