The first documented use of the phrase "United States of America" is a letter from January 2, 1776. Stephen Moylan, a Continental Army aide … 展开

The United States is the world's third-largest country by total area behind Russia and Canada. The 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia occupy … 展开

The United States is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal district, Washington, D.C. It also asserts sovereignty over five unincorporated territories and several uninhabited island possessions. The world's oldest surviving federation, the U.S. has 展开

Population
The U.S. Census Bureau reported 331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020, making the United States the 展开

Indigenous peoples
The first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge about 12,000 years ago; the Clovis culture, … 展开

The U.S. has been the world's largest economy nominally since about 1890. The 2023 nominal U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $27 trillion was the highest in the world, … 展开

Americans have traditionally been characterized by a unifying political belief in an "American Creed" emphasizing consent of the governed, liberty, equality under the law, 展开