The United States is a large country in North America, made up of fifty states spread across the continent and beyond, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and out to Alaska and Hawaii. The third largest country by both area and population, it is the world's largest economy and a dominant force in science, technology, business, and culture. A nation built largely by immigration, it is among the most diverse societies on Earth.
The land was home to hundreds of Native American nations for thousands of years before European colonisation began in the sixteenth century. Thirteen British colonies on the eastern seaboard declared independence in 1776 and won it through revolution, founding a republic under a written constitution that pioneered modern democratic government. The young nation expanded westward across the continent, a movement that displaced Native peoples, and was nearly torn apart by a civil war over slavery before emerging, by the twentieth century, as a global power.
The United States spans an enormous variety of landscapes: the forested Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic coast in the east, the vast grassy plains of the interior, the high Rocky Mountains and deserts of the west, and a long Pacific coast. It contains environments from Arctic tundra in Alaska to tropical Hawaii, along with the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River system, and the Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world.
The flag of the United States, often called the Stars and Stripes, has thirteen alternating red and white stripes for the original thirteen colonies, and a blue field bearing fifty white stars, one for each state. As new states joined the union, stars were added, so the flag itself records the country's growth from thirteen colonies to a continental nation. It is among the most widely recognised flags in the world.
The United States was founded on the principle of religious freedom, with no official state church, and that openness drew people of many faiths. Christianity in a vast array of denominations is the majority religion, and the country has long been notably more religious than other wealthy nations, though the share reporting no religion has grown sharply. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many other traditions are all well established.
American food is a melting pot, shaped by Native ingredients, waves of immigration, and regional invention. Dishes like the hamburger, hot dog, and barbecue are national icons, alongside deep regional traditions: Southern soul food, Tex-Mex along the border, Cajun cooking in Louisiana, and the seafood of the coasts. The country also gave the world its modern fast-food culture, while its cities offer cuisines from every corner of the globe.
The United States is one of the world's agricultural giants and a leading food exporter. Its fertile heartland, the Midwest, forms a vast belt of corn and soybeans, while the Great Plains grow wheat and raise cattle, and California produces an extraordinary range of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Highly mechanised and technologically advanced, American agribusiness feeds much of the world, though it raises ongoing debates about scale, sustainability, and the family farm.
American history has shaped the modern world: the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Civil War that ended slavery, decisive roles in both world wars, and the Cold War rivalry that sent the first humans to the Moon in 1969. The civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century, which fought to end racial segregation, transformed the nation, and its struggles over equality, immigration, and democracy continue to define its public life.
The United States has a population of around 335 million people, the third largest in the world, and one of the most diverse, built by centuries of immigration from every continent. Most Americans live in sprawling metropolitan areas, from New York and Los Angeles to a belt of fast-growing cities across the south and west. English is the dominant language, with Spanish widely spoken, and the country's identity as a nation of immigrants remains central, and contested, in its politics.
