| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Washington, DC |
|
Borders |
Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km |
|
Government type |
Constitution-based federal republic |
|
Population |
307,212,123 (July 2010 est.)[1] |
|
Population growth % |
0.98 (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
78.11 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
9.3% (2009 est.)[1] |
|
8[2] | |
|
19[3] | |
|
4[4] | |
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Over a span of more than five decades, the economy has achieved steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.[1]
- See also: History of money and banking in the US
Economical characteristics[]
- Currency: United States dollar (ISO code: USD)
- Central bank discount rate: 0.5% (31 December 2009)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: 5.09% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Stock of money (M1): $1.436 trillion (31 December 2008)[1]
- Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $10.99 trillion (31 December 2008)[1]
Statistics[]
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[5] | 9 216 200 | 9 764 800 | 10 075 900 | 10 417 600 | 10 908 000 | 11 630 900 | 12 364 100 | 13 116 500 | 13 741 600 | 14 093 300 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[6] | 32.957 | 44.103 | 46.834 | 47.680 | 48.016 | 47.128 | 47.484 | 55.662 | ||
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[7] | 20.431 | 18.187 | 17.531 | 17.609 | 18.856 | 19.569 | 19.659 | 17.874 | ||
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[8] | 19.857 | 20.717 | 21.324 | 21.186 | 21.590 | 21.442 | 21.803 | 23.464 | ||
| Debt to revenue (years) | 1.613 | 2.425 | 2.671 | 2.708 | 2.546 | 2.408 | 2.415 | 3.114 |
References[]
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Facebook. "United States", from The World Facebook. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "United States", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Transparency International. "United States", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Doing Business. "United States", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United States: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United States: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United States: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United States: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
External links[]
- United States on Wikipedia
- Central bank of United States
- Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
- BBC country profile
- Why Did 17 Million Students Go to College? by Richard Vedder, October 2010
- The U.S. Isn't as Free as It Used to Be by Terry Miller, January 2010
- A look at Obama's 2011 budget for govt agencies, Associated Press, February 2010
- China Will Keep Trimming Treasurys: Jim Rogers by Antonia Oprita, February 2010
- August 19, 2010 - Cost of Government Day Has Arrived!, 2010