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UNITED STATESFebruary 2011

Official Name:United States of America

Editor’s Note: This entry is an abstract of key facts regarding the UnitedStates. This information was provided by the U.S. Central IntelligenceAgency which indicates data was developed from public sources. The U.S.Department of State is the source for Background Notes on most othernations in this Yearbook.

PROFILEBritain’s American colonies brokewith the mother country in 1776 andwere recognized as the new nation ofthe United States of America follow-ing the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Dur-ing the 19th and 20th centuries, 37new states were added to the original13 as the nation expanded across theNorth American continent andacquired a number of overseas pos-sessions. The two most traumaticexperiences in the nation’s historywere the Civil War (1861-65) and theGreat Depression of the 1930s.Buoyed by victories in World Wars Iand II and the end of the Cold War in1991, the U.S. remains the world’smost powerful nation state. The econ-omy is marked by steady growth, lowunemployment and inflation, andrapid advances in technology.

GEOGRAPHYLocation: North America, border-ing both the North Atlantic Oceanand the North Pac i f i c Ocean ,between Canada and MexicoGeographic coordinates: 38 00 N,97 00 WArea: total: 9,826,675 sq km; countrycomparison to the world: 3; land:9,161,966 sq km; water: 664,709 sqkm; Note: includes only the 50 statesand District of Columbia

Area—comparative: about half thesize of Russia; about three-tenths thesize of Africa; about half the size ofSouth America (or slightly largerthan Brazil); slightly larger thanChina; more than twice the size ofthe European UnionLand boundaries: total: 12,034 km;border countries: Canada 8,893 km(including 2,477 km with Alaska),Mexico 3,141 km; Note: U.S. NavalBase at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba isleased by the U.S. and is part ofCuba; the base boundary is 28 kmCoastline: 19,924 kmMaritime claims: territorial sea: 12nm; contiguous zone: 24 nm; exclusiveeconomic zone: 200 nm; continentalshelf: not specifiedClimate: mostly temperate, buttropical in Hawaii and Florida, arcticin Alaska, semiarid in the greatplains west of the Mississippi River,and arid in the Great Basin of thesouthwest; low winter temperaturesin the northwest are amelioratedoccasionally in January and Febru-ary by warm chinook winds from theeastern slopes of the Rocky Moun-tainsTerrain: vast central plain, moun-tains in west, hills and low moun-tains in east; rugged mountains andbroad river valleys in Alaska; rugged,volcanic topography in HawaiiElevation extremes: lowest point:Death Valley -86 m; highest point:Mount McKinley 6,198 m; Note: thepeak of Mauna Kea (4,207 m abovesea level) on the island of Hawaii

rises about 10,200 m above thePacific Ocean floor; by this measure-ment, it is the world's tallest moun-tain—higher than Mount Everest,which is recognized as the tallestmountain above sea levelNatural resources: coal, copper,lead, molybdenum, phosphates, ura-nium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury,nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc,petroleum, natural gas, timber. TheU.S. has the world’s largest coalreserves with 491 billion short tonsaccounting for 27% of the world’stotal Land use: arable land: 18.01%; per-manent crops: 0.21%; other: 81.78%(2005); Irrigated land: 223,850 sq km(2003)Total renewable water resources:3,069 cu km (1985)Freshwater withdrawal (domes-tic/industrial/agricultural): Total:477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%); Percapita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)Natural hazards: tsunamis, volca-noes, and earthquake activity aroundPacific Basin; hurricanes along theAtlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts;tornadoes in the midwest and south-east; mud slides in California; forestfires in the west; flooding; permafrostin northern Alaska, a major impedi-ment to developmentVolcanism: the United States expe-riences volcanic activity in theHawaiian Islands, Western Alaska,the Pacific Northwest, and in theNorthern Mariana Islands; bothMauna Loa (elev. 4,170 m, 13,678 ft)

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in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (elev.4,392 m, 14,409 ft) in Washingtonhave been deemed “Decade Volca-noes” by the International Associa-tion of Volcanology and Chemistry ofthe Earth’s Interior, worthy of studydue to their explosive history andclose proximity to human popula-tions; Pavlof (elev. 2,519 m, 8,264 ft)is the most active volcano in Alaska’sAleutian Arc and poses a significantthreat to air travel since the areaconstitutes a major f l ight pathbetween North America and EastAsia; St. Helens (elev. 2,549 m, 8,363ft), famous for the devastating 1980eruption, remains active today;numerous other historically activevolcanoes exist, mostly concentratedin the Aleutian arc and Hawaii; theyinclude: in Alaska: Aniakchak,Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked,Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin,Novarupta , Redoubt , Spurr,Wrangel l ; in Hawai i : Tr ident ,Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars,Veniaminof; in the Northern Mari-ana Islands: Anatahan; and in thePacific Northwest: Mount Baker,Mount HoodEnvironment—current issues: airpollution resulting in acid rain inboth the U.S. and Canada; the U.S. isthe largest single emitter of carbondioxide from the burning of fossilfuels; water pollution from runoff ofpesticides and fertilizers; limited nat-ural fresh water resources in much ofthe western part of the countryrequire carefu l management ;desertificationEnvironment—internationalagreements: party to: Air Pollution,Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Ant-arctic-Environmental Protocol, Ant-arctic-Marine Living Resources,Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,Climate Change, Desertification,Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Marine Dumping,Marine Life Conservation, OzoneLayer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber94, Wetlands, Whaling. signed, butnot ratified: Air Pollution-PersistentOrganic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodi-versity, Climate Change-Kyoto Proto-col, Hazardous WastesGeography—Note: world’s third-largest country by size (after Russia

and Canada) and by population (afterChina and India); Mt. McKinley ishighest point in North America andDeath Valley the lowest point on thecontinent

PEOPLEPopulation: 310,232,863 (July 2010est.); country comparison to theworld: 3Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.2%(male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704);15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321); 65 years andover: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female22,571,696) (2010 est.)Median age: total: 36.8 years; male:35.5 years; female: 38.1 years (2010est.)Population growth rate: 0.97%(2010 est.); country comparison to theworld: 121Birth rate: 13.83 births/1,000 popu-lation (2010 est.); country compari-son to the world: 150Death rate: 8.38 deaths/1,000 popu-lation (July 2010 est.); country com-parison to the world: 90Net migration rate : 4 .25migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010est.); country comparison to theworld: 22Urbanization: urban population:82% of total population (2008); rate ofurbanization: 1.3% annual rate ofchange (2005-10 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.047 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/f emale ; to tal populat ion : 0.97male(s)/female (2010 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.14deaths/1,000 live births; country com-parison to the world: 177; male: 6.81deaths/1,000 live births; female: 5.44deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.) Life expectancy at birth: totalpopulation: 78.24 years; country com-parison to the world: 49; male: 75.78years; female: 80.81 years (2010 est.)Total fertility rate: 2.06 childrenborn/woman (2010 est.); country com-parison to the world: 125 HIV/AIDS—adult prevalencerate: 0.6% (2007 est.); country com-parison to the world: 70

HIV/AIDS—people living withHIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (2007 est.);country comparison to the world: 9 HIV/AIDS—deaths: 22,000 (2007est.); country comparison to theworld: 21 Nationality: noun: American(s);adjective: AmericanEthnic groups: white 79.96%, black12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindianand Alaska native 0.97%, nativeHawaiian and other Pacific islander0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July2007 estimate). Note: a separate list-ing for Hispanic is not includedbecause the U.S. Census Bureau con-siders Hispanic to mean a person ofLatin American descent (includingpersons of Cuban, Mexican, or PuertoRican origin) living in the U.S. whomay be of any race or ethnic group(white, black, Asian, etc.); about15.1% of the total U.S. population isHispanic Religions: Protestant 51.3%, RomanCatholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, otherChristian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Bud-dhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other orunspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%,none 4% (2007 est.) Languages: English 82.1%, Span-ish 10.7%, other Indo-European3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%,other 0.7% (2000 census); Note:Hawaiian is an official language inthe state of HawaiiLiteracy: definition: age 15 and overcan read and write; total population:99%; male: 99%; female: 99% (2003est.)School life expectancy (primaryto tertiary education): total: 16years; male: 15 years; female: 17years (2008) Education expenditures: 5.5% ofGDP (2007); country comparison tothe world: 46

GOVERNMENTCountry name: conventional longform: United States of America; con-ventional short form: United States;abbreviation: U.S. or USAGovernment type: Constitution-based federal republic; strong demo-cratic traditionCities: Capital name: Washington,DC; geographic coordinates: 38 53 N,

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77 02 W; time difference: UTC-5 (dur-ing Standard Time); daylight savingtime: +1hr, begins second Sunday inMarch; ends first Sunday in Novem-ber; Note: the 50 U.S. cover six timezonesPolitical subdivisions: 50 statesand 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska,Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colo-rado, Connecticut, Delaware, District

of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia,Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,Missouri , Montana, Nebraska,Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jer-sey, New Mexico, New York, NorthCarolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Okla-homa, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode

Is land, South Carol ina , SouthDakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Ver-mont, Virginia, Washington, WestVirginia, Wisconsin, WyomingDependent areas : AmericanSamoa, Baker Island, Guam, How-land Island, Jarvis Island, JohnstonAto l l , K ingman Reef, MidwayIslands, Navassa Island, NorthernMariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll,

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Mt. Mitchell6,684 ft.2037 m.

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Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, WakeIsland. Note: from 18 July 1947 until1 October 1994, the U.S. adminis-tered the Trust Territory of thePacific Islands; it entered into a polit-ical relationship with all four politi-cal units: the Northern MarianaIslands is a commonwealth in politi-cal union with the U.S. (effective 3November 1986); the Republic of theMarshall Islands signed a Compactof Free Association with the U.S.(effective 21 October 1986); the Fed-erated States of Micronesia signed aCompact of Free Association with theU.S. (effective 3 November 1986);Palau concluded a Compact of FreeAssociation with the U.S. (effective 1October 1994)Independence: 4 July 1776 (fromGreat Britain)National holiday: IndependenceDay, 4 July (1776)Constitution: 17 September 1787,effective 4 March 1789Legal system: federal court systembased on English common law; eachstate has its own unique legal sys-tem, of which all but one (Louisiana,which is still influenced by the Napo-leonic Code) is based on English com-mon law; judicial review of legislativeacts; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdictionSuffrage: 18 years of age; universalExecutive branch: chief of state:President Barack H. OBAMA (since20 January 2009); Vice PresidentJoseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January2009); note—the president is boththe chief of state and head of govern-ment; head of government: Presi-dent Barack H. OBAMA (since 20January 2009) ; Vice PresidentJoseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January2009); cabinet: Cabinet appointed bythe president with Senate approval;elections: president and vice presi-dent elected on the same ticket by acollege of representatives who areelected directly from each state; pres-ident and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a secondterm); election last held 4 November2008 (next to be held on 6 November2012); election results: Barack H.OBAMA elected president; percent ofpopular vote—Barack H. OBAMA52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other1.3%

Legislative branch: bicameral Con-gress consists of the Senate (100seats, 2 members are elected fromeach state by popular vote to servesix-year terms; one-third are electedevery two years) and the House ofRepresentatives (435 seats; membersare directly elected by popular vote toserve two-year terms); elections: Sen-ate—last held on 2 November 2010(next to be held in November 2012);House of Representatives—last heldon 2 November 2010 (next to be heldin November 2012); election results:Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—DemocraticParty 51, Republican Party 47, inde-pendent 2; House of Representa-tives—percent of vote by party—NA;seats by party—Democratic Party192, Republican Party 243Judicial branch: Supreme Court(nine justices; nominated by the pres-ident and confirmed with the adviceand consent of the Senate; appointedto serve for life); United StatesCourts of Appeal; United States Dis-trict Courts; State and CountyCourtsPolitical parties and leaders:Democratic Party [Timothy KAINE];Green Party; Libertarian Party [Will-iam (Bill) REDPATH]; RepublicanParty [Reince PRIEBUS]Political pressure groups andleaders: environmentalists; businessgroups; labor unions; churches; eth-nic groups; political action commit-tees or PAC; heal th groups ;education groups; cuvuc griyos;youth groups; transportation groups;agricultural groups; veterans groups;women’s groups; reform lobbies International organization par-ticipation: ADB (nonregional mem-bers), AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, ArcticCouncil, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue part-ner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC(observer), CBSS (observer), CE(observer), CERN (observer), CP,EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA,NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE,Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner),SAARC (observer), SECI (observer),SPC, UN, UN Security Council,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNI-TAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG,UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZCFlag description: 13 equal horizon-tal stripes of red (top and bottom)alternating with white; there is ablue rectangle in the upper hoist-sidecorner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offsethorizontal rows of six stars (top andbottom) alternating with rows of fivestars; the 50 stars represent the 50states, the 13 stripes represent the13 original colonies; known as OldGlory; Note: the design and colorshave been the basis for a number ofother flags, including Chile, Liberia,Malaysia, and Puerto Rico

Principal Government OfficialsLast Updated: December 2009

President: Barack OBAMAVice President: Joseph BIDEN

Presidential Cabinet( in order o f success ion to thepresidency)Secretary of State: Hillary R. CLINTONSecretary of the Treasury: Timothy F.

GEITHNERSecretary of Defense: Robert M. GATESAttorney General: Eric H. HOLDER, Jr.Secretary of the Interior: Ken L.

SALAZARSecretary of Agriculture: Tom J.

VILSACKSecretary of Commerce: Gary F. LOCKESecretary of Labor: Hilda L. SOLISSecretary of Health and Human Services:

Kathleen SEBELIUSSecretary of Housing and Urban

Development: Shaun DONOVANSecretary of Transportation: Ray

LaHOODSecretary of Energy: Steven CHUSecretary of Education: Arne DUNCANSecretary of Veterans Affairs: Ret. Gen.

Eric K. SHINSEKISecretary of Homeland Security: Janet

NAPOLITANO

Cabinet Rank MembersChief of Staff: Bill DALEYEnvironmental Protection Agency: Lisa

JACKSONUnited States Trade Representative: Ron

KIRKOffice of Management and Budget: Jacob

L. LEW

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Council of Economic Advisors: Austen GOOLSBEE

Other Members of the ExecutiveOffice of the PresidentCouncil on Environmental Quality: Nancy

SUTLEYDomestic Policy Council: Melody

BARNESNational Economic Council: Gene B.

SPERLINGNational Security Council: Barack

OBAMANational Security Advisor: Tom

DONILONOffice of Science and Technology Policy:

John HOLDRENPresident’s Intelligence Advisory Board

and Intelligence Oversight Board: Chuck HAGEL; David BOREN

Office of National Drug Policy: R. Gil KERLIKOWSKE

President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board: Paul VOLCKER

White House Military Office: George D. MULLIGAN, Jr.

White House Counsel: Robert BAUERSenior Advisors: Valerie JARRETT;

David PLOUFFE

Other OfficesSpeaker of the House: John BOEHNERHouse Majority Leader: Eric CANTORHouse Democratic Leader: Nancy

PELOSIPresident of the Senate: Joseph BIDENSenate Majority Leader: Harry REIDSenate Minority Leader: Mitch

McCONNELLFederal Reserve Board Chairman: Ben S.

BERNANKECentral Intelligence Agency Director:

Leon PANETTAFederal Bureau of Investigation Director:

Robert S. MUELLER, IIIChief Justice of the Supreme Court: John

G. ROBERTS, Jr.

ECONOMY

OverviewThe US has the largest and mosttechnologically powerful economy inthe world, with a per capita GDP of$47,400. In this market-orientedeconomy, private individuals andbusiness firms make most of the deci-sions, and the federal and state gov-ernments buy needed goods andservices predominantly in the privatemarketplace. US business firms enjoy

greater flexibility than their counter-parts in Western Europe and Japanin decisions to expand capital plant,to lay off surplus workers, and todevelop new products. At the sametime, they face higher barriers toenter their rivals' home markets thanforeign firms face entering US mar-kets. US firms are at or near the fore-front in technological advances,especially in computers and in medi-cal, aerospace, and military equip-ment; their advantage has narrowedsince the end of World War II. Theonrush of technology largely explainsthe gradual development of a “two-tier labor market” in which those atthe bottom lack the education and theprofessional/technical skills of thoseat the top and, more and more, fail toget comparable pay raises, healthinsurance coverage, and other bene-fits. Since 1975, practically all thegains in household income have goneto the top 20% of households. The warin March–April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subse-quent occupation of Iraq, requiredmajor shifts in national resources tothe military. Soaring oil pricesbetween 2005 and the first half of2008 threatened inflation and unem-ployment, as higher gasoline pricesate into consumers ’ budgets.Imported oil accounts for about 60%of US consumption. Long-term prob-lems include inadequate investmentin economic infrastructure, rapidlyrising medical and pension costs of anaging population, sizable trade andbudget deficits, and stagnation offamily income in the lower economicgroups. The merchandise trade defi-cit reached a record $840 billion in2008 before shrinking to $506 billionin 2009, and ramping back up to $630billion in 2010. The global economicdownturn, the sub-prime mortgagecrisis, investment bank failures, fall-ing home prices, and tight creditpushed the United States into arecession by mid-2008. GDP con-tracted until the third quarter of2009, making this the deepest andlongest downturn since the GreatDepression. To help stabilize finan-cial markets, the US Congress estab-lished a $700 billion Troubled AssetRelief Program (TARP) in October2008. The government used some ofthese funds to purchase equity in US

banks and other industrial corpora-tions, much of which had beenreturned to the government by early2011. In January 2009 the US Con-gress passed and President BarackObama signed a bill providing anadditional $787 billion fiscal stimulusto be used over 10 years—two-thirdson additional spending and one-thirdon tax cuts—to create jobs and to helpthe economy recover. Approximatelytwo-thirds of these funds wereinjected into the economy by the endof 2010. In March 2010, PresidentObama signed a health insurancereform bill into law that will extendcoverage to an additional 32 millionAmerican citizens by 2016, throughprivate health insurance for the gen-eral population and Medicaid for theimpoverished. In July 2010, the pres-ident signed the Dodd-Frank WallStreet Reform and Consumer Protec-tion Act, a bill designed to promotefinancial stability by protecting con-sumers from financial abuses, endingtaxpayer bailouts of financial firms,dealing with troubled banks that are“too big to fail,” and improvingaccountability and transparency inthe financial system—in particular,by requiring certain financial deriva-tives to be traded in markets that aresubject to government regulation andoversight. In November 2010, in anattempt to keep interest rates fromrising and snuffing out the nascentrecovery, the US Federal ReserveBank (The Fed) announced that itwould purchase $600 billion worth ofUS Government bonds by June 2011.

GDP (purchasing power parity):$14.72 trillion (2010 est.); countrycomparison to the world: 2; $14.33trillion (2009 est.); $14.72 trillion(2008 est.); Note: data are in 2010U.S. dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):$14.62 trillion (2010 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 2.8%(2010 est.); country comparison to theworld: 133; -2.6% (2009 est.); 0%(2008 est.)

GDP—per capita (PPP): $47,400(2010 est.); country comparison to theworld: 10; $46,700 (2009 est. ) ;$48,300 (2008 est.) Note: data are in2010 U.S. dollars

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GDP—composition by sector:agriculture: 1.2%; industry: 22.2%;services: 79.7% (2010 est.)Labor force: 153.9 million (includesunemployed) (2010 est.); countrycomparison to the world: 4Labor force—by occupation:farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%,manufacturing, extraction, transpor-tation, and crafts 20.3%, manage-rial, professional, and technical37.2%, sales and office 24%, otherservices 17.7% Note: figures excludethe unemployed (2009)Unemployment rate: 9.6% (2010est.); country comparison to theworld: 107; 9.3% (2009 est.)Population below poverty line:12% (2004 est.)Household income or consump-tion by percentage share: lowest10%: 2%; highest 10%: 30% (2007est.)Distribution of family income—Gini index: 45 (2007); country com-parison to the world: 42; 40.8 (1997) Investment (gross fixed): 12.8% ofGDP (2010 est.); country comparisonto the world: 142 Public debt: 58.9% of GDP (2010est.); country comparison to theworld: 36; 53.5% of GDP (2009 est.);Note: data cover only what theUnited States Treasury denotes as“Debt Held by the Public,” whichincludes all debt instruments issuedby the Treasury that are owned bynon-US Government entities; thedata include Treasury debt held byforeign entities; the data excludedebt issued by individual US states,as well as intra-governmental debt;intra-governmental debt consists ofTreasury borrowings from surplusesin the trusts for Federal Social Secu-rity, Federal Employees, HospitalInsurance (Medicare and Medicaid),Disability and Unemployment, andseveral other smaller trusts; if datafor intra-government debt wereadded, “Gross Debt” would increaseby about 30% of GDPInflation rate (consumer prices):1.4% (2010 est.); country comparisonto the world: 34; -0.3% (2009 est.) Central bank discount rate: 0.5%(31 March 2009); country comparisonto the world: 137; 0.86% (31 Decem-ber 2008) Commercial bank prime lendingrate: 3.25% (31 December 2009 est.);

country comparison to the world: 149;5.09% (31 December 2008 est.) Stock of narrow money: $1.74 tril-lion (31 December 2010 est.); countrycomparison to the world: 5; $1.722trillion (31 December 2009 est.)Stock of broad money: $12.39 tril-lion (31 December 2009); countrycomparison to the world: 3; $12.46trillion (31 December 2008) Stock of domestic credit: $32.61trillion (31 December 2009 est.);country comparison to the world: 1;$31.53 trillion (31 December 2008est.) Market value of publicly tradedshares: $15.08 trillion (31 December2009); country comparison to theworld: 1; $11.74 trillion (31 Decem-ber 2008); $19.95 trillion (31 Decem-ber 2007) Agriculture—products: wheat,corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables,cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairyproducts; fish; forest productsIndustries: leading industrial powerin the world, highly diversified andtechnologically advanced; petro-leum, steel, motor vehicles, aero-space, te lecommunicat ions,chemicals, electronics, food process-ing, consumer goods, lumber, miningIndustrial production growthrate: 3.3% (2010 est.); country com-parison to the world: 96Electricity—production: 4.11 tril-lion kWh (2008 est.); country compar-ison to the world: 1Electricity—consumption: 3.873trillion kWh (2008 est.); country com-parison to the world: 1Electricity—exports: 24.08 billionkWh (2008 est.)Electricity—imports: 57.02 billionkWh (2008 est.)Oil—production: 9.056 million bbl/day (2009 est.); country comparisonto the world: 3Oil—consumption: 18.69 millionbbl/day (2009 est.); country compari-son to the world: 1Oil—exports: 1.704 million bbl/day(2008); country comparison to theworld: 13Oil—imports: 11.31 million bbl/day(2008 est.); country comparison to theworld: 1Oil—proved reserves: 19.21 bil-lion bbl (1 January 2010 est.); coun-try comparison to the world: 14

Natural gas—production: 593.4billion cu m (2009 est.); country com-parison to the world: 1Natural gas—consumption: 646.6billion cu m (2009 est.); country com-parison to the world: 1Natural gas—exports: 30.35 billioncu m (2009 est.); country comparisonto the world: 9Natural gas—imports: 106.1 bil-lion cu m (2009 est.); country compar-ison to the world: 1Natural gas—proved reserves:6.928 trillion cu m (1 January 2010est.); country comparison to theworld: 6Current account balance: -$561billion (2010 est.); country compari-son to the world: 190; -$378.4 billion(2009 est.)Exports: $1.27 trillion (2010 est.);country comparison to the world: 4;$1.069 trillion (2009 est.)Exports—commodities: agricul-tural products (soybeans, fruit, corn)9.2%, industrial supplies (organicchemicals) 26.8%, capital goods(transistors, aircraft, motor vehicleparts, computers, telecommunica-tions equipment) 49.0%, consumergoods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% Exports—partners : Canada19.37%, Mexico 12.21%, China6.58%, Japan 4 .84%, Germany4.33%; UK 4.1% (2009) Imports: $1.903 trillion (2010 est.);country comparison to the world: 1;$1.575 trillion (2009 est.)Imports—commodities: agricul-tural products 4.9%, industrial sup-plies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capitalgoods 30.4% (computers, telecommu-nications equipment, motor vehicleparts, office machines, electric powermachinery), consumer goods 31.8%(automobiles, clothing, medicines,furniture, toys) Imports—partners: China 19.3%,Canada 14.24%, Mexico 11.12%,Japan 6.14%, Germany 4.53% (2009) Reserves of foreign exchangeand gold: $NA (31 December 2010est.); $130.8 billion (31 December2009 est.)Debt—external: $13.98 trillion (30June 2010); country comparison tothe world: 1; $13.75 trillion (31December 2008); Note: approxi-mately 4/5ths of US external debt isdenominated in US dollars; foreignlenders have been willing to hold US

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dollar denominated debt instrumentsbecause they view the dollar as theworld’s reserve currencyStock of direct foreign invest-ment—at home: $2.581 trillion (31December 2010 est.); country com-parison to the world: 1; $2.41 trillion(31 December 2009 est.) Stock of direct foreign invest-ment—abroad: $3.597 trillion (31December 2010 est.); country com-parison to the world: 1; $3.367 tril-lion (31 December 2009 est.) Exchange rates: British pounds perUS dollar: 1 (2010), 0.6504 (2010),0.6494 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993(2007), 0.5418 (2006); Canadian dol-lars per US dollar: 1.0346 (2010),1.1548 (2009), 1.0364 (2008), 1.0724(2007), 1.1334 (2006); Chinese yuanper US dollar: 6.7852 (2010), 6.8249(2009), 6.9385 (2008), 7.61 (2007),7.97 (2006); euros per US dollar:0.7715 (2010), 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827(2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006);Japanese yen per US dollar: 88.67(2010), 94.5 (2009), 103.58 (2008),117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006)

COMMUNICATIONSTelephones—main lines in use:141 million (2009); country compari-son to the world: 2Telephones—mobile cellular: 286million (2009); country comparison tothe world: 3Telephone system: general assess-ment : a large, technolog ica l lyadvanced, multipurpose communica-tions system; domestic: a large sys-tem of fiber-optic cable, microwaveradio relay, coaxial cable, and domes-tic satellites carries every form oftelephone traffic; a rapidly growingcellular system carries mobile tele-phone traffic throughout the country;international: country code—1; mul-tiple ocean cable systems provideinternational connectivity; satelliteearth stations—61 Intelsat (45At lant ic Ocean and 16 Pac i f i cOcean), 5 Intersputnik (AtlanticOcean region), and 4 Inmarsat(Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions)(2000)Broadcast media: 4 major terres-trial television networks with affili-ate stations throughout the country,

plus cable and satellite networks,independent stations, and a limitedpublic broadcasting sector that islargely supported by private grants;overall, thousands of TV stationsbroadcasting; multiple national radionetworks with large numbers of affil-iate stations; while most stations arecommercial, National Public Radio(NPR) has a network of some 600member stations; satellite radioavailable; overall, nearly 15,000radio stations operating (2008)Internet country code:.usInternet hosts: 439 million (2010);Note: the U.S. Internet total hostcount includes the following top leveldomain host addresses: .us, .com,.edu, .gov, .mil, .net, and .org; countrycomparison to the world: 1Internet users: 245 million (2009);country comparison to the world: 2

TRANSPORTATIONAirports: 15,079 (2010); countrycomparison to the world: 1Airports—with paved runways:total: 5,194; over 3,047 m: 189; 2,438to 3,047 m: 235; 1,524 to 2,437 m:1,479; 914 to 1,523 m: 2,316; under914 m: 975 (2010) Airports—with unpaved run-ways: total: 9,885; 2,438 to 3,047 m:7; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 155; 914 to 1,523m: 1,752; under 914 m: 7,971 (2010) Heliports: 126 (2010) Pipelines: petroleum products244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km(2009) Railways: total: 226,427 km; coun-try comparison to the world: 1; stan-dard gauge: 226,427 km 1.435-mgauge (2007) Roadways: total: 6,506,204 km;country comparison to the world: 1;paved: 4,374,784 km (includes 75,238km of expressways) ; unpaved :2,131,420 km (2008)Waterways: 41,009 km (19,312 kmused for commerce); country compari-son to the world: 4; Note: SaintLawrence Seaway of 3,769 km,including the Saint Lawrence Riverof 3,058 km, shared with Canada(2008)Merchant marine: total: 418 ships;country comparison to the world: 26;by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier

58, cargo 58, carrier 3, chemicaltanker 30, container 87, passenger18, passenger/cargo 56, petroleumtanker 45, refrigerated cargo 3, rollon/roll off 27, vehicle carrier 27; for-eign-owned: 86 (Australia 1, Ber-muda 5, Canada 1, Denmark 34,France 4, Germany 3, Malaysia 2,Norway 10, Singapore 17, Sweden 5,UK 4); registered in other countries:734 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Austra-lia 2, Bahamas 100, Belgium 2, Ber-muda 25, Cambodia 4, Canada 9,Cayman Islands 54, Comoros 2,Cyprus 7, Georgia 1, Greece 7, HongKong 31, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isleof Man 2, Italy 21, Liberia 39, Lux-embourg 3, Malta 35, MarshallIslands 168, Netherlands 15, Norway9, Panama 102, Portugal 4, SaintKitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent andthe Grenadines 19, Sierra Leone 1,Singapore 33, South Korea 8, UK 11,unknown 8) (2010) Ports and terminals: cargo ports(tonnage): Baton Rouge, CorpusChristi, Houston, Long Beach, LosAngeles, New Orleans, New York,Plaquemines, Tampa, Texas City;container ports (TEUs): Los Angeles(7,849,985), Long Beach (6,350,125),New York/New Jersey (5,265,058),Savannah (2,616,126), Oakland(2 ,236 ,244) , Hampton Roads(2,083,278) (2008); cruise departureports (passengers ) : Miami(2 ,032 ,000) , Port Everg lades(1 ,277 ,000) , Port Canaveral(1,189,000), Seattle (430,000), LongBeach (415,000) (2009)

MILITARYMilitary branches: U.S. Army, U.S.Navy (includes Marine Corps), U.S.Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard; Note:Coast Guard administered in peace-time by the Department of HomelandSecurity, but in wartime reports tothe Department of the Navy (2009) Military service age and obliga-tion: 18 years of age (17 years of agewith parental consent) for male andfemale voluntary service; maximumenlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (AirForce), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); ser-vice obligation 8 years, including 2-5years active duty (Army), 2 yearsactive (Navy), 4 years active (AirForce, Marines) (2010)

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Manpower available for militaryservice : males age 16-49 :73,145,586; females age 16-49:71,880,788 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military ser-vice: males age 16-49: 60,388,734;females age 16-49: 59,217,809 (2010est.)

Manpower reaching military ser-vice age annual ly : males :2,174,260; females: 2,065,595 (2010est.)

Military expenditures—percentof GDP: 4.06% (2005 est.); countrycomparison to the world: 24

TRANSNATIONAL ISSUESDisputes—international: the U.S.has intensified domestic securitymeasures and is collaborating closelywith its neighbors, Canada and Mex-ico, to monitor and control legal andillegal personnel, transport, and com-modities across the international bor-ders; abundant rainfall in recentyears along much of the Mexico-U.S.border region has ameliorated period-i ca l ly s tra ined water-shar ingarrangements ; 1990 Mari t imeBoundary Agreement in the BeringSea still awaits Russian Duma ratifi-cation; managed maritime boundarydisputes with Canada at DixonEntrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait ofJuan de Fuca, and around the dis-puted Machias Seal Island and NorthRock. The Bahamas and U.S. have

not been able to agree on a maritimeboundary; U.S. Naval Base at Guan-tanamo Bay is leased from Cuba andonly mutual agreement or U.S. aban-donment of the area can terminatethe lease.

Haiti claims U.S.-administeredNavassa Island; U.S. has made noterritorial claim in Antarctica (buthas reserved the right to do so) anddoes not recognize the claims of anyother states. Marshall Islands claimsWake Island. Tokelau included Amer-ican Samoa’s Swains Island amongthe islands listed in its 2006 draftconstitution

Refugees and internally dis-placed persons: refugees (countryof origin): the U.S. admitted 62,643refugees during FY04/05 including,10,586 (Somalia), 8,549 (Laos), 6,666(Russia), 6,479 (Cuba), 3,100 (Haiti),2,136 (Iran) (2006)

Illicit drugs: world’s largest con-sumer of cocaine (shipped fromColombia through Mexico and theCaribbean), Colombian heroin, andMexican heroin and marijuana;major consumer of ecstasy and Mexi-can methamphetamine; minor con-sumer of high-quality SoutheastAsian heroin; illicit producer of can-nabis, marijuana, depressants, stim-ulants, ha l luc inogens, andmethamphetamine; money-launder-ing center

Principal U.S. Embassy OfficialsLast Updated: 1/10/2011

USUN (NEW YORK) (M) 799United Nations Plaza, New York, NY10017-3505, 212-415-4000, Fax 212-415-4443, Workweek: M-F 8:30-5:30,Website: http://www.usunnewyork.usmission.gov/index.php

ALT US REP: Brooke AndersonDEP US REP: AMB Rosemary DicarloHRO: Carolyn CreevyMGT: Carol UrbanMLO/ODC: COL David AllwinePOL/ECON: Frederick BartonUS PERM REP: AMB Susan E. RiceAMB/BG: AMB Susan RiceCON: Russell GrahamPAO: Mark KornblauGSO: Jennifer JohnsonRSO: Timothy RileyFMO: John E. SinglerIMO: David CooperIPO: Fred MurrielISO: Warren A. ForrestISSO: Warren A. ForrestLEGATT: Mark SimonoffPOL: William Grant

FLORIDA REGIONAL CENTER4000 N. Andrews Avenue, Ft Lauder-dale, FL 33309, 954 630 1100, Fax954 630 1111, Workweek: M-F 8:00-17:00/

DEP DIR: Randall C. BuddenDIR: Ellen C. EngelsFM: Chuck O'MearaNAS/INL: Herman RiveraOMS: Debra FilippGSO: Howard CopelandRSO: Howard Copeland (Pso)IMO: Howard CopelandIPO: Janet StevensonISO: Kasirat VillaISSO: Janet Stevenson

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