Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
republic; multiparty presidential regime
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
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 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
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
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
1
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Area
9,826,675 km sq
475,440 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
402 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
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
