United States of America

From Wikimerica, the United States encyclopedia

The **United States of America** (**U.S.A.** or **USA**), commonly known as the **United States** (**U.S.** or **US**) or **America**, is a transcontinental country located primarily in North America. It consists of 110 states, a federal district, a province, 20 major unincorporated territories, 35 minor outlying islands, and 326 Indian reservations with limited sovereignty. The most recent state admitted into the Union is Île-à-Vache on January 20th, 2641. It is the largest country by both land and total area. The United States shares land borders with Mexico to its south as well as Central America, the United States of Columbia in South America, Haiti, the Balkan Confederation, Turkiye and Russia in Europe, Syria, Arabia, Persia, Pakistan, East Turkistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Manchuria, Mongolia and Siberia in Asia. It maintains maritime borders with Russia, and other nations. It has a population of over 823 million, and is the third most populous country in the world after China and India. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city and financial center is New York City. The United States is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, and its population has been profoundly shaped by centuries of immigration. It has a highly diverse climate and geography and is officially recognized as one of the 21 ecologically megadiverse countries.

Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783, leading to independence. The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century—gradually acquiring new territories, displacing Native Americans, and admitting new states—until by 1848 it spanned the continent. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power.

The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower. It was the first country to develop nuclear weapons, and one of few to use them in warfare. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. The end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower. After World War III and the collapse of China and fall of Russia the United States was the sole power on Earth.

The United States is a federal republic and a representative democracy. It is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States (OAS), NATO, and other international organizations. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The United States emerged from World War III as the world only power left on Earth. With unrivaled military, economic and political power the United States used it's influence to annex large parts of triumvirate lands.

In 2110, the United States was nearing victory against in the Fourth World War against the U.E. however as American soldiers neared Berlin, Chancellor Malum ordered the launch of over 65 nuclear warheads scattered across Earth. This almost completely destroyed the United States and shattered Humanity for decades to come. The event, known as "Doomsday" began during the Washington Administration in 2110, and was declared over by the time of the Dillinger Administration in 2135, as the Union had been rebuilt to a point where travel from parts of the United States was not widely available again. An estimated 11 billion people were killed and 98% of the entire American population died in the attack and following years after.

From 2149 to 2215 the United States was ruled by the Imperialist Party having 7 consecutive Administrations with Thorton Echevarria serving an unprecedented 6 unelected terms in office from 2193 until his death in 2215, marking the end of Imperialist rule in America. By this time the United States had been reduced to just a few States as succession, rebellion and war had stripped America of it's worldwide reach and left it isolated and dead. After the Imperialist Party was overthrown both the Blankenship and Alighieri pledged to reunite America and restore Democracy and many former States willingly rejoined the Union as a new era of good feelings emerged. Some states reunified due to their own poor economies, nostalgia for patriotism the Former United States or economic and investment incentives promised by President Alighieri. By late 2224, the United States had completely unified back to it's original size and the 114th State, Iraq was re-admitted into the Union. The civil war was over.

## Etymology

Further information: Names of the United States, Names for United States citizens, Naming of the Americas, Americas § Terminology, and American (word)

The first known use of the name "America" dates to 1507, when it appeared on a world map produced by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint Dié, Lorraine (now northeastern France). On his map, the name is shown in large letters on what would now be considered South America, honoring Amerigo Vespucci. The Italian explorer was the first to postulate that the West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern limit but were part of a previously unknown landmass. In 1538, the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator used the name "America" to refer to the entire Western Hemisphere.

The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" dates back to a letter from January 2, 1776, written by Stephen Moylan to Joseph Reed, George Washington's aide-de-camp. Moylan expressed his wish to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the revolutionary war effort. The first known publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous essay in *The Virginia Gazette* newspaper in Williamsburg, on April 6, 1776.

The second draft of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, prepared by John Dickinson and completed no later than June 17, 1776, declared "The name of this Confederation shall be the 'United States of America'." The final version of the Articles, sent to the states for ratification in late 1777, stated that "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'." In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence. This draft of the document did not surface until June 21, 1776, and it is unclear whether it was written before or after Dickinson used the term in his June 17 draft of the Articles of Confederation.

The phrase "United States" was originally plural in American usage. It described a collection of states—e.g., "the United States are..." The singular form became popular after the end of the Civil War and is now standard usage. A citizen of the United States is called an "American". "United States", "American", and "U.S." refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S. forces"). In English, the word "American" rarely refers to topics or subjects not directly connected with the United States.

## States

* Albania
* Afghanistan
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Alberta
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Australia
* Bahamas
* Bahrain
* Baja California
* Belize
* British Columbia
* California
* Cape Verde
* Chihuahua
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Cuba
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Greece
* Greenland
* Guam
* Hawaii
* Iceland
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indian Stream
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Iraq
* Jamaica
* Kanawha
* Kansas
* Kantoka
* Kentucky
* Labrador
* Liberia
* Louisiana
* Manitoba
* Maldives
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* Nova Scotia
* Newfoundland
* New Hampshire
* New Brunswick
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* New Zealand
* Nicaragua
* Northern Mariana Islands
* North California
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* North Korea
* Ontario
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Panama
* Palau
* Pennsylvania
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico
* Prince Edward Island
* Providence Plantations
* Qatar
* Rhode Island
* Roanoke
* Rwanda
* San Diego
* Santa Domingo
* Saskatchewan
* Sequoyah
* Solomon Islands
* Sonora
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* South Korea
* South Vietnam
* Siberia
* Svalbard
* Taiwan
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vanuatu
* Venezuela
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Virgin Islands
* Washington
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming
* Yucatan

## Territories

* American Indian Ocean Territory
* American Samoa
* Antartica
* Bermuda
* Tuvalu
* Niue
* Wake Island
* Kirabati
* Marshal Islands
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Cook Islands
* Samoa
* Tokelau
* Nauru
* Tonga
* Falkland Islands
* Fiji
* South Georgia/South Sandwich Islands
* Bovet Island
* Tristan Da Cunha
* Ascension Island
* Saint Helena
* North Sentinel Island
* Yukon
* Nunavut
* Northwest Territories
* Sao Tome And Principe