United States of America

The United States of America (USA), also called the United States, US, America, or the States, is a federal republic. It is comprised of 41 individual districts, and one federal district. The 39 contiguous states are located between the Confederate States and Canada, and just east of Louisiana. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago located in the mid-Pacific. Peurto Rico is located near Cuba. There are an aditional 3 populated island territories, 6 unpoulated territories, and 5 land territories seperated from the mainland.

The country emerged from an original 13 colonies set up by England in the 1600's. They declared independance on July 4th, 1776. The country slowly began to accumulate more states, traveling slowly westwards, towards Spanish America. In the 1860's, war broke out between the North and South over slavery, with both sides forming a treaty. The Confederate States were formed, spanning from the Carolinas to Iowa. Texas broke off from the Confederate States, forming it's own country. A negotiation with the French to give America Louisiana failed, due to tensions at that time.

History
The US started out as 13 colonies set up along the eastern shore. These colonies were ruled by England, until they broke away in 1776. Since then, the colonies began to spread westwards, at one point going as far as Texas, and claiming over 50 states. In the 1860's, the southern half of the country split off, becoming the CSA, and waredd against the US, eventullyy forming a treaty that has lasted to today.

Geography
The contiguous United States contains at total land area of 693,860 miles squared, which spans from Aroostook to Kentucky, to Superior, to Dakota. The largest state is Minnesota, and the smallest is Providence. There are several island territories, as well as overseas territories in Mexica and South America. The highest point is Mount Washington (6,288 ft) in New Hampshire, and the lowest point is    . There are 2 island states; Hawaii and Peurto Rico. There are also 3 populated island territories; Guam, Wke Island, and Jarvis Island, and 6 unpopulated island territories; Baker Island, Howand Island, Palmyra Atoll, Navassa Island, Kingman Reef, and Midway Atoll. All of this makes up a total of 710,762.71 miles of land squared.

The US is home to 400,00 species of animal, with 12,000 species unique to the country. The national bird is the Bald Eagle, found in every state except Hawaii and Puerto Rico. There are eight national parks, managed by the United States Ecological Service.

Demographics
The US is a very diverse country, made up of many different races and ancestries. The states are largely made up of German heritage, with groups of Dutch, English, French, and Italian. The current population is at 162,979,766, and is suspected to rise. There are 76 cities with a population of over 100,000, and 3 cities with a population of over 1,000,000. The most populated city is New York at 8,405,837 people.

Arround 75.9% of people over 18 are Christian, 1.3% are Jewish, .8% are Muslim, and 1.2% identify as other. 9.5% identify as Athiest, and 11.3% are unknown or non-observant.

87.3% of Americans speak English at home, making it the de facto national language. French is spoken 7.4%, and Spanish is spoken 4.8%. Other languages are spoken 0.5%, or only 8,148,988 people.

Government
The United States is one of the world's oldest surviving  federation. It is a constitutional republic  and a representative democracy , "in which  majority rule is tempered by minority rights  protected by  law". There are three branches of federal government; Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. To keep things fair, it is regulated by a system of 'checks and balances', which keep each political branch from having too much power. At a state level, there is a state government, and most towns and cities have city halls. The federal district is located in Washington DC.

Political Divisions

Main Page - Territorial Evolution of the United States

There are 41 states in the US, derived from the 13 original colonies that rebelled against British rule. Since then, 26 western states have been admitted, plus an additional 2 island states. Deleware was the first to be admitted, and Peurto Rico, which was a territory until 2010, is the most recend addition to the union.

Elections
The President of the United States is elected by an electoral college. There is mostly just a two-party system, made up of Democrats and Republicans. Only one president since the civil war has won an election while running for a third party; Theodore Roosevelt, who was running as a Progressive.