About

The United States of America is the world's oldest federal state, consisting of 50 states, the capital district of Washington, D.C., five major overseas territories, and 11 minor outlying islands. The contiguous United States is bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. To the west lies the Pacific Ocean, where Hawaii is located, while Alaska faces Russia across the Bering Strait. To the east, it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. possesses the world's third-largest land area, the largest exclusive economic zone, and the third-largest population. The federal government is a presidential constitutional republic, composed of three branches: legislative, judicial, and executive. The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Furthermore, under the federal constitution, state governments coexist with the federal government, with each state headed by a governor. The United States is currently the world's sole superpower, maintaining an overwhelming global lead in economic, military, and diplomatic power, as well as soft power. With a wealthy economy, the world's largest domestic market, vast fertile land, immense natural resources, diverse industrial sectors, a massive population, and geopolitical advantages, it is one of the few countries capable of self-sufficiency alongside Russia. It is a founding member of the UN, the World Bank, NATO, and the OAS, the largest contributor to the IMF, a leading member of the G7 and G20, and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, serving as the most powerful hegemonic state shaping the world order. Native Americans, who crossed the Bering Strait during the Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago, have lived in the current U.S. territory, building civilizations and cultures since ancient times. European migration began during the Age of Discovery. Great Britain formed thirteen colonies, starting with Virginia in 1607 and ending with Georgia in 1733. In particular, the Virginia House of Burgesses developed a foundation of political philosophy based on Lockean libertarianism, prioritizing individual liberty within the classical liberal tradition. This led to the American Revolution and crystallized into a uniquely American revolutionary liberal ideology. This formed an independent political and cultural tradition fundamentally different from the confrontational structure of socialism and conservatism that developed in Europe. Subsequently, the thirteen colonies revolted against British taxation based on republicanism and liberalism (1775), and the Declaration of Independence was drafted on July 4, 1776, founding the United States of America. After gaining independence in 1783 following the war with Britain, the U.S. added states through territorial expansion known as the Westward Expansion and the displacement and massacre of indigenous peoples known as the Indian Wars. During this process, Southern states that held Black Americans as slaves seceded from the Union to establish the Confederate States of America to maintain slavery. However, the North's victory in the Civil War (1861–1865) resulted in the abolition of slavery. In the mid-to-late 19th century, the U.S. attained powerful national strength often referred to as the American colonial empire. In the 20th century, it further expanded its military, political, and economic influence by participating in both World Wars. Following World War II, it engaged in a military and ideological confrontation with the Soviet Union during the Cold War (1947–1991). Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 21st-century United States has established itself as the sole superpower, exerting overwhelming influence in all areas of hard power (military, economy, politics) and soft power (culture, education, research). This is the driving force behind the U.S. proclaiming itself as the "world's police" or advocating American Exceptionalism, and the international order restructured under U.S. leadership after World War II continues to this day.