Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
military junta
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
28 November 1960 (from France)
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.)
Muslim 100%
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
Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum
External Debt
$14,710,000,000,000 $
$2,816,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
5.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
0
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Area
9,826,675 km sq
1,030,700 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
754 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
