Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
republic; multiparty presidential regime
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
Religions
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
Languages
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Area
9,826,675 km sq
1,246,700 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
1,600 km
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 ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
