The United States is a country located primarily in North America, with a population of 340,110,988 and an area of 9,826,675 square kilometers. Its capital is Washington, D.C. The country traces its founding to May 12, 1784, and declared independence from Britain decades earlier, on July 4, 1776. It has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with American firms near the forefront of computers, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace equipment.
Key facts
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
- Continent: North America
- Population: 340,110,988
- Area: 9,826,675 km²
- Official language: Hawaiian; Spanish; Samoan; Chamorro
- Currency: United States dollar
- ISO code: US
- Founded: 12 May 1784
Independence and the Constitution
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution in the Second Continental Congress proposing independence for the American colonies. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and delegates began signing the engrossed parchment on August 2, 1776.
Ratifying the Constitution took longer than independence itself. By January 9, 1788, only five of the nine states required for ratification had approved it: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. New Hampshire became the ninth and deciding state, with Congress receiving word of its approval on July 2, 1788.
Geography
The country’s official languages are Hawaiian, Spanish, Samoan, and Chamorro, reflecting its reach beyond the mainland. Its lowest point in the contiguous states is Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, sitting 282 feet below sea level.
Denali rises with a greater vertical climb than Mount Everest because it starts from a base elevation of roughly 2,000 feet, compared with Everest’s 17,000-foot plateau. Denali ranks as the third most topographically prominent and third most isolated summit on Earth, behind only Everest and Aconcagua. Nearby in the Alaska Range stands Mount Foraker, at 17,400 feet, often passed over by climbers heading for its taller neighbor.
International alliances
The United States joined NATO as a founding member when President Truman and Secretary Acheson signed the Instrument of Accession on July 25, 1949. The Senate had ratified the North Atlantic Treaty four days earlier, on July 21, 1949, by a vote of 83 to 13.
The country had already helped establish the United Nations. The UN Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, with Poland signing later yet still counted among the 51 founding members. The Senate ratified the Charter on July 28, 1945, by a vote of 89 to 2, reversing its earlier rejection of the League of Nations Covenant.
Government
Donald John Trump is the 47th and current president, sworn into office on January 20, 2025, alongside Vice President James David (JD) Vance, the 50th to hold that office. In the November 2026 midterm elections, Democrats won full control of both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2023, producing divided government against President Trump.
Did you know
- Denali has a greater vertical rise than Mount Everest because it rises from a base elevation of roughly 2,000 feet, compared to Everest’s 17,000-foot plateau. (geoprowl.com)
- Denali is the third most topographically prominent and third most isolated summit on Earth, trailing only Everest and Aconcagua. (worldatlas.com)
- The UN Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, though Poland signed later and is still counted among the 51 founding members. (usgovexplained.org)
- The U.S. Senate ratified the UN Charter on July 28, 1945, by a vote of 89 to 2, a striking contrast to its earlier rejection of the League of Nations Covenant. (usgovexplained.org)
- By January 9, 1788, only five of the nine states necessary for ratification had approved the Constitution: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. (archives.gov)
- New Hampshire became the ninth and deciding state to ratify the Constitution, with Congress receiving word of its approval on July 2, 1788. (archives.gov)
- Mount Foraker, standing beside Denali in the Alaska Range at 17,400 feet, is so often overshadowed that climbers tend to walk straight past it toward its famous neighbor. (worldatlas.com)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-11-09