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Picturesque USA gained independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
Abbreviation: US or USA
Capital: Washington, DC
Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Area: total: 3,794,083 sq mi (9,826,675 sq km)
land: 3,537,438 sq mi (9,161,964 sq km)
water: 256,645 sq mi (664,711 sq km)
Northernmost point: Point Barrow, Alaska
Easternmost point: West Quoddy Head, Maine
Southernmost point: Ka Lae (South Cape), Hawaii
Westernmost point: Cape Wrangell, Alaska
Population: 293,027,571 (July 2004 est.)
Symbols of the USA: Bald Eagle, Liberty Bell, Gateway Arch, Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, Statue of Liberty, American Flag, The Supreme Court Building
Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island
Climate: 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
Terrain: 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
Government type: Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Military branches: Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard
Largest Cities: New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; Dallas, TX; San Jose, CA; Detroit, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; San Francisco, CA; Columbus, OH; Austin, TX; Memphis, TN; Baltimore, MD; Fort Worth, TX; Charlotte, NC; El Paso, TX; Milwaukee, WI; Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Louisville-Jefferson County, KY; Washington, DC; Nashville-Davidson, TN; Las Vegas, NV; Portland, OR; Oklahoma City, OK; Tucson, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Long Beach, CA; Atlanta, GA, Fresno, CA; Sacramento, CA; New Orleans, LA; Cleveland, OH; Kansas City, MO; Mesa, AZ; Virginia Beach, VA; Omaha, NE; Oakland, CA; Miami, FL; Tulsa, OK; Honolulu, HI; Minneapolis, MN; Colorado Springs, CO; Arlington, TX
Highest Point: Mt. McKinley - 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level
Lowest Point: Death Valley, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level [this is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere]
Major Rivers:
1. Missouri, 2,540 miles (flows into Mississippi River)
2. Mississippi, 2,340 miles (flows into Gulf of Mexico)
3. Yukon, 1,980 miles (flows into Bering Sea)
4. Rio Grande, 1,900 miles (flows into Gulf of Mexico)
4. St. Lawrence, 1,900 miles (flows into Gulf of St. Lawrence)
6. Arkansas, 1,460 miles (flows into Mississippi River)
7. Colorado, 1,450 miles (flows into Gulf of California)
8. Red, 1,290 miles (flows into Mississippi River)
9. Brazos, 1,280 miles (flows into Gulf of Mexico)
10. Columbia, 1,240 miles (flows into Pacific Ocean)
11. Snake, 1,040 miles (flows into Columbia River)
12. Platte, 990 miles (flows into Missouri River)
13. Ohio, 981 miles (flows into Mississippi River)
14. Pecos, 926 miles (flows into Gulf of Mexico)
15. Canadian, 906 miles (flows into Arkansas River)
16. Tennessee, 886 miles (flows into Ohio River)
17. Colorado, 862 miles (flows into Matagordo Bay)
18. North Canadian, 800 miles (flows into Canadian River)
19. Mobile, 774 miles (flows into Gulf of Mexico)
20. Kansas, 743 miles (flows into Missouri River)
21. Kuskokwim, 724 miles (flows into Bering Sea)
22. Green, 730 miles (flows into Colorado River)
23. James, 710 miles (flows into Missouri River)
24. Yellowstone, 692 miles (flows into Missouri River)
25. Tanana, 659 miles (flows into Yukon River)
26. Gila, 630 miles (flows into Colorado River)
27. Milk, 625 miles (flows into Missouri River)
28. Quachita, 605 miles (flows into Red River)
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