Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU)
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.)
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
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
transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
External Debt
$14,710,000,000,000 $
$3,024,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
yen (JPY) per US dollar - 103.58 (2008 est.), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.600%
1.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
25
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Area
9,826,675 km sq
377,915 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
29,751 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 from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
