Outline of the United States

Last updated

Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard).svg
The flag of the United States
An orthographic projection of the United States United States (orthographic projection).svg
An orthographic projection of the United States

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United States:

Contents

United States of America – federal republic located primarily in North America, and the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With the Soviet Union's collapse and the subsequent end of the Cold War in 1991, the United States emerged as the world's sole superpower.

General reference

An enlargeable map of the United States showing the population density in 2010 US population map.png
An enlargeable map of the United States showing the population density in 2010

Geography of the United States

An enlargeable topographic map of the contiguous United States USATopographicalMap.jpg
An enlargeable topographic map of the contiguous United States
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 8,893 km (5,525 mi) [note 1]
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 3,145 km (1,954 mi) [1]
  • Coastline: 19,924 km (12,380 mi)

Environment of the United States

An enlargeable satellite composite image of the contiguous United States. Lush temperate, subtropical, and tropical vegetation and low to moderately high mountains prevail throughout the humid east, and high mountains, plateaus, temperate and subtropical savannas, and hot dry deserts prevail in the west. USA-satellite.jpg
An enlargeable satellite composite image of the contiguous United States. Lush temperate, subtropical, and tropical vegetation and low to moderately high mountains prevail throughout the humid east, and high mountains, plateaus, temperate and subtropical savannas, and hot dry deserts prevail in the west.

Geographic features of the United States

Grand Canyon - North Rim Panorama - Sept 2004 edit.jpg
View from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, a World Heritage Site

Regions of the United States

Physiographic divisions of the United States

The geography of the United States varies across their immense area. Within the continental U.S., eight distinct physiographic divisions exist, though each is composed of several smaller physiographic subdivisions. [2] These major divisions are:

Administrative divisions of the United States

States of the United States

At the Declaration of Independence, the United States consisted of 13 states, former colonies of the United Kingdom. In the following years, the number of states has grown steadily due to expansion to the west, conquest and purchase of lands by the American government, and division of existing states to the current number of 50 United States: [3]

Map of the United States with state border lines. Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map. Map of USA with state names.svg
Map of the United States with state border lines. Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.

Territories of the United States

Location of the insular areas of the United States: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} The United States of America Incorporated unorganized territory Unincorporated organized territory Unincorporated unorganized territory Freely associated commonwealth US insular areas.svg
Location of the insular areas of the United States:
  The United States of America
  Incorporated unorganized territory
  Unincorporated organized territory
  Unincorporated unorganized territory
  Freely associated commonwealth
Incorporated organized territories
  • none since 1959
Incorporated unorganized territories
Unincorporated organized territories
Unincorporated unorganized territories

Geography of the states and territories

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Demography of the United States

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Climate of the United States

History of the United States

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but it actually shows the drafting committee presenting its work to the Congress. Declaration independence.jpg
John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but it actually shows the drafting committee presenting its work to the Congress.
A map of the territorial evolution of the United States U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png
A map of the territorial evolution of the United States

Period-coverage

History of the states and territories

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

History of cities

Presidents of the United States

Government and politics in the United States

Federal government

Legislative branch

The United States Capitol US Capitol Building at night Jan 2006.jpg
The United States Capitol

Executive branch

The White House WhiteHouseSouthFacade.JPG
The White House
Federal executive departments

All departments are listed by their present-day name and only departments with past or present cabinet-level status are listed. Order of succession applies only to within the cabinet; the vice president has always been first in the line of succession, and the Speaker of the House and the President pro tem of the Senate have at times been included.

DepartmentCreationOrder of
succession		Modifications since creation2007 Budget
in billions
of dollars		Employees (2007)
State 17891Initially named "Department of Foreign Affairs"9.9630,266
Treasury 1789211.10115,897
Defense 19473Initially named "National Military Establishment"439.303,000,000
Justice 18704Position of Attorney General created in 1789, but had no department until 187023.40112,557
Interior 1849510.7071,436
Agriculture 1889677.60109,832
Commerce 19037Originally named Commerce and Labor; Labor later separated6.2036,000
Labor 1913859.7017,347
Health and Human Services 19539Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated543.2067,000
Housing and Urban Development 19651046.2010,600
Transportation 19661158.0058,622
Energy 19771221.50116,100
Education 19791362.804,487
Veterans Affairs 19891473.20235,000
Homeland Security 20021544.60208,000
Total budget (fiscal year 2007):1,523.424,193,144

Commissions

Judicial branch

The United States Supreme Court building Portico -US Supreme Court Building.jpg
The United States Supreme Court building

State and territory governments

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Politics of the states and territories

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Foreign relations

International organization membership

Military

The Pentagon The Pentagon US Department of Defense building.jpg
The Pentagon

Intelligence organizations

Headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency CIA New HQ Entrance.jpg
Headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency

Law of the United States

Culture of the United States

American cuisine

Historical cuisine

Cuisine of the regions

Art in the United States

Film

Music in the United States

Genres
Music in the states and territories

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

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Radio

Sports in the United States

List of Major Sports Leagues in the United States

Other top-level leagues and series
Minor and developmental professional leagues and series
College sports
Sports governing bodies

Sports by state and territory

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Sports Museums in the United States

Education in the United States

Education in the states and territories

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Economy and infrastructure of the United States

Outline of the United States
The United States is the world's largest economy (IMF, 2010).

Economy by state and territory

AK – AL – AR – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO - MS
MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY

AS – GU – MP – PR – VI

Health in the United States

Tourism in the United States

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The total length of the land border between Canada and the United States is the longest between any two countries.

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References

  1. ↑ "U.S.-Mexico Border". National Geographic. February 26, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Physiographic Regions". United States Geological Survey. April 17, 2003. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Arkansas Secretary of State". www.sos.arkansas.gov. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  4. ↑ DOI Office of Internal Affairs "DOI Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) - WAKE ISLAND". Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
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