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The '''United States of America''' is a large [[nation]] in [[North America]].  Its government is a republic of fifty semi-independent states.  The government consists of three branches (legislative, judicial, and executive) that provide checks and balances on each other's power.  The executive branch is headed by the [[President of the United States of America]] (elected every four years), the legislative branch consists of the [[U.S. Congress]] (elected periodically), and at the top of the judicial branch is the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] whose nine members serve for life.  This form of republic is specified in the [[U.S. Constitution]] of 1789 and has survived in essentially the same form for well over two centuries (at the cost of one bloody civil war fought in the 1860's to prevent states from ceceding from the union). The nation's capital is [[Washington, D.C.]].
The United States of America is also informally called the ''United States'', ''U.S.A'', ''U.S.,'' ''US'', or (inaccurately) ''America''.
== States and territories ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<big>See [[United_States_of_America/Catalogs/States_and_Territories|U.S. States and Territories]] for a more complete listing including territories and uninhabited islands.</big>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">{{US states}}</div>
</div>
== Government Structure and Branches ==
{{main|Government of the United States of America}}
[[Image:Bush Cheney Pelosi.jpg|thumb|230px|Former President [[George W. Bush]] delivering the State of the Union address, 2007. Also pictured are Former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] and Speaker of the House [[Nancy Pelosi]].]]
The United States is a [[representative democracy]], and its structure and system of [[checks and balances]] are established by the [[United States Constitution]]. The Federal government is divided by the Constitution into three branches - Executive, Judicial and Legislative.
There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are not usually subordinate to the Federal government. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the Civil War and [[Reconstruction]], but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.
The executive branch is led by the [[President of the United States of America|president]]. The president is responsible for appointing the [[United States cabinet|cabinet]], which is confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]]. The current head of state and head of government is {{headofstate|United States of America}}, serving a four-year term, and eligible for re-election to one additional term.
The judicial branch is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.
The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the [[U.S. Congress|Congress]]. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the [[House of Representatives]] and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population. The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determines the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and makes determinations of due process but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact.
----
The '''[[Government]] of the [[United States of America]]''' is [[separation of powers|separated]] by the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] into [[U.S. Congress|legislative]], executive and [[U.S. judicial system|judicial branch]]es: [[U.S. Congress|Congress]], the [[President of the United States of America|office of President]] and subordinates, and the federal courts, the highest of which is the [[Supreme Court of the United States of America|Supreme Court]]. The two chambers of Congress, the [[House of Representatives]] and the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]], are directly elected by U.S. citizens, who also vote for [[U.S. Electoral College| electors]] who in turn choose the President and Vice-President. The House and Senate respectively choose the President and Vice-President if this Electoral College does not produce nominees.
==Federalism==
There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are not strictly hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are subordinate to the Federal government only in some matters but not in others. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction]], but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.
==Legislative branch==
{{main|House of Representatives|U.S. Senate}}
The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the Congress. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population.
==Executive branch==
[[Image:Georgewbush.jpg|right|thumb|Former President [[George W. Bush]] in 2007.|250px]]
{{main|President of the United States of America}}
As [[head of state]], the President appoints members of the executive, subject to Senate scrutiny, and [[judge]]s to the Supreme Court. The current head of state and head of government is {{headofstate|United States of America}}, serving a four-year term.
==Judicial branch==
{{seealso|U.S. judicial system}}
The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determine the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and make determinations of due process, but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact (except in certain narrow categories of cases such as lawsuits between States).
It is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.
==See also==
*[[Politics of the United States of America]]
*[[United States Constitution]]
*[[House of Representatives]]
*[[U.S. Senate]]
*[[President of the United States of America]]
*[[Vice President of the United States of America]]
*[[Speaker of the House of Representatives]]
*[[Supreme Court of the United States]]
*[[Law of the United States]]
*[[United States of America]]
*[[21st United States Congress]]

Revision as of 08:14, 10 February 2023

test The United States of America is a large nation in North America. Its government is a republic of fifty semi-independent states. The government consists of three branches (legislative, judicial, and executive) that provide checks and balances on each other's power. The executive branch is headed by the President of the United States of America (elected every four years), the legislative branch consists of the U.S. Congress (elected periodically), and at the top of the judicial branch is the Supreme Court whose nine members serve for life. This form of republic is specified in the U.S. Constitution of 1789 and has survived in essentially the same form for well over two centuries (at the cost of one bloody civil war fought in the 1860's to prevent states from ceceding from the union). The nation's capital is Washington, D.C..

The United States of America is also informally called the United States, U.S.A, U.S., US, or (inaccurately) America.

States and territories

See U.S. States and Territories for a more complete listing including territories and uninhabited islands.

Click on a column header to sort the table by that item.

1Size in square miles, land area only (minus water).
2Population per 2020 census.
3Population density in persons per square mile.
4Electoral votes for the 2024 presidential election.

No  Name  Short  Year  Size1  Population2  Density3  EV's4  Capital  Subdivisions 
1 Alabama AL 1819 - 22nd 50,744 5,024,279 99.0 9 Montgomery 67 counties
2 Alaska AK 1959 - 49th 571,951 733,391 1.3 3 Juneau 16 boroughs[1]
3 Arizona AZ 1912 - 48th 113,635 7,151,502 62.9 11 Phoenix 15 counties
4 Arkansas AR 1836 - 25th 52,068 3,011,524 57.8 6 Little Rock 75 counties
5 California CA 1850 - 31st 155,959 39,538,223 253.5 54 Sacramento 58 counties
6 Colorado CO 1876 - 38th 103,718 5,773,714 55.7 10 Denver 64 counties
7 Connecticut CT 1788 - 5th 4845 3,605,944 744.3 7 Hartford 8 counties[2] and 169 towns
8 Delaware DE 1787 - 1st 1954 989,948 506.6 3 Dover 3 counties
9 Florida FL 1845 - 27th 53,927 21,538,187 399.4 30 Tallahassee 67 counties
10 Georgia GA 1788 - 4th 57,906 10,711,908 185.0 16 Atlanta 159 counties
11 Hawaii HI 1959 - 50th 6423 1,455,271 226.6 4 Honolulu 5 counties[3]
12 Idaho ID 1890 - 43rd 82,747 1,839,106 22.2 4 Boise 44 counties
13 Illinois IL 1818 - 21st 55,584 12,812,508 230.5 19 Springfield 102 counties
14 Indiana IN 1816 - 19th 35,867 6,785,528 189.2 11 Indianapolis 92 counties
15 Iowa IA 1846 - 29th 55,869 3,190,369 57.1 8 Des Moines 99 counties
16 Kansas KS 1861 - 34th 81,815 2,937,880 35.9 6 Topeka 105 counties
17 Kentucky KY 1792 - 15th 39,728 4,505,836 113.4 8 Frankfort 120 counties
18 Louisiana LA 1812 - 18th 43,562 4,657,757 106.9 8 Baton Rouge 64 parishes
19 Maine ME 1820 - 23rd 30,862 1,362,359 44.1 4 Augusta 16 counties
20 Maryland MD 1788 - 7th 9,774 6,177,224 632.0 10 Annapolis 22 counties + Baltimore[4]
21 Massachussetts MA 1788 - 6th 7840 7,029,917 896.7 11 Boston 14 counties, 50 cities, 301 towns[5]
22 Michigan MI 1836 - 25th 56,804 10,077,331 177.4 15 Lansing 83 counties
23 Minnesota MN 1858 - 32nd 79,610 5,706,494 71.7 10 St. Paul 87 counties
24 Mississippi MS 1817 - 20th 46,907 2,961,279 63.1 6 Jackson 82 counties
25 [[Missouri]] MO 1821 - 24th 68,886 6,154,913 89.3 10 Jefferson City 115 counties
26 Montana MT 1889 - 41st 145,552 1,084,225 7.4 4 Helena 56 counties
27 Nebraska NE 1867 - 37th 76,872 1,961,504 25.5 5 Lincoln 93 counties
28 Nevada NV 1864 - 36th 109,826 3,104,614 28.3 6 Carson City 17 counties
29 New Hampshire NH 1788 - 9th 8968 1,377,529 153.6 4 Concord 10 counties
30 New Jersey NJ 1787 - 3rd 7417 9,288,994 1,252.4 14 Trenton 21 counties
31 New Mexico NM 1912 - 47th 121,356 2,117,522 17.4 5 Santa Fe 33 counties
32 New York NY 1788 - 11th 47,214 20,201,249 427.9 28 Albany 62 counties
33 North Carolina NC 1789 - 12th 48,711 10,439,388 214.3 16 Raleigh 100 counties
34 North Dakota ND 1889 - 39th 68,976 779,094 11.3 3 Bismarck 53 counties
35 Ohio OH 1803 - 17th 40,948 11,799,448 288.2 17 Columbus 88 counties
36 Oklahoma OK 1907 - 46th 68,667 3,959,353 57.7 7 Oklahoma City 77 counties
37 Oregon OR 1859 - 33rd 95,997 4,237,256 44.1 8 Salem 36 counties
38 Pennsylvania PA 1787 - 2nd 44,817 13,002,700 290.1 19 Harrisburg 67 counties
39 Rhode Island RI 1790 - 13th 1045 1,097,379 1,050.1 4 Providence 5 counties
40 South Carolina SC 1788 - 8th 30,110 5,118,425 170.0 9 Columbia sub
41 South Dakota SD 1889 - 40th 75,885 886,667 11.7 3 Pierre 66 counties
42 Tennessee TN 1796 - 16th 41,217 6,910,840 167.7 11 Nashville 95 counties
43 Texas TX 1845 - 28th 261,797 29,145,505 111.3 40 Austin 154 counties
44 Utah UT 1896 - 45th 82,144 3,271,616 39.8 6 Salt Lake City 29 counties
45 Vermont VT 1791 - 14th 9250 643,077 69.5 3 Montpelier 14 counties[6]
46 Virginia VA 1788 - 10th 39,594 8,631,393 218.0 13 Richmond 95 counties, 39 independent cities
47 Washington WA 1889 - 42nd 66,544 7,705,281 115.8 12 Olympia 39 counties
48 West Virginia WV 1863 - 35th 24,078 1,793,716 74.5 4 Charleston 55 counties
49 Wisconsin WI 1848 - 30th 54,310 5,893,718 108.5 10 Madison 72 counties
50 Wyoming WY 1890 - 44th 97,100 576,851 5.9 3 Cheyenne 23 counties

NOTE: Contents of the above table is from this template.

Government Structure and Branches

For more information, see: Government of the United States of America.
Former President George W. Bush delivering the State of the Union address, 2007. Also pictured are Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

The United States is a representative democracy, and its structure and system of checks and balances are established by the United States Constitution. The Federal government is divided by the Constitution into three branches - Executive, Judicial and Legislative.

There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are not usually subordinate to the Federal government. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the Civil War and Reconstruction, but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.

The executive branch is led by the president. The president is responsible for appointing the cabinet, which is confirmed by the Senate. The current head of state and head of government is Joe Bidene, serving a four-year term, and eligible for re-election to one additional term.

The judicial branch is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the Supreme Court of the United States (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.

The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the Congress. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population. The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determines the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and makes determinations of due process but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact.


The Government of the United States of America is separated by the Constitution into legislative, executive and judicial branches: Congress, the office of President and subordinates, and the federal courts, the highest of which is the Supreme Court. The two chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, are directly elected by U.S. citizens, who also vote for electors who in turn choose the President and Vice-President. The House and Senate respectively choose the President and Vice-President if this Electoral College does not produce nominees.

Federalism

There are three main levels of government in the United States, and they are not strictly hierarchical, i.e. local governments are subordinate to state governments, but the states are subordinate to the Federal government only in some matters but not in others. The question of the exact relationship is the issue of "federalism"; the main points were settled by the American Civil War and Reconstruction, but small points remain a matter of political and constitutional debate.

Legislative branch

For more information, see: House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

The legislative branch of the federal government is composed of the Congress. The Congress is bicameral (two houses), and consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. All states have two senators, and each state's number of representatives is decided by the state's population.

Executive branch

Former President George W. Bush in 2007.
For more information, see: President of the United States of America.

As head of state, the President appoints members of the executive, subject to Senate scrutiny, and judges to the Supreme Court. The current head of state and head of government is Joe Bidene, serving a four-year term.

Judicial branch

See also: U.S. judicial system

The judicial branch consists of a system of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to interpret federal law, determine if laws are incompatible with the U.S. Constitution, determine the legality of decisions made by the Court of Appeals and make determinations of due process, but does not normally make factual determinations or findings of fact (except in certain narrow categories of cases such as lawsuits between States).

It is headed by the "Highest Court in the Land," the Supreme Court of the United States (nicknamed "SCOTUS"). This court is composed of 9 justices (judges) who are appointed for life by the president. The Supreme Court serves as the last resort for appeals the court itself chooses to hear.

See also

  1. ↑ Alaska boroughs include Municipality of Anchorage and an Unorganized Borough administered directly by the state.
  2. ↑ Connecticut counties have had no government power since 1960)
  3. ↑ One Hawaii county is administered by the state Dept. of Health
  4. ↑ Baltimore, Maryland is an independent city not in any county.
  5. ↑ Counties in Massachussetts have little government function.
  6. ↑ Vermont counties have limited governmental powers.
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