Country profile · 12 papers

What about the United States?

A federal republic where the federal government has only the powers the Constitution grants it and the states keep the rest. That single design decision from 1787 is why almost every practical question in America — about renting, driving, insurance, work or school — has fifty different answers. This section explains the country before the rest of the site explains the paperwork.

Land area: 9.83 million km²; Third or fourth largest country, depending on the measure
Population: ≈ 342 million; Census Bureau estimate
States: 50 + DC; Plus five inhabited territories
Constitution: In force since 1789; The oldest written national constitution still in use
Head of state: The President; Four-year term, maximum two terms
Currency: US dollar (USD); Issued by the Federal Reserve

Figures from the US Census Bureau and the National Archives. Each is sourced again, in context, on the page it belongs to.

Country profile

What is the United States — country, federation and systemA federal republic of 50 states and about 342 million people, spanning six time zones and every climate on earth, governed under the…10 min9 sources

Government & law

Federalism explained — why the answer depends on your stateAlmost every confusing thing about American paperwork traces back to one clause written in 1787. This explains what the federal gove…9 min8 sources

How the US government worksThree branches designed to frustrate each other, a legislature where the minority can block almost anything, a president chosen by s…10 min9 sources

The US legal system, and the rights it actually gives youTwo parallel court systems, fifty-one bodies of law, a written Bill of Rights that binds government but not private companies, and a…9 min7 sources

States & regions

US states and territories — and why the differences matterFifty states, one federal district and five inhabited territories, each with its own laws, taxes, licensing and courts. What each re…9 min7 sources

People & society

American culture and etiquette, for people who did not grow up hereDirect where Britain is indirect, friendly without being familiar, obsessed with tipping and small talk, and governed by unwritten r…8 min6 sources

Who lives in the USAAbout 342 million people, 13.6 percent born abroad, growing almost entirely through immigration, and becoming both more multiracial …9 min9 sources

Economy

The cost of living in the USAHigh incomes, high housing costs, and the two expenses that make American budgeting genuinely different from anywhere else: health i…9 min9 sources

The US economy — what America actually earns fromThe world's largest economy at roughly $29 trillion, dominated by services, running on consumer spending, and unusual among wealthy …9 min8 sources

Land & environment

The USA's climate and environmentThe only country with essentially every climate type on earth, and consequently with essentially every natural hazard. What the regi…9 min10 sources

History & symbols

A short history of the United StatesIndigenous nations, colonization, a revolution, a constitution, a civil war fought over slavery, a century of segregation, a civil r…10 min10 sources

America's flag, anthem, symbols and federal holidaysA flag that has changed 27 times, an anthem that was a drinking song, a pledge written by a socialist minister, and eleven federal h…8 min8 sources