The USA is in North America and borders the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Oceans, with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Once a British colony the USA became an independent nation in 1776 and was recognized as the United States of America following the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

With a Land Area of 9.6 million sq km, and claiming an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles, makes the USA the world's third-largest country in area after Russia and Canada,  and by population after China and India with plus 293 million or 1/7th of the worlds population.

Mt. McKinley is highest point at 6,194 m, and Death Valley the lowest point in North America and there are semiarid regions in the great plains west of the Mississippi River and the Great Basin of the southwest is very arid with the rugged mountains in west, a vast central plain with hills and low mountains in east.

The US climate is mostly temperate with low winter temperatures in the northwest with warm Chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in January and February which often fray the nerves of the regions inhabitants. Hawaii and Florida are tropical and Alaska is arctic with a mild brief summer.

The environment has many hazards - volcanoes in the Pacific north west and Hawaii. Hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts,  tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast,  mud slides in California,  forest fires in the west,  flooding in the Mississippi basin and blizzard conditions in Alaska.

The United States Government is a constitution-based federal republic.
The capital city is Washington, DC and there are 50 states:
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, and Wyoming.

The USA also controls the dependent areas of 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 and Wake Island. The US also has a powerful controlling interest in the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. The US as the worlds most powerful nation has invaded and or interfered with seventy two countries since world war 2. (The Pilger Report).

>Economically, the US is the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world and controls 1/2 of the worlds economy which is perhaps why it behaves as it does in the world.

The US Legal system is based on English common law with persons over 18 years of age able to vote. Crime is a major problem and in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the US government gave itself limitless powers over it's citizens

National holidays: Independence: 4 July

Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.

Communications are generally good with land line and mobile/cellular telephone networks, many radio stations, ( AM, FM & shortwave) 18 (1998) Five major TV networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS) plus about 9,000 cable TV systems. Internet use is wide spread with an estimated 200 million users.

Electric power is standardized in all states across the USA. It is set at 110 Volts and 60 cycles for personal appliances and 220 Volts appliances like stoves, water heaters and clothes dryers.