About USA
The USA is a global political and economic powerhouse. Famous for high standards of living and progressive civil rights, the USA is one of the world’s premier super powers. As a center for commerce and trade, America has historically attracted large number of immigrants, a fact that continues in the modern age. To help you further understand the USA we have provided some general information about the country.
Official Name: United States of America ; USA , US, or America
Capital: Washington , District of Columbia
Location : North America . The USA shares a land border with Canada and Mexico . The country stretches form the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and has a substantial Caribbean coastline.
Size: The USA has a total area of 9,826,630 sq km. This means that the USA is the fourth largest country in the world by land mass and is approximately half the area of Russia and twice the size of the European Union.
Climate: As the USA is such a large country the climate will change with location. The climate is mostly temperate; however Hawaii and Florida are both situated in a tropical zone and Alaska experiences artic weather. The northern part of the country experiences extremely cold winters and California , Oregon , and Washington State experience a microclimate that is different from the rest of the country.
Population: The USA has a total population of approximately 301,139,000. This number increases annually at a rate of roughly 12%. There are a large number of illegal immigrants in the USA that are not calculated in the official census.
Life expectancy at birth: There is a life expectancy of 78 years at birth in the United States .
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: Approximately 0.6% of the American population is living with HIV/Aids. This equals about 950,000 people.
Major illnesses: There is a risk of a number of serious illnesses in the USA . Disease that are commonly experienced in the country include; Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus, Hantavirus, Meningitis (specifically in Colleges and Schools), and Encephalitis.
Ethnic Groups: There are a wide range of ethnic groups living in the USA . These are; Caucasian – 81.7%, African American – 12.9%, Asian – 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaskan native – 1%, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander – 0.2%. Each of the previous categories includes individuals who identify as being Hispanic or Latin American. The total population percentage for Latin American individuals is 14.5%.
Languages: The official language of the USA is English and this is spoken by 82.1% of the total population. Other languages spoken in the USA include; Spanish – 10.7%, Miscellaneous Indo/European – 3.8%, Miscellaneous Asian/Pacific Islands – 2.7%, and others – 0.7%.
Religion: Even though there is a distinct separation of religion from politics and there is no official religion the majority of the American population (approximately 78%) practice some form of Christianity. These are the religions practiced in the USA by population percentage; Protestant – 52%, Catholic – 24%, Mormon – 2%, Jewish – 1%, Muslim – 1%, other – 10%, none/Atheist – 10%.
Government: The Government of the USA is a constitution based federal republic with a strong democratic tradition.
Head of State: President George W. Bush.
Head of Government: President George W. Bush.
Military: The USA has one of the largest militaries in the world. Approximately 4.06% of the total annual GDP is spent on the military.
Economy : America is internationally recognized as having one of the strongest economies in the world. As the most technologically advanced country in the world, with a per capita GDP of $43,500 the USA enjoys an extremely high standard of living. The American free market economy means that individuals have the right to invest and spend their income as they see fit, however there are high income taxes and most states will have a goods and services tax attached to most retail bills. Some of the biggest issues facing the US economy in recent years is an aging population, rapid medical inflation, and a huge trade deficit. Over the last year a number of serious finanical issues have caused major damage to this previously strong economy, and analysts are warning that the outlook for 2009 is one of reduced growth.
GDP: The official Purchasing Power Parity GDP of the USA is USD$ 13.13 Trillion, with an official exchange rate GDP of $13.21 Trillion.
Every year more and more foreign nationals are choosing to relocate to the USA . We can provide international health insurance plans to expatriates in the country that will offer the most comprehensive coverage available. For more information about the international health insurance USA plans that we can offer, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers.
For more information about USA, the international health insurance plans that we can offer there, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.