United States

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Over a span of more than five decades, the economy has achieved steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
== Economical characteristics ==
* Currency: United States dollar (ISO code: USD)
* Central bank discount rate: 0.5% (31 December 2009)
* Commercial banks lending rate: 5.09% (31 December 2008)
* Stock of money (M1): $1.436 trillion (31 December 2008)
* Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $10.99 trillion (31 December 2008)
===Statistics===
Statistic / Year 	1999 	2000 	2001 	2002 	2003 	2004 	2005 	2006 	2007 	2008
GDP (million USD)World Bank. "United States: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21. 	9 216 200	9 764 800	10 075 900	10 417 600	10 908 000	11 630 900	12 364 100	13 116 500	13 741 600	14 093 300
Govt. debt (% of GDP)World Bank. "United States: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21. 	 	 	32.957 	44.103 	46.834 	47.680 	48.016 	47.128 	47.484 	55.662
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)World Bank. "United States: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21. 	 	 	20.431 	18.187 	17.531 	17.609 	18.856 	19.569 	19.659 	17.874
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)World Bank. "United States: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.	 	 	19.857 	20.717 	21.324 	21.186 	21.590 	21.442 	21.803 	23.464
Debt to revenue (years) 	 	 	1.613 	2.425 	2.671 	2.708 	2.546 	2.408 	2.415 	3.114
==References==
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
==External links==
* United States on Wikipedia
* Central bank of United States
* Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
* BBC country profile
* Why Did 17 Million Students Go to College? by Richard Vedder, October 2010
* The U.S. Isn't as Free as It Used to Be by Terry Miller, January 2010
* A look at Obama's 2011 budget for govt agencies, Associated Press, February 2010
* China Will Keep Trimming Treasurys: Jim Rogers by Antonia Oprita, February 2010
* August 19, 2010 - Cost of Government Day Has Arrived!, 2010
Category:Countries