Countries of the World: United States of America
The United States of America (USA or America or United States or U.S.) located mostly in the continent of North America is considered to be the world’s most powerful nation. This nation has borders with Canada (on the north) and Mexico (on the South). USA also has several overseas territories located elsewhere. It has the world’s largest national economy followed behind by Japan. Area wise, the US is the third or fourth largest country in the world along with China. Its population as of January 2009 is around 305 million and it is the third largest in the world following behind China and India.
USA had got its independence in 1776 from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It is a Federal constitutional republic comprising of fifty states and a federal district. The Capital of the United States of America is Washington D.C. which is located towards the north east of the country. The President is the Head of state and Head of Government in the United States of America. The current President is Barrack H.Obama who had recently succeeded George W.Bush as the 44th President of this nation.
Since 1991, the United States has been the only superpower in the world after the dissolution of the Soviet Union or the U.S.S.R. The United States Armed Forces are considered to be the best in the business although it is the second largest military after China. The US has around 1.5 million active troops that have their presence in more than 39 countries and about the same figure of troops in the reserve. No other country spends as much as the US does on the military thus making it the number one force in the world because of all the advanced weaponry that it possesses which is sustained by its large economy. This is the reason why the President of the United States is considered as the Most Powerful Man on Earth! The President is Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces.
USA is the land of dreams for many people all around the world as it presents them with enormous opportunities along with a bigger purse and of course a better lifestyle. The United States is home to more than 37.5 million immigrants as of 2006. Most of the immigrants are from China and India which are the two most populous countries in the world. While the 37.5 million figure relates to legal immigrants, a staggering figure of 12 million is estimated for the illegal immigrants. According to reports, most of the illegal immigrants come from Mexico and other Latin American countries. What is unbelievable is the fact that nearly 70,000 foreigners lay their foot on the American soil!