United States

The United States of America (abbreviated USA), also called the United States (abbreviated US) or colloquially simply America, is a democratic, federally structured republic in North America. It consists of 50 states, the capital Washington, DC, which has its own federal district, as well as five major union dependent territories and nine island territories. The 48 contiguous states, known as the Lower 48, together with Alaska, from which they are separated by Canadian territory, form the Continental United States. The state of Hawaii and some smaller outlying territories lie in the Pacific and Caribbean Seas. The country has a very high geographical and climatic diversity, with a large variety of animal and plant species.

The United States of America is the third-largest country in the world in terms of both area and population. Its 9.83 million square kilometers area is surpassed only by Russia and Canada, and its population of 331.4 million is surpassed only by China and India. The most populous city in the USA is New York City, major metropolitan areas are Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta, Boston and San Francisco, each with a population of over 5 million. The degree of urbanization is 83 percent (as of 2021).