United States

The **United States of America**, commonly known as the **United States** or **America**, is a country located in North America. It consists of 46 states, a federal district, and multiple Native American reservations. The United States shares land borders with Alaska, California, and Texas to the west. It has maritime borders with the Bahamas and Cuba to the east and south respectively. With a population of over 260 Million people (over 12% of which consisting of non-humans), it is the fourth most populous country in the world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city and financial center is New York City.

## Government and politics

The United States is a federal republic 46 states, a federal district, and numerous Native American reservations. It is a representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law." The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.

In the American federal system, sovereignty is shared between two levels of government: federal and state. Citizens of the states are also governed by local governments, which are administrative divisions of the states.

The federal government is comprised of three branches:

* **Legislative**: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the federal government.
* **Executive**: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law (subject to congressional override), and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
* **Judicial**: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The lower house, the House of Representatives, has ??? voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population. Each state then draws single-member districts to conform with the census apportionment. The District of Columbia has one voting representative.

The upper house, the Senate, has 92 members with each state having two senators, elected at large to six-year terms; one-third of Senate seats are up for election every two years. The District of Columbia does not have a senator.

The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The president is elected by direct vote. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who can serve for life but must be reappointed every ten years.

### Political divisions

The United States is a federal union comprised of 46 states, a federal district, and multiple Native American reservations.

These states include:

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* Canada
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Nunavut
* Ohio
* Pennsylvania
* Quebec
* Rhode Island
* Saskatchewan
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Vandalia
* Vermont
* Virginia
* West Florida
* Wichita
* Wisconsin