The United States of America, with its capital Washington, D.C.,
encompasses a total area of 9,629,091 sq. km. The US is the world's
third-largest country after Russia and Canada.
The United States of America, with its capital Washington, D.C.,
encompasses a total area of 9,629,091 sq. km. The US is the world's
third-largest country after Russia and Canada.
The climate is 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; and low winter temperatures in the northwest. The terrain is vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east, and rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska. Hawaii has a very unique type of terrain compared with the rest of the US. The landscape is very rugged with volcanoes. The nation's natural resources include: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, and timber. Although the US is putting forth many conservation efforts, the country's environmental state is still at risk. The US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. The major current environmental issues that America is facing are: air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada, water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers, limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management, and desertification.
The population of this vast nation was recorded as 278,058,881 in July 2001. The English language is spoken by the majority of the country however, Spanish is spoken by a sizable minority. America is the leading industrial power in the world having highly diversified and technologically advanced systems. Petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, and mining are a few of the major industries. Agricultural products are still an important source of income and include: wheat, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, forest products and fish.
Click here for information about the wildlife and habitats of North America.