US: Massachusetts

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere: its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C. more...

Home
Knives, Swords & Blades
Militaria
Science Fiction
Tobacciana
Trading Cards
Transportation
Automobilia
Antenna Toppers
Badges
Books, Manuals
American Vehicles
Asian Vehicles
British Vehicles
European Vehicles
Other Books
Brochures, Catalogs
American Vehicles
American Vehicles Other
Asian Vehicles
British Vehicles
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
European Vehicles
Ford
Other Brochures, Catalogs
Plymouth
Pontiac
Calendars
Clocks
Clothing, Hats
Decals, Stickers
Dishes, Cups, Mugs
Gas Pumps, Fueling System
Hitch Covers
Hood Ornaments, Emblems
Horns, Bells
Hubcaps, Hub Nuts
Keychains
License Plate Frames
License Plates
Canada
Germany
Non-Country Specific
Other Countries
US: Alabama
US: Alaska
US: Arizona
US: Arkansas
US: California
US: Colorado
US: Connecticut
US: Delaware
US: District of Columbia
US: Florida
US: Georgia
US: Hawaii
US: Idaho
US: Illinois
US: Indiana
US: Iowa
US: Kansas
US: Kentucky
US: Louisiana
US: Maine
US: Maryland
US: Massachusetts
US: Michigan
US: Minnesota
US: Mississippi
US: Missouri
US: Mixed State Lots
US: Montana
US: Nebraska
US: Nevada
US: New Hampshire
US: New Jersey
US: New Mexico
US: New York
US: North Carolina
US: North Dakota
US: Ohio
US: Oklahoma
US: Oregon
US: Pennsylvania
US: Rhode Island
US: South Carolina
US: South Dakota
US: Tennessee
US: Texas
US: Utah
US: Vermont
US: Virginia
US: Washington
US: West Virginia
US: Wisconsin
US: Wyoming
Lighters
Magazines
Original Photos
Other Automobilia
Patches
American Vehicles
Asian Vehicles
European Vehicles
Other Patches
Pins
Posters
American Vehicles
Asian Vehicles
British Vehicles
European Vehicles
Other Posters
Press Kits
Prints
Signs
Spark Plugs
Steering Wheels, Knobs
Traffic Lights, Signals
Watches
Aviation
Bicycles
Boats, Ships
Buses, Taxi Cabs
Maps, Atlases
Motorcycles
Other Transportation
Pins, Buttons
Railroadiana, Trains
Scooters
Signs
Subway
Trucks
Videos

, the capital district, lie in central North America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south; the state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent with Canada to its east, and the state of Hawaii is in the mid-Pacific. The United States also possesses fourteen territories, or insular areas, that are scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with over 300 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. Its national economy is the largest in the world, with a nominal 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$13 trillion.

The nation was founded by the thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. After proclaiming themselves as "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rebellious states defeated Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of independence.

A federal convention adopted the current United States Constitution on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments, was ratified in 1791. In the nineteenth century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. The American Civil War ended slavery in the United States and prevented a permanent split of the country. The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed its status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The sole remaining superpower in the post–Cold War era, the United States is perceived by many as the dominant economic, political, cultural, and military force in the world.

Etymology

Common abbreviations of the United States of America include the United States, the U.S., and the U.S.A. Colloquial names for the country include the common America as well as the States. The term Americas, for the lands of the western hemisphere, was coined in the early sixteenth century after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer and cartographer. The full name of the country was first used officially in the Declaration of Independence, which was the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" adopted by the "Representatives of the united States of America" on July 4, 1776. The current name was finalized on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which states, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" Columbia, a once popular name for the Americas and the United States, was derived from Christopher Columbus. It appears in the name District of Columbia. A female personification of Columbia appears on some official documents, including certain prints of U.S. currency.

Read more at Wikipedia.org