Download Country: United States Region: North America THE WORLD

Country: United States
THE WORLD FACTBOOK – CIA
Site Location Descriptors:
Region: North America
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Situation Location Descriptors:
1. Half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size
1. Bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
of Africa; about half the size of South America
Pacific Ocean
2. Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low 2. Between Canada and Mexico
mountains in east.
3. 38 N, 97 W
3. Has the world's largest coal reserves with 27% of
the world's total
Climate: 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; low winter temperatures in the northwest are
improve occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky
Mountains.
Percent of Land Used for Agriculture: 44.5%
Capital City: Washington, D.C
Current Environmental Issues (Brief Summary):
Large emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US
and Canada; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural freshwater resources in
much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification.
People and Society
Major Ethnic Groups (% of Population):
Major Languages:
1. White 79.96%
1. English 79.2%,
2. Black 12.85%
2. Spanish 12.9%
3. Asian 4.43%
3. Indo-European 3.8%
Major Religions(% of Population):
Three Largest Cities:
1. Protestant 51.3%,
2. Roman Catholic 23.9%
3. Mormon 1.7%
Economy:
Economic Overview (Brief Summary):
The US has the most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $54,800. US firms are at
or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers, pharmaceuticals, and medical, aerospace, and
military equipment; however, their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. Wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan required major shifts in national resources from civilian to military purposes and contributed to the growth
of the budget deficit and public debt. Through 2014, the direct costs of the wars totaled more than $1.5 trillion,
according to US Government figures.
Major Agricultural Products: (list first three)
Major Industries: (list first three)
wheat, corn, other grains, fruits
world leading high-technology innovator, second-largest
industrial output in the world; petroleum, steel, motor
vehicles
Major Exports : (list first three)
Labor force by Occupation (Top Three):
Agricultural products 9.2%, Industrial supplies
1. manufacturing, extraction, transportation: 20.3%
2. managerial, professional, and technical: 37.3%
26.8%, capital goods (motor vehicle parts,
computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0% 3. sales and office: 24.2%
Human Development Index: ( http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries)
Overall Human Index: 0.915
HDI Rank: 8
Health
Life Expectancy at Birth: 79.1
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births): 5.9
Education
Expected Years of Schooling: 16.5
Literacy Rate: 86%
Income
Gross National Income per capita:
52,946.5
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita:
51,340.5
Gender
Gender Development Index (GDI):
0.995
Estimated gross national income
per capita – female:
43,053.9
Estimated gross national income per
capita – male: 63,157.5
Demography
Total Population: 220 Million
Dependency Ratio (65 and older): 22.2
Dependency Ratio (0-14): 29.4
Population Urban(%)83.1
Two Major Political/Social Issues Affecting Country:
1. The widening disparity between the rich and the poor, with the shrinking of the middle class is a challenge that might just
tear into the democratic fabric of America. Historically, America has rarely been threatened by the specter of inequality of
this magnitude.
2. Climate change has put weather on steroids. The oceans are becoming acidified. The adverse consequences are already
having a disparate impact on the poor. And it will only get worse. We need to use less energy, replace fossil fuels with
renewable energy (like wind and solar) for our remaining energy needs, and adopt land use practices that stop
deforestation and unsustainable agriculture. Even if we stopped all carbon pollution today, impacts would continue to
increase for some time due to the time lag in our climate system. It is important that we both move to eliminate fossil fuels,
and begin to prepare for the impacts we can’t avoid through smarter planning and actions to improve the resilience of
communities to stronger and more frequent storms, droughts, heat waves and sea level rise.