běi měi zhōu:    加拿大 Canada   美国 United States   墨西哥 Mexico   巴哈马 The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

měi guó United States   shǒudōu:huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū  guógūdàimǎ: us    -世界--欧洲-奥地利白俄罗斯比利时波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那克罗地亚捷克丹麦芬兰法国德国希腊匈牙利冰岛爱尔兰意大利拉脱维亚卢森堡荷兰挪威波兰葡萄牙爱沙尼亚立陶宛马耳他罗马尼亚俄罗斯圣马力诺西班牙瑞典瑞士安道尔列支敦士登摩纳哥阿尔巴尼亚保加利亚马其顿摩尔多瓦黑山塞尔维亚斯洛文尼亚斯洛伐克梵蒂冈土耳其乌克兰英国-南美洲-阿根廷玻利维亚巴西智利哥伦比亚圭亚那巴拉圭秘鲁厄瓜多尔苏里南乌拉圭委内瑞拉-亚洲-北亚-中美洲-安提瓜和巴布达巴巴多斯伯利兹古巴多米尼加共和国萨尔瓦多圣基茨和尼维斯格林纳达危地马拉海地洪都拉斯牙买加尼加拉瓜波多黎各特立尼达和多巴哥圣卢西亚圣文森特和格林纳丁斯多米尼克哥斯达黎加巴拿马-美洲--古阿拉伯大区-埃及伊拉克以色列约旦黎巴嫩巴勒斯坦沙特阿拉伯叙利亚伊朗阿曼阿拉伯联合酋长国-北美洲-加拿大墨西哥巴哈马美国-东亚-中国日本朝鲜蒙古韩国越南-非洲-阿尔及利亚埃塞俄比亚布基纳法索科特迪瓦科摩罗圣多美和普林西比吉布提赤道几内亚厄立特里亚加蓬冈比亚几内亚几内亚比绍莱索托摩洛哥贝宁利比亚马达加斯加马拉维毛里塔尼亚尼日尔尼日利亚博茨瓦纳布隆迪喀麦隆佛得角加纳肯尼亚利比里亚马里毛里求斯卢旺达刚果塞内加尔塞舌尔南非斯威士兰中非共和国刚果民主共和国索马里安哥拉乍得莫桑比克纳米比亚塞拉利昂苏丹乌干达赞比亚坦桑尼亚多哥突尼斯津巴布韦-东南亚-文莱缅甸柬埔寨东帝汶印度尼西亚老挝马来西亚菲律宾新加坡泰国-南亚-孟加拉国印度巴基斯坦马尔代夫尼泊尔斯里兰卡不丹-中亚-吉尔吉斯斯坦土库曼斯坦哈萨克斯坦塔吉克斯坦乌兹别克斯坦-西亚-阿富汗巴林塞浦路斯格鲁吉亚科威特卡塔尔亚美尼亚阿塞拜疆也门-大洋洲-澳大利亚密克罗尼西亚斐济基里巴斯马绍尔群岛瑙鲁新西兰所罗门群岛巴布亚新几内亚西萨摩亚汤加帕劳瓦努阿图图瓦卢   cháozhèng

guó míng 　　 měi lì jiān hé zhòng guó（ TheUnitedStatesofAmerica）。 united: lián hé， States: zhōu， America: měi zhōu； suō xiě： USA( huò US) 　　 bié míng： America， huò zhě UnitedStates。 　　 　　 chuò hào 　　 měi guó de chuò hào jiào“ shān mǔ dà shū ”。 chuán shuō 1812 nián yīng měi zhàn zhēng qī jiān， niǔ yuē tè luó yī chéng shāng rén shān mǔ · wēi 'ěr xùn（ 1766.9.13--1854.7.31） zài gōng yìng jūn duì niú ròu de tǒng shàng xiě yòu“ u.s.”， biǎo shì zhè shì měi guó cái chǎn。 zhè qià yǔ tā de nì chēng“ shān mǔ dà shū” ("UncleSam") de suō xiě ("u.s.") xiāng tóng， yú shì rén men biàn xì chēng zhè xiē dài yòu "u.s." biāo jì de wù zī dōushì“ shān mǔ dà shū” de。 hòu lái，“ shān mǔ dà shū” jiù zhú jiàn chéng liǎo měi guó de chuò hào。 shí jiǔ shì jì sān shí nián dài， měi guó de màn huà jiā yòu jiāng“ shān mǔ dà shū” huà chéng yī gè tóu dài xīng tiáo gāo mào、 xù zhe shān yáng hú xū de báifà shòu gāo lǎo rén。 1961 nián měi guó guó huì tōng guò jué yì， zhèng shì chéng rèn“ shān mǔ dà shū” wéi měi guó de xiàng zhēng。 　　 　　 guó qí 　　 měi guó guó qí wéi xīng tiáo qí。 chéng héng cháng fāng xíng， cháng yǔ kuān zhī bǐ wéi 19:10。 zhù tǐ yóu 13 dào hóng、 bái xiāngjiàn de kuān tiáo zǔ chéng， 7 dào hóng tiáo， 6 dào bái tiáo； qí miàn zuǒ shàng jiǎo wéi lán sè cháng fāng xíng， qí zhōng fēn 9 pái héng liè zhe 50 kē bái sè wǔ jiǎo xīng。 hóng sè xiàng zhēng qiáng dà hé yǒng qì， bái sè dài biǎo chún jié hé qīng bái， lán sè xiàng zhēng jǐng tì、 jiān rèn bù bá hé zhèng yì。 13 dào kuān tiáo dài biǎo zuì zǎo fā dòng dú lì zhàn zhēng bìng qǔ dé shèng lì de 13 gè zhōu， 50 kē wǔ jiǎo xīng dài biǎo měi lì jiān hé zhòng guó de zhōu shù。 1818 nián měi guó guó huì tōng guò fǎ 'àn， guó qí shàng de hóng bái kuān tiáo gù dìng wéi 13 dào， wǔ jiǎo xīng shù mù yìng yǔ hé zhòng guó zhōu shù yī zhì。 měi zēng jiā yī gè zhōu， guó qí shàng jiù zēng jiā yī kē xīng， yī bān zài xīn zhōu jiā rù hòu de dì 'èr nián 7 yuè 4 rì zhí xíng。 zhì jīn guó qí shàng yǐ zēng zhì 50 kē xīng， dài biǎo měi guó de 50 zhōu。 měi nián 6 yuè 14 rì wéi“ měi guó guó qí zhì dìng jì niàn rì”。 　　 　　 guó huī 　　 měi guó guó huī zhù tǐ wéi yī zhǐ xiōng qián dài yòu dùn xíng tú 'àn de bái tóu hǎi diāo（ tū yīng）， měi guó de guó niǎo， tā shì lì liàng、 yǒng qì、 zì yóu hé bù xiǔ de xiàng zhēng。 dùn miàn shàng bàn bù wéi lán sè héng cháng fāng xíng， xià bàn bù wéi hóng、 bái xiāngjiàn de shù tiáo， qí yù yì tóng guó qí。 yīng zhī shàng de dǐng guān xiàng zhēng zài shì jiè de zhù quán guó jiā zhōng yòu dàn shēng yī gè xīn de dú lì guó jiā héng héng měi lì jiān hé zhòng guó； dǐng guān nèi yòu 13 kē bái sè wǔ jiǎo xīng， dài biǎo měi guó zuì chū de 13 gè zhōu。 yīng de liǎng zhǎo fēn bié zhuā zhe gǎn lǎn zhī hé jiàn， xiàng zhēng hé píng hé wǔ lì。 yīng zuǐ diāo zhe de huáng sè shòu dài shàng yòng lā dīng wén xiě zhe“ hé zhòng wéi yī”， yì wéi měi lì jiān hé zhòng guó yóu hěn duō zhōu zǔ chéng， shì yī gè wán zhěng de guó jiā。 　　 　　 guó gē 　　《 xīng tiáo qí yǒng bù luò》（ TheStar-SpangledBanner）。 céng yì《 xīng tiáo qí zhī gē》， dàn shēng zài měi guó bā 'ěr de mó。 gē cí shì yī wèi míng jiào fú lǎng xī sī · sī kē tè · jī de měi guó lǜ shī zài yīng měi zhàn zhēng shí， tòu guò zhàn chǎng shàng de xiāo yān kàn dào xīng tiáo qí jīng guò yīng jūn pào hōng hòu réng zài yào sài shàng kōng gāo gāo piāo yáng shí gǎn kǎi wàn fēn 'ér jí jǐng xiě xià de。 qǔpǔ shì“ jìn xíng qū zhī wáng” sū sà de zhù míng dài biǎo zuò。 1931 nián bèi měi guó guó huì zhèng shì dìng wéi guó gē。 　　 　　 guó huā 　　 méi guī huā。 xiàng zhēng zhe měi lì、 fēn fāng、 rè chén hé 'ài qíng。 1985 nián jīng cān yì yuàn tōng guò dìng wéi guó huā。 　　 　　 guó shí 　　 lán bǎo shí 　　 　　 guó niǎo 　　 bái tóu hǎi diāo（ tū yīng）。 měi guó shì shì jiè shàng zuì xiān què dìng guó niǎo de guó jiā。 bái tóu diāo zuì zǎo chū xiàn yú měi guó de qí zhì shàng shì zài dú lì zhàn zhēng qī jiān。 1776 nián 7 yuè 4 rì dì 'èr cì dà lù huì yì fā biǎo liǎo《 dú lì xuān yán》 bìng jué dìng xīn shēng de měi guó bì xū yòu yī gè tè shū de guó huī。 1782 nián 6 yuè 20 rì， měi guó guó huì tōng guò jué yì， bǎ běi měi zhōu tè yòu de bái tóu hǎi diāo zuò wéi měi guó de guó niǎo， bìng bǎ zhè zhǒng niǎo zuò wéi guó huī tú 'àn de zhù tǐ。 bái tóu diāo wài guān měi lì、 xìng qíng xiōng měng， tóu shàng yòu fēng mǎn de yǔ máo， tā de zuì dà tè diǎn shì liǎng tóu bái， jí bái tóu bái wěi。 tā dài biǎo zhe yǒng měng、 lì liàng hé shèng lì。 　　 　　 dú lì 　　1776 nián 7 yuè 4 rì。 1783 nián 9 yuè 3 rì chéng rèn dú lì。 　　 　　 guó qìng rì 　　7 yuè 4 rì 　　 　　 guó tǔ miàn jī 　　9,826,630 píng fāng gōng lǐ（ qí zhōng lù dì miàn jī 915.8960 wàn píng fāng gōng lǐ）， běn tǔ dōng xī cháng 4500 gōng lǐ， nán běi kuān 2700 gōng lǐ， hǎi 'àn xiàn cháng 22680 gōng lǐ。 　　 　　 rén kǒu 　　3 yì líng 315 wàn（ 2008 nián 1 yuè 1 rì， shì jiè dì 3）。 rén kǒu mì dù 31 rén měi píng fāng gōng lǐ（ shì jiè dì 144 míng）。 bái rén zhàn 75%， lā měi yì zhàn 12.5%， hēi rén zhàn 12.3%， yà yì zhàn 3.6%， huá rén yuē 243 wàn， zhàn 0.9%， duō yǐ rù měi guó jí（ 2000 nián měi rén kǒu pǔ chá shù jù）。 měi guó hēi rén、 lā měi yì hé yà yì děng shǎo shù zú yì zǒng rén kǒu yǐ dá dào 1.007 yì rén（ jié zhì 2006 nián 7 yuè）。 tōng yòng yīng yǔ。 56% de jū mín xìn fèng jī dū jiào xīn jiào， 28% xìn fèng tiān zhù jiào， 2% xìn fèng yóu tài jiào， xìn fèng qí tā zōng jiào de zhàn 4%， bù shǔ yú rèn hé jiào pài de zhàn 10%。 　　 　　 yǔ yán 　　 méi yòu fǎ dìng guān fāng yǔ yán。 yīng yǔ shì shì shí shàng de guó jiā yǔ yán。 yòu 27 gè zhōu yǐ jīng tōng guò dì fāng fǎ lǜ què bǎo yīng yǔ de guān fāng dì wèi； yòu 3 gè zhōu chéng rèn qí tā yǔ yán yǔ yīng yǔ yòu píng xíng dì wèi： lù yì sī 'ān nà zhōu de fǎ yǔ， xià wēi yí zhōu de xià wēi yí yǔ hé xīn mò xī gē zhōu de xī bān yá yǔ。 shǐ yòng rén kǒu chāo guò 100 wàn rén de yǔ yán bāo kuò yīng yǔ（ 2 yì 1480 wàn）、 xī bān yá yǔ（ 2970 wàn）、 hàn yǔ（ 220 wàn）、 fǎ yǔ（ 140 wàn）、 tǎ jiā luò yǔ（ 130 wàn）、 yuè nán yǔ（ 110 wàn）、 dé yǔ（ 110 wàn）。 chú liǎo zhè xiē zhù yào yǔ yán wài， hái yòu qí tā 336 zhǒng yǔ yán zài měi guó bèi shǐ yòng， qí zhōng yòu 176 zhǒng shì dāng dì tǔ chǎn de yǔ yán。 　　 　　 zōng jiào 　　 měi guó bǎo zhàng zōng jiào zì yóu de quán lì， zhèng fǔ shí xíng zhèng jiào fēn lí zhì dù， bù zhī chí yě bù fǎn duì rèn hé yī zhǒng zōng jiào。 dàn zōng jiào zài měi guó zhèng zhì zhōng xiāng dāng huó yuè。 dà duō shù měi guó zǒng tǒng dū xuān chēng shì jī dū jiào xīn jiào xìn tú， zhǐ yòu jiàn guó chū qī de jǐ wèi zǒng tǒng shì zì rán shén lùn zhě， lìng yòu yī rén shì tiān zhù jiào tú。 　　 　　 gé yán 　　EPluribusUnum（ FromMany， One， lā dīng wén： hé zhòng wéi yī， 1776 nián -） 　　InGodWeTrust（ yīng wén： wǒ men xìn yǎng shàng dì， 1956 nián -） 　　 　　 shǒu dū 　　 huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū（ WashingtonD.C.）。 rén kǒu 581,530（ 2006 nián）。 　　 　　 chéng shì 　　 měi guó yòu zhù shù shí gè zhù yào chéng shì， dà duō shù de rén kǒu dū jū zhù zài zhè xiē chéng shì lǐ， zhè xiē chéng shì yě xíng sù liǎo měi guó de wén huà、 chuán tǒng、 hé jīng jì。 zài 2004 nián， quán měi yòu 251 gè chāo guò liǎo shí wàn rén kǒu dedōu shì， 9 gè chāo guò yī bǎi wàn rén kǒu de dà dū shì， 50 gè chāo guò liǎo yī bǎi wàn rén kǒu de dà dū huì。 　　 　　 zuì dà chéng shì niǔ yuē（ NewYorkCity）， měi guó dì yī dà dū shì hé dì yī dà shāng gǎng， quán shì jiè jīn róng zhōng xīn zhī yī。 niǔ yuē dà dū huì rén kǒu 18,976,457。 　　 　　 qí tā zhù yào chéng shì yòu luò shān jī（ LosAngeles）、 zhī jiā gē（ Chicago）、 xiū sī dūn（ Houston）、 fèi chéng（ Philadelphia）、 jiù jīn shān（ SanFrancisco）、 dǐ tè lǜ（ Detroit）、 yà tè lán dà（ Atlanta）、 bō shì dùn（ Boston）、 dá lā sī（ Dallas）、 bā 'ěr de mó（ baltimore）、 fěi ní kè sī（ Phoenix）、 kè lì fū lán（ Cleveland）、 xīn 'ào 'ěr liáng（ NewOrleans）、 xī yǎ tú（ Seattle）、 dān fó 　　（ Denver）、 shèng lù yì sī（ St.Louis）、 míng ní 'ā bō lì sī（ Minneapolis）、 huǒ nú lǔ lǔ（ Honolulu）、 bù fǎ luó（ Buffalo）、 yán hú chéng（ SaltLakeCity）、 zhū nuò（ Juneau）。 　　 　　 xíng zhèng qū huá 　　 quán guó fēn shí dà dì qū： xīn yīng gé lán dì qū、 zhōng yāng dì qū、 zhōng dà xī yáng dì qū、 xī nán dì qū、 ā bā lā qì yà shān dì qū、 gāo shān dì qū、 dōng nán dì qū、 tài píng yáng yán 'àn dì qū、 dà hú dì qū hé 'ā lā sī jiā yǔ xià wēi yí； 　　 quán guó gòng fēn 50 gè zhōu hé 1 gè tè qū（ huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū）， yòu 3042 gè xiàn huò jùn（ county， lù yì sī 'ān nà zhōu de jùn shì parish）； 　　 lián bāng lǐng dì bāo kuò bō duō lí gè zì yóu lián bāng hé běi mǎ lǐ yà nà； 　　 hǎi wài lǐng dì zhōng yòu rén jū zhù de wéi： měi shǔ sà mó yà、 guān dǎo、 zhōng tú dǎo、 měi shǔ wéi 'ěr jīng qún dǎo； 　　 wú rén jū zhù de wéi： bèi kè dǎo、 háo lán dǎo、 jiǎ wéi sī dǎo、 yuē hàn sī dùn dǎo、 jīn màn jiāo、 nà fú shā dǎo、 pà 'ěr mǐ 'ěr dǎo、 wēi kè dǎo； 　　50 gè zhōu fēn bié wéi： yà lā bā mǎ zhōu、 ā lā sī jiā zhōu、 yà lì sāng nà zhōu、 ā kěn sè zhōu、 jiā lì fú ní yà zhōu、 kē luó lā duō zhōu、 kāng niè dí gé zhōu、 tè lā huá zhōu、 fó luó lǐ dá zhōu、 zuǒ zhì yà zhōu、 xià wēi yí zhōu、 ài dá hé zhōu、 yī lì nuò yī zhōu、 yìn dì 'ān nà zhōu、 ài 'ào wǎ zhōu、 kān sà sī zhōu、 kěn tǎ jī zhōu、 lù yì sī 'ān nà zhōu、 miǎn yīn zhōu、 mǎ lǐ lán zhōu、 mǎ sà zhū sài zhōu、 mì xiē gēn zhōu、 míng ní sū dá zhōu、 mì xī xī bǐ zhōu、 mì sū lǐ zhōu、 méng dà ná zhōu、 nèi bù lā sī jiā zhōu、 nèi huá dá zhōu、 xīn hǎn bù shí 'ěr zhōu、 xīn zé xī zhōu、 xīn mò xī gē zhōu、 niǔ yuē zhōu、 běi kǎ luó lái nà zhōu、 běi dá kē tā zhōu、 é hài 'é zhōu、 é kè lā hé mǎ zhōu、 é lè gāng zhōu、 bīn xī fǎ ní yà zhōu、 luó dé dǎo zhōu、 nán kǎ luó lái nà zhōu、 nán dá kē tā zhōu、 tián nà xī zhōu、 dé kè sà sī zhōu、 yóu tā zhōu、 fó méng tè zhōu、 fú jí ní yà zhōu、 huá shèng dùn zhōu、 xī fú jí ní yà zhōu、 wēi sī kāng xīng zhōu、 huái 'é míng zhōu。 　　 　　 guó jiā zhèng yào 　　 měi guó 43 rèn（ dì 55 jiè） zǒng tǒng qiáo zhì · wò kè · bù shí（ GeorgeWalkerBush）， 2001 nián 1 yuè 20 rì xuān shì jiù zhí， 2004 nián 11 yuè zài cì dāng xuǎn； fù zǒng tǒng dí kè · qiē ní（ DickCheney）， 2004 nián 11 yuè zài cì dāng xuǎn； guó wù qīng kāng duō lì zhā · lài sī（ CondoleezzaRice）， 2005 nián 1 yuè xuān shì jiù zhí； guó fáng bù cháng luó bó tè · gài cí（ RobertGates）， 2006 nián 12 yuè rèn zhí； zhòng yì yuàn yì cháng nán xī · pèi luò xī（ NancyPelosi）， 2007 nián 1 yuè zhèng shì jiù zhí； cái zhèng bù cháng hēng lì · bǎo 'ěr sēn（ HenryPaulson）， 2006 nián 7 yuè jiù zhí； shǒu xí dà fǎ guān yuē hàn · luó bó cí（ JohnG.RobertsJr）， 2005 nián 9 yuè xuān shì jiù zhí。 　　 　　 huò bì 　　 měi yuán（ UnitedStatesDollar， USD）。 měi yuán“ $”， měi fēn“ ￠”。 　　 　　 shí jiān 　　 měi guó bǎ zì dōng hǎi 'àn zhì xī hǎi 'àn 4517 gōng lǐ de běn tǔ dì duàn hé liǎng gè hǎi wài zhōu gòng huàfēn wéi liù gè shí qū UTC-5 zhì -10， xià shí zhì wéi UTC-4 zhì -10。 　　1、 dōng bù shí qū EasternTime（ EST)， xī wǔ qū UTC-5 　　2、 zhōng bù shí qū CentralTime（ CST）， xī liù qū UTC-6 　　3、 shān dì shí qū MountainTime（ MST）， xī qī qū UTC-7 　　4、 tài píng yáng shí qū PacificTime（ PST）， xī bā qū UTC-8 　　5、 ā lā sī jiā shí qū AlaskaTime（ AKST）， xī jiǔ qū UTC-9 　　6、 xià wēi yí shí qū HawaiiTime（ HST）， xī shí qū UTC-10 　　 　　 xīn wén chū bǎn 　　 měi guó bào yè xì tǒng páng dà， 2004 nián quán guó fā xíng liàng zuì dà de shí jiā yīng wén rì bào rú xià：《 jīn rì měi guó》、《 huá 'ěr jiē rì bào》、《 niǔ yuē shí bào》、《 luò shān jī shí bào》、《 huá shèng dùn yóu bào》、《 niǔ yuē měi rì xīn wén》、《 niǔ yuē yóu bào》、《 zhī jiā gē lùn tán bào》、《 měi rì xīn wén》 hé《 xiū sī dūn jì shì》。 měi guó zuì yòu yǐng xiǎng de sān dà bào zhǐ wéi《 niǔ yuē shí bào》、《 luò shān jī shí bào》 hé《 huá shèng dùn yóu bào》。 měi lián shè shì měi guó zuì dà de tōng xùn shè， hé zhòng guó jì shè shì měi guó dì 'èr dà tōng xùn shè。 měi guó yòu diàn shì tái 1000 duō jiā， qí zhōng shāng yè diàn shì tái yuē 960 jiā， jiào yù diàn shì tái yuē 320 jiā； yòu xiàn diàn shì wǎng 7900 yú jiā。 quán guó gòng yòu guǎng bō diàn tái 8807 jiā， duì wài guǎng bō diàn tái 19 jiā。 zuì dà de liǎng jiā duì wài guǎng bō jī gòu wéi měi guó zhī yīn hé měi guó guǎng bō diàn shì wǎng， jūn shǔ guān fāng diàn tái。 měi guó zuì dà de jǐ jiā quán guó xìng guǎng bō wǎng shì quán guó guǎng bō gōng sī（ NBC）、 gē lún bǐ yà guǎng bō gōng sī（ CBS）、 měi guó guǎng bō gōng sī（ ABC）、 yòu xiàn xīn wén guǎng bō gōng sī（ CNN） hé fú kè sī（ FOX） děng。 　　 　　 guó jì yù míng suō xiě 　　.us.gov.mil.edu 　　 　　 cháng tú diàn huà dài mǎ 　　+1 　　 　　 èr、 dì lǐ 　　 měi guó wèi yú běi měi zhōu zhōng bù， lǐng tǔ hái bāo kuò běi měi zhōu xī běi bù de 'ā lā sī jiā hé tài píng yáng zhōng bù de xià wēi yí qún dǎo。 běi yǔ jiā ná dà jiē rǎng， nán kào mò xī gē wān， xī lín tài píng yáng， dōng bīn dà xī yáng。 hǎi 'àn xiàn 22680 gōng lǐ。 dà bù fēn dì qū shǔ yú dà lù xìng qì hòu， nán bù shǔ yà rè dài qì hòu。 zhōng běi bù píng yuán wēn chā hěn dà， zhī jiā gē 1 yuè píng jūn qì wēn － 3 ℃， 7 yuè 24℃； mò xī gē wān yán 'àn 1 yuè píng jūn qì wēn 11℃， 7 yuè 28℃。 　　 　　 qì hòu 　　 měi guó jīhū yòu zhe shì jiè shàng suǒ yòu de qì hòu lèi xíng， zài zhù yào nóng yè dì dài shǎo yòu yán zhòng de gān hàn fā shēng、 hóng shuǐ fàn làn yě bìng bù cháng jiàn， bìng qiě yòu zhe wēn hé 'ér yòu néng qǔ dé zú gòu jiàng yǔ liàng de qì wēn。 　　 　　 yǐng xiǎng měi guó qì hòu de zhù yào shì běi jí qì liú， měi nián cóng tài píng yáng dài lái liǎo dà guī mó de dī qì yā， zhè xiē dī qì yā zài tōng guò nèi huá dá shān mài、 luò jī shān mài、 hé kā sī kā tè shān mài shí jiā dài liǎo dà liàng shuǐfèn， dāng zhè xiē qì yā dào dá zhōng bù dà píng yuán shí biàn néng jìn xíng zhòng zǔ， dǎo zhì zhù yào de qì tuán xiāng yù 'ér dài lái jī liè de dà léi yǔ， yóu qí shì zài chūn jì hé xià jì。 yòu shí zhè xiē bào yǔ kě néng yǔ qí tā de dī qì yā huì hé， jì xù qián wǎng dōng hǎi 'àn hé dà xī yáng， bìng huì yǎn biàn wéi gèng jī liè de dōng běi fēng bào（ Nor'easter）， zài měi guó dōng běi de zhōng dà xī yáng qū yù hé xīn yīng gé lán xíng chéng guǎng fàn 'ér chén zhòng de jiàng xuě。 dà píng yuán guǎng kuò wú bǐ de cǎo yuán yě xíng chéng liǎo xǔ duō shì jiè shàng zuì jí duān de qì hòu zhuǎn biàn xiàn xiàng。 　　 　　 dà liǎn pén dì qū hé gē lún bǐ yà hé gāo yuán zé shì gān hàn 'ér jí shǎo jiàng yǔ de dì qū， zuì gān hàn shí píng jūn jiàng yǔ liàng shǎo yú 15 yīng cùn（ 38 lí mǐ）。 měi guó xī nán bù shì gān hàn de shā mò， xià jì shí zuì rè de shù gè lǐ bài wēn dù chāo guò huá shì 100 dù（ shè shì 38 dù）。 xī nán bù hé dà liǎn pén dì qū yě huì shòu dào lái zì jiā lì fú ní yà wān de jì fēng yǐng xiǎng， ǒu 'ěr huì dài lái shǎo jiàn de dà yǔ。 jiā lì fú ní yà zhōu dà duō shù qū yù dū shǔ yú dì zhōng hǎi shì qì hòu， yòu shí huì zài měi nián de 10 yuè zhì gé nián de 4 yuè yǐn fā qiáng liè bào yǔ， ér qí tā yuè fèn jīhū quán wú jiàng yǔ。 bīn lín tài píng yáng de xī běi fāng dì qū zé zhōng nián háo yǔ bù duàn， dàn zài dōng jì hé chūn jì jiàng yǔ liàng zuì dà。 xī bù shān mài xī shōu liǎo chōng zú de shī qì， jiàng yǔ liàng hé jiàng xuě dū xiāng dāng chén zhòng。 kā sī kā tè shān mài shì shì jiè shàng jiàng xuě liàng zuì duō de dì fāng zhī yī， dàn hǎi bá jiào dī de yán hǎi dì qū jiàng xuě bù duō。 　　 　　 shuǐ xì 　　 cóng zǒng tǐ shàng kě fēn wéi sān dà shuǐ xì： fán wèi yú luò jī shān yǐ dōng de zhù rù dà xī yáng de hé liú dū chēng wéi dà xī yáng shuǐ xì， zhù yào yòu mì xī xī bǐ hé、 kāng niè dí gé hé hé hè dé sēn hé。 qí zhōng mì xī xī bǐ hé quán cháng 6020 gōng lǐ， jū shì jiè dì sān wèi。 fán zhù rù tài píng yáng de hé liú chēng tài píng yáng shuǐ xì。 zhù yào yòu kē luó lā duō hé、 gē lún bǐ yà hé、 yù kōng hé děng。 běi měi zhōu zhōng dōng bù de dà hú qún。 bāo kuò sū bì lì 'ěr hú、 mì xiē gēn hú、 xiū lún hú、 yī lì hú hé 'ān dà lüè hú， zǒng miàn jī 24.5 wàn píng fāng gōng lǐ， wéi shì jiè zuì dà de dàn shuǐ shuǐ yù， sù yòu“ běi měi dì zhōng hǎi” zhī chēng， qí zhōng mì xiē gēn hú shǔ měi guó， qí yú 4 hú wéi měi guó hé jiā ná dà gòng yòu。 sū bì lì 'ěr hú wéi shì jiè zuì dà de dàn shuǐ hú， miàn jī zài shì jiè húpō zhōng jǐn cì yú lǐ hǎi 'ér jū shì jiè dì 'èr wèi。 　　 　　 shēng wù 　　 měi guó yòu chāo guò 17,000 zhǒng běn tǔ de zhí wù hé shù zhǒng， guāng shì jiā lì fú ní yà zhōu jiù yòu 5,000 zhǒng， cóng rè dài dì qū zhì běi jí dōuyòu zhí wù fēn bù， měi guó de zhí wù shì shì jiè shàng zuì duō yàng huà de， tóng shí， shù qiān zhǒng fēi běn tǔ de wài lái wù zhǒng yòu shí yě huì yǐng xiǎng dào běn tǔ de dòng zhí wù。 měi guó běn tǔ yòu chāo guò 400 zhǒng bǔ rǔ lèi、 700 zhǒng niǎo lèi、 500 zhǒng pá chóng lèi hé liǎng qī lèi、 yǐ jí 90,000 zhǒng yǐ jīng bèi fā xiàn de kūn chóng。 xǔ duō zhí wù hé dòng wù dū jǐn xiàn yú tā men de fēn bù qū yù， yòu xiē zé bīn lín jué zhǒng de wēi xiǎn。 　　 　　 sān、 lì shǐ 　　 zhí mín shí qī yǐ qián（ 1607 yǐ qián） 　　 zài liǎng wàn duō nián qián， yòu yī pī lái zì yà zhōu de liú làng zhě， jīng yóu běi měi dào zhōng nán měi zhōu， zhè xiē rén jiù shì yìn dì 'ān rén de zǔ xiān。 dāng gē lún bù fā xiàn xīn dà lù shí， jū zhù zài měi zhōu de yìn dì 'ān rén， yuē yòu 2,000 wàn， qí zhōng yòu dà yuē 100 wàn rén zhù zài xiàn zài de jiā ná dà hé měi guó zhōng běi bù， qí yú jué dà bù fēn zhù zài xiàn zài de mò xī gē hé měi guó nán bù。 dà yuē 1 wàn nián qián， yòu yòu lìng yī pī yà zhōu rén， yí jū dào běi měi běi bù， zhè shì hòu lái de 'ài sī jī mó rén。 ér zuì zǎo dào měi zhōu de bái zhǒng rén dà gài shì wéi jīng rén， tā men shì yī qún xǐ hǎo mào xiǎn de bǔ yú rén， yòu rén rèn wéi tā men zài 1,000 nián qián， céng dào guò běi měi dōng hǎi 'àn。 　　 　　 zhí mín shí qī（ 1607-1753） 　　1607 nián， yī gè yuē yī bǎi rén de zhí mín tuán tǐ， zài qǐ shā bǐ kè hǎi tān jiàn lì liǎo zhān mǔ shì zhèn， zhè shì yīng guó zài běi měi suǒ jiàn de dì yī gè yǒng jiǔ xìng zhí mín dì， zài yǐ hòu 150 nián zhōng， lù xù yǒng lái liǎo xǔ duō de zhí mín zhě， dìng jū yú yán 'àn dì qū， qí zhōng dà bù fēn lái zì yīng guó， yě yòu yī bù fēn lái zì fǎ guó、 dé guó、 hé lán、 ài 'ěr lán hé qí tā guó jiā。 18 shì jì zhōng yè， 13 gè yīng guó zhí mín dì zhú jiàn xíng chéng， tā men zài yīng guó de zuì gāo zhù quán xià yòu gè zì de zhèng fǔ hé yì huì。 zhè 13 gè zhí mín qū yīn qì hòu hé dì lǐ huán jìng de chā yì， zào chéng liǎo gè dì jīng jì xíng tài、 zhèng zhì zhì dù yǔ guān niàn shàng de chā bié。 　　 　　 dú lì yùn dòng（ 1754-1783） 　　18 shì jì zhōng yè， yīng guó zài měi zhōu de zhí mín dì yǔ yīng guó zhī jiān， yǐ yòu liǎo liè hén。 zhí mín dì de kuò zhāng， shǐ tā men chǎn shēng mǒu zhǒng zì jué， zì jué dào yīng guó de pò hài， ér méng shēng dú lì de niàn tóu。 1774 nián， lái zì 12 zhōu de dài biǎo， jù jí zài fèi chéng， zhào kāi suǒ wèi dì yī cì dà lù huì yì， xī wàng néng xún chū yī tiáo hé lǐ de tú jìng， yǔ yīng guó hé píng jiě jué wèn tí， rán 'ér yīng wáng què jiān chí zhí mín dì bì xū wú tiáo jiàn chén fú yú yīng wáng， bìng jiē shòu chǔfèn。 1775 nián， zài má zhōu diǎn rán zhàn huǒ， 5 yuè， zhào kāi dì 'èr cì dà lù huì yì， jiān dìng liǎo zhàn zhēng yǔ dú lì de jué xīn， bìng fā biǎo yòu míng de dú lì xuān yán， tí chū chōng fēn de lǐ yóu lái dǎ zhè chǎng zhàng， zhè yě shì zuì hòu zhì shèng de yào sù。 1781 nián， měi jūn yíng dé jué dìng xìng de shèng lì， 1783 nián， měi yīng qiān dìng bā lí tiáo yuē， jié shù liǎo dú lì zhàn zhēng。 　　 　　 zǔ chéng xīn zhèng fǔ（ 1784-1819） 　　 gé mìng de chéng gōng， shǐ měi guó rén mín yòu liǎo yǐ lì fǎ xíng shì biǎo dá tā men zhèng zhì guān niàn de jī huì。 1787 nián， zài fèi chéng jǔ xíng lián bāng huì yì， huì zhōng huá shèng dùn bèi tuī wéi zhù xí， tā men cǎi qǔ yī xiàng yuán zé， jí zhōng yāng de quán lì shì yī bān xìng de， dàn bì xū yòu shěn shèn de guī dìng hé shuō míng， tóng shí， tā men yě jiē shòu yī xiàng shì shí， nà jiù shì quán guó xìng zhèng fǔ bì xū yòu shuì shōu、 zhù zào huò bì、 tiáozhěng shāng yè、 xuān zhàn jí dì jié tiáo yuē de quán lì。 cǐ wài， wèile fáng zhǐ zhōng yāng quán lì guò dà， ér cǎi qǔ mèng dé sī jiū de jūn quán zhèng zhì xué shuō， jí zhèng fǔ zhōng shè zhì sān gè píng děng hé zuò yǔ zhì héng de bù mén， jí lì fǎ、 xíng zhèng、 sī fǎ sān zhǒng quán lì xiāng hù tiáohé， zhì héng 'ér bù shǐ rèn hé yī quán zhàn kòng zhì dì wèi。 　　 　　 xiàng xī kuò zhāng（ 1820-1849） 　　19 shì jì chū qī， shù yǐ qiān jì de rén， yuè guò 'ā pà lā qì shān， xiàng xī yí dòng， yòu xiē kāi tuò zhě， yí jū dào měi guó de biān jiè， shèn zhì shēn rù shǔ yú mò xī gē de lǐng dì、 yǐ jí jiè yú 'ā lā sī jiā yǔ jiā lì fú ní yà de 'é lè gāng。 kāi tuò zhě yǒng gǎn、 qín fèn dì xiàng xī xún qiú gèng hǎo de shēng huó。 　　 　　 nán běi chōng tū（ 1850-1869） 　　 yǐn qǐ nèi zhàn de yuán yīn， bù dān shì jīng jì shàng、 zhèng zhì shàng、 jūn shì shàng de wèn tí， hái bāo kuò liǎo sī xiǎng shàng de chōng tū。 nèi zhàn bào lù liǎo měi guó de ruò diǎn。 duì zhè gè guó jiā de cún zài， zuò liǎo yī fān kǎo yàn。 jīng guò liǎo zhè cì kǎo yàn， měi guó cái bù xiàng yī gè zhōng yāng jí quán huà zhī xiàn dài guó jiā de tǎn tú。 nán běi zhī jiān， wéi nú lì wèn tí 'ér qǐ zhēng zhí， nán fāng zài quán guó zhèng zhì shàng de zhù yào fāng zhēn， jiù zài bǎo hù hé kuò dà " mián huā yǔ nú lì " zhì dù suǒ dài biǎo de lì yì； ér běi bù gè zhōu， zhù yào shì zhì zào yè、 shāng yè hé jīn róng de zhōng xīn， zhè xiē shēng chǎn wú xū yǐ lài nú lì， zhè zhǒng jīng jì shàng hé zhèng zhì shàng de chōng tū dōushì yóu lái yǐ jiǔ de。 1860 nián dài chū qī， 11 gè nán fāng de zhōu tuō lí lián bāng， lìng zǔ zhèng fǔ， běi fāng zé biǎo shì， wèile tǒng yī jiāng bù xī fù chū rèn hé dài jià。 1861 nián， nèi zhàn bào fā liǎo， zhè chǎng měi guó rén miàn duì miàn de liú xuè zhàn， dǎ liǎo sì nián， nán fāng zāo dào yán zhòng de pò huài， ér qiě liú xià shēn shēn de shāng hén。 1865 nián， běi fāng zhàn shèng liǎo， zhè xiàng shèng lì bù dàn xiǎn shì měi guó huī fù tǒng yī， ér qiě， cóng cǐ quán guó gè dì bù zài shī xíng nú lì zhì dù。 　　 　　 gōng yè huà yǔ gǎi gé（ 1870-1929） 　　19 shì jì chū qī， měi guó kāi shǐ gōng yè huà， ér nèi zhàn zhī hòu， zé bù rù chéng shú jiē duàn。 zài cóng nèi zhàn zhì dì yī cì shì jiè dà zhàn de bù dào 50 nián shí jiān nèi， tā cóng yī gè nóng cūn huà de gòng hé guó biàn chéng liǎo chéng shì huà de guó jiā。 jī qì dài tì liǎo shǒu gōng， chǎn pǐn dà liàng zēng jiā。 quán guó xìng de tiě dào wǎng， zēng jìn liǎo huò pǐn liú tōng。 yìng dà zhòng de xū yào， xǔ duō xīn fā míng yìng shì liǎo。 yínháng yè tí gōng dài kuǎn， cù chéng gōng shāng yè jīng yíng de kuò dà。 gù cóng 1890 dào 1917 nián de jìn 30 nián jiān bèi chēng wéi suǒ wèi " jìn bù shí qī "， 1914 nián， shì jiè dà zhàn bào fā， 1917 nián， měi guó zhōng yú bèi juàn rù dà zhàn xuán wō zhōng， bìng qiě zài shì jiè shàng cháng shì bàn yǎn xīn de juésè。 　　 　　 dì 'èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn（ 1930-1959） 　　 jīng jì dà kǒng huāng， yǐng xiǎng de bù zhǐ shì měi guó， shì jiè gè guó dū shòu dào tā de dǎ jī， jīng jì dà kǒng huāng， shǐ shàng bǎi wàn de gōng rén shī yè， dà pī de nóng rén bèi pò fàng qì gēng dì， gōng chǎng shāng diàn guān mén， yínháng dǎo bì， yī piàn xiāo tiáo。 1932 nián， luó sī fú dāng xuǎn zǒng tǒng， tā zhù zhāng zhèng fǔ yìng ná chū xíng dòng lái jié shù jīng jì dà kǒng huāng， xīn zhèng fǔ suī rán jiě jué liǎo xǔ duō de kùn nán， dàn měi guó de jīng jì hái shì yào dào 'èr cì dà zhàn， cái sū xǐng qǐ lái。 dì 'èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn zhī hòu， měi sū liǎng guó， guān xì rì qū 'è huà， fēn bié zài jūn shì、 zhèng zhì、 jīng jì、 xuān chuán gè fāng miàn， jiā jǐn zhǔn bèi， yī rú zhàn shí， zhè zhǒng zhuàng tài， bèi chēng wéi“ lěng zhàn”。 　　 　　70 nián dài zhōng qī， jīng jì yī dù fù sū， dàn dào 70 nián dài wèi qī， yòu chū xiàn tōng huò péng zhàng。 1976 nián， měi guó jiàn guó 200 zhōu nián， quán guó jǔ xíng gè xiàng qìng zhù huó dòng。 1981 nián 4 yuè 12 rì， měi guó chéng gōng dì fā shè“ gē lún bǐ yà hào” háng tiān fēi jī， jiāng rén lèi yòu dài rù lìng yī gè tài kōng xīn jì yuán。 1985 nián， lǐ gēn lián rèn zǒng tǒng， zài rì xīn yuè yì de rén lèi fā zhǎn shǐ zhōng， měi guó jiāng zhǎn kāi xīn de yī yè。 　　 　　 sì、 zhèng zhì 　　 zhèng fǔ 　　 zǒng tǒng nèi gé zhì。 zǒng tǒng shì guó jiā yuán shǒu、 zhèng fǔ shǒu nǎo jiān wǔ zhuāng bù duì zǒng sī lìng。 zǒng tǒng de xíng zhèng mìng lìng yǔ fǎ lǜ yòu tóng děng xiào lì。 zǒng tǒng tōng guò jiànjiē xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng， rèn qī sì nián。 zhèng fǔ nèi gé yóu gè bù bù cháng hé zǒng tǒng zhǐ dìng de qí tā chéng yuán zǔ chéng。 nèi gé shí jì shàng zhǐ qǐ zǒng tǒng zhù shǒu hé gù wèn tuán de zuò yòng， méi yòu jí tǐ jué cè de quán lì。 2001 nián 1 yuè 20 rì， qiáo zhì · wò kè · bù shí xuān shì jiù rèn zǒng tǒng， 2005 nián 1 yuè 20 rì kāi shǐ dì 'èr rèn qī。 fù zǒng tǒng lǐ chá dé · bù lǔ sī · qiē ní（ RichardBruceCheney）， guó wù qīng kāng duō lì zhā · lài sī（ CondoleezzaRice）。 　　 　　 xiàn fǎ 　　1776 nián 7 yuè 4 rì zhì dìng liǎo xiàn fǎ xìng wén jiàn《 lián bāng tiáo lì》。 1787 nián 5 yuè zhì dìng liǎo xiàn fǎ cǎo 'àn， 1789 nián 3 yuè dì yī jiè guó huì xuān bù shēng xiào。 tā shì shì jiè shàng dì yī bù zuò wéi dú lì、 tǒng yī guó jiā de chéng wén xiàn fǎ。 liǎng gè shì jì yǐ lái， gòng zhì dìng liǎo 27 tiáo xiàn fǎ xiū zhèng 'àn。 zhòng yào de xiū gǎi yòu： 1791 nián 9 yuè yóu guó huì tōng guò de bāo kuò bǎo zhèng xìn yǎng、 yán lùn、 chū bǎn zì yóu yǔ hé píng jí huì quán lì zài nèi de xiàn fǎ qián 10 tiáo xiū zhèng 'àn， hòu tōng chēng“ mín quán fǎ 'àn”（ huò“ quán lì fǎ 'àn”）； 1865 nián hé 1870 nián tōng guò de guān yú fèi chú nú lì zhì dù hé chéng rèn hēi rén gōng mín quán lì de dì 13 tiáo hé 15 tiáo xiū zhèng 'àn； 1951 nián tōng guò de guī dìng zǒng tǒng rú bù néng xíng shǐ zhí quán yóu fù zǒng tǒng shēng rèn zǒng tǒng de dì 25 tiáo xiū zhèng 'àn。 xiàn fǎ de zhù yào nèi róng shì jiàn lì lián bāng zhì de guó jiā， gè zhōu yōng yòu jiào dà de zì zhù quán， bāo kuò lì fǎ quán； shí xíng sān quán fēn lì de zhèng zhì tǐ zhì， lì fǎ、 xíng zhèng、 sī fǎ sān bù mén dǐng lì， bìng xiāng hù zhì yuē。 　　 　　 guó huì 　　 guó huì shì zuì gāo lì fǎ jī gòu， yóu cān、 zhòng liǎng yuàn zǔ chéng。 liǎng yuàn yì yuán yóu gè zhōu xuǎn mín zhí jiē xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng。 cān yì yuán měi zhōu 2 míng， gòng 100 míng， rèn qī 6 nián， měi liǎng nián gǎi xuǎn 1/3。 zhòng yì yuán 'àn gè zhōu de rén kǒu bǐ lì fēn pèi míng 'é xuǎn chū， gòng 435 míng， rèn qī liǎng nián， qī mǎn quán bù gǎi xuǎn。 liǎng yuàn yì yuán jūn kě lián rèn， rèn qī bù xiàn。 cān zhòng yì yuán jūn xì zhuān zhí， bù dé jiān rèn zhèng fǔ zhí wù。 běn jiè guó huì（ dì 107 jiè） yú 2000 nián 11 yuè 7 rì yǔ zǒng tǒng dà xuǎn tóng shí tōng guò xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng。 cān yì yuàn sān fēn zhī yī xí wèi（ 34 xí） hé zhòng yì yuàn quán bù 435 gè xí wèi jīng guò gǎi xuǎn。 gòng hé dǎng hé mín zhù dǎng zài xīn yī jiè guó huì cān、 zhòng liǎng yuàn de xí wèi duì bǐ fēn bié biàn chéng 50： 50 hé 221： 212（ zhòng yuàn zhōng lìng liǎng xí wéi dú lì rén shì）。 yóu yú fù zǒng tǒng qiē ní yǐ fǎ jiān rèn cān yì cháng， zài cān yuàn yōng yòu kě dǎ pò píng héng de tóu piào quán， yīn cǐ gòng hé dǎng réng zhǎng wò duì liǎng yuàn de kòng zhì quán。 cān yì yuàn lín shí yì cháng sī tè luó mǔ · sè méng dé（ StromThurmond）， duō shù dǎng（ gòng hé dǎng） lǐng xiù tè lún tè · luò tè（ TrentLott）， shǎo shù dǎng（ mín zhù dǎng） lǐng xiù tuō mǎ sī · dá shī lè（ ThomasDaschle）。 zhòng yì yuàn yì cháng dān ní sī · hā sī tè dé（ DennisHastert）， duō shù dǎng（ gòng hé dǎng） lǐng xiù lǐ chá dé · ā mǐ（ RichardArmey）， shǎo shù dǎng（ mín zhù dǎng） lǐng xiù lǐ chá dé · gé pǔ hā tè（ RichardGephardt）。 　　 　　 sī fǎ jī gòu 　　 shè lián bāng zuì gāo fǎ yuàn、 lián bāng fǎ yuàn、 zhōu fǎ yuàn jí yī xiē tè bié fǎ yuàn。 lián bāng zuì gāo fǎ yuàn yóu shǒu xí dà fǎ guān hé 8 míng dà fǎ guān zǔ chéng， zhōng shēn rèn zhí。 lián bāng zuì gāo fǎ yuàn yòu quán xuān bù lián bāng hé gè zhōu de rèn hé fǎ lǜ wú xiào。 xiàn rèn shǒu xí dà fǎ guān wēi lián · lún kuí sī tè（ WilliamRehnquist）。 　　 　　 zhèng dǎng 　　 měi guó yòu duō gè dǎng pài， dàn zài guó nèi zhèng zhì jí shè huì shēng huó zhōng qǐ zhòng dà zuò yòng de zhǐ yòu gòng hé dǎng hé mín zhù dǎng。　 　　（ 1） gòng hé dǎng（ RepublicanParty） : chéng lì yú 1854 nián。 1861 nián lín kěn jiù rèn zǒng tǒng， gòng hé dǎng shǒu cì zhí zhèng。 cǐ hòu zhì 1933 nián de 70 duō nián zhōng， chú 16 nián wài， gòng hé dǎng yī zhí zhù zhèng bái gōng。 1933 nián zhì 2001 nián zhī jiān， céng yòu 'ài sēn háo wēi 'ěr（ 1953 nián 1 yuè zhì 1961 nián 1 yuè）， ní kè sōng、 fú tè（ 1969 nián 1 yuè zhì 1977 nián 1 yuè）， lǐ gēn（ 1981 nián 1 yuè zhì 1989 nián 1 yuè）， bù shí（ 1989 nián 1 yuè zhì 1993 nián 1 yuè） zhí zhèng。 gāi dǎng lǐng xiù wéi zǒng tǒng huò luò xuǎn zǒng tǒng hòu xuǎn rén， zhù xí xiàn wéi jí mǔ · jí 'ěr mó（ JimGilmore）。 yī bān 'ér yán， zài zǒng tǒng dà xuǎn zhōng tóu piào gěi gāi dǎng hòu xuǎn rén de xuǎn mín jí wéi qí dǎng yuán。　　（ 2） mín zhù dǎng（ DemocraticParty）： 1791 nián chéng lì， dāng shí chēng gòng hé dǎng。 1794 nián gǎi chēng mín zhù gòng hé dǎng， 1828 nián gǎi wéi mín zhù dǎng。 1861 nián nán běi zhàn zhēng qián xī， mín zhù dǎng nèi bù fēn liè， gāi dǎng de nán fāng nú lì zhù cèhuà pàn luàn。 nán běi zhàn zhēng jié shù hòu， mín zhù dǎng zài yě 24 nián。 1885 nián kè lì fū lán dāng xuǎn zǒng tǒng。 cǐ hòu gāi dǎng yòu dà bù fēn shí jiān zài yě。 1933 nián kāi shǐ， mín zhù dǎng rén luó sī fú、 dù lǔ mén、 kěn ní dí、 yuē hàn xùn、 kǎ tè、 kè lín dùn xiān hòu dāng xuǎn zǒng tǒng zhí zhèng。 gāi dǎng lǐng xiù wéi zǒng tǒng huò luò xuǎn zǒng tǒng hòu xuǎn rén， zhù xí xiàn wéi tè lǐ · mài kǎo lì fū（ TerryMcAuliffe）。 yī bān 'ér yán， qí dǎng yuán shì dà xuǎn zhōng tóu mín zhù dǎng hòu xuǎn rén piào de xuǎn mín。　 　　（ 3） dì sān dǎng yòu lǜ dǎng（ GreenParty） hé gǎi gé dǎng（ ReformParty） děng。 　　 　　 wǔ、 jūn shì 　　 zǒng tǒng jiān rèn wǔ zhuāng bù duì zǒng sī lìng， zhǎng wò zuì gāo zhǐ huī quán。 jìn gōng xìng zhàn lüè wǔ qì hé hé wǔ qì de shǐ yòng quán jí zhōng kòng zhì zài zǒng tǒng shǒu zhōng。 guó jiā jūn shì zhǐ huī xì tǒng yóu guó jiā 'ān quán wěi yuán huì、 guó fáng bù jí cān móu cháng lián xí huì yì zǔ chéng。 guó jiā 'ān quán wěi yuán huì shì zuì gāo jué cè jī gòu， yóu zǒng tǒng lǐng dǎo， chéng yuán yòu fù zǒng tǒng、 guó wù qīng、 cái zhèng bù cháng、 guó fáng bù cháng hé zǒng tǒng guó jiā 'ān quán shì wù zhù lǐ， cān lián huì zhù xí zuò wéi jūn shì gù wèn、 zhōng qíng jú cháng zuò wéi qíng bào gù wèn liè xí。 guó fáng bù shì zǒng tǒng zhǐ huī quán jūn de bàn shì jī gòu。 cān lián huì jì shì zǒng tǒng、 guó fáng bù cháng hé guó jiā 'ān quán wěi yuán huì de jūn shì zī xún jī gòu， yòu shì xiàng gè lián hé sī lìng bù fā bù zǒng tǒng hé guó fáng bù cháng mìng lìng de jūn shì zhǐ huī jī guān。 cān lián huì hé sān jūn cān móu bù fù zé nǐ dìng zuò zhàn jìhuà bìng jù tǐ shí shī zuò zhàn zhǐ huī。 2001 nián“ 9·11” shì jiàn hòu， měi guó jìn yī bù tiáozhěng jūn shì zhàn lüè， jiā kuài jiàn lì yóu hé yǔ fēi hé jìn gōng xìng dǎ jī xì tǒng、 dǎo dàn fáng yù xì tǒng hé néng xùn sù yìng fù kǒng bù wēi xié de guó fáng jī chǔ shè shī gòu chéng de“ xīn sān wèi yī tǐ” zhàn lüè lì liàng zǔ hé。 měi jūn céng zài nán běi zhàn zhēng、 liǎng cì shì jiè dà zhàn yǐ jí 1948 nián zhì 1973 nián qī jiān shí xíng guò yì wù bīng yì zhì。 1973 nián， shí rèn zǒng tǒng ní kè sōng fèi chú yì wù bīng yì zhì hòu， měi jūn yī zhí shí xíng zhì yuàn bīng yì zhì zhì jīn。 　　 　　 měi guó shì shì jiè dì yī jūn shì dà guó， měi jūn xiàn yì bù duì rén shù yuē 140 wàn rén， qí zhōng lù jūn 50 wàn rén， hǎi jūn hé kōng jūn gè 35 wàn rén， hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì 18 wàn rén。 lù jūn fēn wéi 10 gè zhàn dǒu shī hé 4 gè dú lì lǚ jí zhuāng jiá qí bīng tuán； hǎi jūn biān zhì wéi 5 gè jiàn duì， gòng 12 gè háng mǔ zhàn dǒu qún、 12 gè liǎng qī jiè bèi dà duì、 57 sōu gōng jī qián tǐng、 116 sōu zhàn jiàn hé 10 gè jiàn zài jī lián duì； kōng jūn biān zhì wéi 20 gè fēi xíng lián duì（ měi gè lián duì yuē 72 jià zhàn jī）； hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì biān zhì wéi 3 gè shī hé 3 gè qín wù zhī yuán dà duì， zhuāng bèi 3 gè fēi xíng lián duì（ yuē 21 gè zhōng duì）。 měi guó zài shì jiè shù shí gè guó jiā hé dì qū shè yòu shù bǎi chù jūn shì jī dì， hǎi wài zhù jūn yuē wéi 28.78 wàn rén。 měi guó de hǎi wài de jūn shì jī dì dà zhì huàfēn wéi 'ōu zhōu、 yà tài yǔ yìn dù yáng、 zhōng dōng yǔ běi fēi yǐ jí měi zhōu sì dà zhàn lüè qū。 2004 nián 8 yuè， bù shí zǒng tǒng xuān bù， měi guó jiāng zài wèi lái de 10 nián nèi bǎ zhù 'ōu zhōu hé yà zhōu de jūn duì xuē jiǎn 6 wàn zhì 7 wàn rén。 2007 nián 1 yuè， měi guó guó fáng bù cháng luó bó tè · gài cí shuō， wèile“ fǎn kǒng zhàn zhēng” de xū yào， tā jìhuà zài wèi lái 5 nián nèi jiāng měi jūn xiàn yì bù duì de rén shù zēng jiā 9.2 wàn rén。 měi jūn zài quán qiú shè yòu wǔ dà zhàn qū sī lìng bù， fēn bié shì běi fāng sī lìng bù、 tài píng yáng sī lìng bù、 zhōng yāng sī lìng bù、 ōu zhōu sī lìng bù hé nán fāng sī lìng bù， fēn bié fù zé quán qiú jǐ dà qū yù de shì wù。 2007 nián 2 yuè， bù shí zǒng tǒng pī zhǔn jūn fāng guān yú zǔ jiàn yī gè zhuān mén fù zé fēi zhōu shì wù de sī lìng bù de jìhuà。 　　 　　 liù、 jīng jì 　　GDP： 132216.85 yì měi yuán（ liè shì jiè dì yī wèi） 　　 rén jūn GDP： 43995 měi yuán（ 2007 nián tǒng jì zhí） 　　 　　 měi guó yòu gāo dù fā dá de xiàn dài shì chǎng jīng jì， qí guó nèi shēng chǎn zǒng zhí hé duì wài mào yì 'é jūn jū shì jiè shǒu wèi。 20 shì jì 90 nián dài， yǐ xìn xī、 shēng wù jì shù chǎn yè wéi dài biǎo de xīn jīng jì péng bó fā zhǎn， shòu cǐ tuī dòng， měi jīng jì jīng lì liǎo cháng dá shí nián de zēngzhǎng qī。 2001 nián měi jīng jì xiàn rù duǎn zàn shuāi tuì， zhī hòu zhú bù fù sū。 2004 nián měi guó jīng jì fù sū bù fá jiā kuài， GDP quán nián zēngzhǎng 4.4%。 2004 cái nián měi guó lián bāng cái zhèng chì zì jì xù kuò dà， dá 4123 yì měi yuán。 2004 nián wài mào nì chā wéi 6171 yì měi yuán， chuàng lì shǐ zuì gāo。 　　 　　 měi guó de jīng jì tǐ xì jiān yòu zī běn zhù yì hé hùn hé jīng jì de tè zhēng。 zài zhè gè tǐ xì nèi， qǐ yè hé sī yíng jī gòu zuò zhù yào de wēi guān jīng jì jué cè， zhèng fǔ zài guó nèi jīng jì shēng huó zhōng de juésè jiào wéi cì yào； rán 'ér， gè jí zhèng fǔ de zǒng hé què zhàn GDP de 36%； zài fā dá guó jiā zhōng， měi guó de shè huì fú lì wǎng xiāng duì jiào xiǎo， zhèng fǔ duì shāng yè de guǎn zhì yě dī yú qí tā fā dá guó jiā。 　　 　　 zài quán guó gè dì qū， jīng jì huó dòng zhòng xīn bù yī。 lì rú： niǔ yuē shì shì jīn róng、 chū bǎn、 guǎng bō hé guǎng gào děng hángyè de zhōng xīn； luò shān jī shì diàn yǐng hé diàn shì jié mù zhì zuò zhōng xīn； jiù jīn shān wān qū hé tài píng yáng yán 'àn xī běi dì qū shì jì shù kāi fā zhōng xīn； zhōng xī bù shì zhì zào yè hé zhòng gōng yè zhōng xīn， dǐ tè lǜ shì zhù míng de qì chē chéng， zhī jiā gē shì gāi dì qū de jīn róng hé shāng yè zhōng xīn； dōng nán bù yǐ yī yào yán jiū、 lǚ yóu yè hé jiàn cái yè wéi zhù yào chǎn yè， bìng qiě yóu yú qí xīn zī chéng běn dī yú qí tā dì qū， yīn cǐ chí xù de xī yǐn zhì zào yè de tóu zī。 　　 　　 měi guó de fú wù yè zhàn zuì dà bǐ zhòng， quán guó sì fēn zhī sān de láo lì cóng shì fú wù yè。 měi guó yōng yòu fēng fù de kuàng chǎn zī yuán， bāo kuò liǎo huáng jīn、 shí yóu hé yóu， rán 'ér xǔ duō néng yuán de gōng yìng dū yǐ lài yú wài guó jìn kǒu。 měi guó shì quán qiú zuì dà de nóng yè chū kǒu guó zhī yī， zhù yào nóng chǎn pǐn bāo kuò liǎo yù mǐ、 xiǎo mài、 táng hé yān cǎo， zhōng xī bù dà píng yuán dì qū jīng rén de nóng yè chǎn liàng shǐ qí bèi yù wéi“ shì jiè liáng cāng”。 měi guó gōng yè chǎn pǐn zhù yào bāo kuò liǎo qì chē、 fēi jī hé diàn zǐ chǎn pǐn。 měi guó yě yòu fā dá de lǚ yóu yè， pái míng shì jiè dì sān。 měi guó yě shì fēi jī、 gāng tiě、 jūn huǒ hé diàn zǐ qì cái de zhù yào shū chū guó。 　　 　　 měi guó zuì dà de mào yì huǒ bàn shì pí lín de jiā ná dà（ 19%）， zhōng guó（ 12%）、 mò xī gē（ 11%） hé rì běn（ 8%） jǐn suí qí hòu， měi tiān dà yuē yòu jià zhí gāo dá 11 yì měi yuán de chǎn pǐn liú jīng měi jiā de guó jiè。 měi guó jīng jì bèi rèn wéi shì shì jiè shàng zuì dà yě shì zuì zhòng yào de jīng jì tǐ。 měi guó jīng jì gāo dù fā dá， quán qiú duō gè guó jiā de huò bì yǔ měi yuán guà gōu， ér měi guó de zhèng quàn shì chǎng bèi rèn wéi shì shì jiè jīng jì de qíng yǔ biǎo。 　　 　　 zì cóng 1980 nián dài lóng nà · lǐ gēn de zǒng tǒng rèn qī yǐ lái， měi guó zēng jiā liǎo duì xīn zì yóu zhù yì jīng jì zhèng cè de yùn yòng， jiǎn shǎo zhèng fǔ duì jīng jì de gān yù、 bìng jiǎn shǎo fú lì zhì dù de guī mó， pāo qì liǎo zì jīng jì dà kǒng huāng yǐ lái cháng qī shí xíng de、 piān xiàng gān shè zhù yì de kǎi 'ēn sī pài jīng jì zhèng cè。 yě yīn cǐ， měi guó zhèng fǔ zài shè huì fú lì fāng miàn tí gōng de fú wù bǐ qí tā gōng yè huà guó jiādōu yào shǎo， jiàng dī guó nèi de shuì fù， bìng gèng yǐ lài yú zì yóu shì chǎng hé sī yíng de cí shàn jī gòu shàng。 　　 　　 zī yuán 　　 zì rán zī yuán fēng fù。 méi、 shí yóu、 tiān rán qì、 tiě kuàng shí、 jiǎ yán、 lín suān yán、 liú huáng děng kuàng wù chǔ liàng jūn jū shì jiè qián liè。 qí tā kuàng wù yòu tóng、 qiān、 mù、 yóu、 lǚ fán tǔ、 jīn、 gǒng、 niè、 tàn suān jiǎ、 yín、 wū、 xīn、 lǚ、 bì děng。 zhàn lüè kuàng wù zī yuán tài、 měng、 gǔ、 gè děng zhù yào kào jìn kǒu。 tàn míng méi chǔ liàng 35,966 yì dūn。 tàn míng yuán yóu chǔ liàng 270 yì tǒng。 tàn míng tiān rán qì chǔ liàng 56,034 yì lì fāng mǐ。 sēn lín miàn jī yuē 44 yì mǔ， fù gài shuài dá 33 ％。 　　　　 　　 jiāo tōng yùn shū 　　 měi guó yōng yòu wán zhěng 'ér biàn jié de jiāo tōng yùn shū wǎng luò， yùn shū gōng jù hé shǒu duàn duō zhǒng duō yàng。 2000 zhì 2003 nián chǎn zhí fēn bié wéi 3137 yì、 3061 yì、 3104 yì jí 3178 yì měi yuán。 yǔ yùn shū yè xiāng guān de chǎn pǐn hé fú wù yuē zhàn měi jīng jì zǒng liàng de 3%， xī nà liǎo 1/8 de jiù yè。 　　 　　 yóu yú qì chē chǎn yè zài měi guó de fā zhǎn xiāng dāng zǎo（ bǐ jiào qǐ qí tā xī fāng guó jiā）， měi guó xǔ duō chéng shì de fā zhǎn dū tí qián gù lǜ dào liǎo jiāng chéng shì hé zhù zhái qū dā pèi dào lù wǎng luò de shè jì。 wèile lián jié guǎng kuò de guó tǔ， měi guó shè jì bìng jiàn zào liǎo gāo tōng xíng liàng、 gāo sù dù de gāo sù gōng lù， měi guó de guó jiā jiāo tōng xì tǒng zhù yào biàn shì yǐ lài zhè xiē gāo sù gōng lù wǎng。 dāng zhōng zuì zhòng yào de shì zhōu jì gāo sù gōng lù xì tǒng de jiàn shè。 zhè xiē gāo sù gōng lù zài 1950 nián dài jīng yóu dāng shí de zǒng tǒng dé huái tè · ài sēn háo wēi 'ěr shòu quán jiàn zào。 gēn jù 2004 nián de shù jù， měi guó de gōng lù zǒng cháng wéi 6,407,637 gōng lǐ， míng liè shì jiè dì yī。 　　 　　 dà chéng shì lǐ yě yòu jiàn shè gōng gòng jiāo tōng de xì tǒng， niǔ yuē shì de dì tiě wǎng luò shì dāng zhōng zuì dà de， yě shì shì jiè shàng zài kè liàng zuì wéi chén zhòng de jié yùn wǎng luò zhī yī。 ér qū yù tiě lù hé gōng gòng qì chē wǎng luò zé yán shēn zhì cháng dǎo、 niǔ yuē shàng zhōu、 xīn zé xī zhōu、 hé kāng nǎi dí kè zhōu， dōuchéng wèile shì jiè shàng zài kè liàng zuì dà de jiāo tōng wǎng zhī yī。 dàn shì pǔ biàn 'ér yán， měi guó chéng shì de gōng gòng jiāo tōng xiāng duì qí tā fā dá guó jiā jiào wéi bó ruò， rén men chū xíng gèng duō de shǐ yòng sī rén qì chē。 　　 　　 měi guó jiàn zào liǎo héng guàn dà lù de tiě lù wǎng luò， yòng yǐ zài 48 gè zhōu zhī jiān yùn zài huò wù。 měi guó tiě lù gōng sī（ Amtrak） suǒ jiàn zào de tiě lù wǎng yě héng guàn liǎo 48 gè zhōu zhōng de 46 gè， zhuān mén yòng yú kè yùn yòng tú。 měi guó de tiě lù huò yùn xì tǒng shì shì jiè zuì fán máng hé xiān jìn de， qiě měi guó de tiě lù zǒng cháng dù wèi jū shì jiè dì yī。 rán 'ér měi guó tiě lù de kè yùn bìng bù rú xī 'ōu hé rì běn nà bān fā dá， bù fēn yuán yīn shì chū zì měi guó guó tǔ de liáo kuò； ruò yào dào dá shù qiān yīng lǐ yǐ wài de dà chéng shì， dā chéng fēi jī huì bǐ dā chéng tiě lù hái yào shěng shí。 měi guó zhèng fǔ de fēn xī biàn rèn wéi kōng zhōng kè yùn shì dǎo zhì kè yùn tiě lù gōng sī zài 1970 nián dài jiē lián dǎo bì de zhù yīn。 　　 　　 kōng zhōng yùn shū shì cháng tú lǚ xíng de gèng hǎo xuǎn zé。 yǐ chéng kè liàng 'ér yán， zài 2004 nián quán shì jiè qián 30 gè zuì fán máng de jī chǎng zhōng jiù yòu 17 gè wèi yú měi guó， bāo kuò liǎo pái míng dì yī de yà tè lán dà hā cí fěi 'ěr dé - jié kè xùn guó jì jī chǎng。 yǐ yùn huò liàng 'ér yán， zài tóng yī nián lǐ， quán shì jiè qián 30 gè zuì fán máng de huò yùn jī chǎng jiù yòu 12 gè zài měi guó， bāo kuò liǎo pái míng dì yī de mèng fěi sī guó jì jī chǎng（ MEM）。 　　 　　 xǔ duō shì jiè shàng zhù yào de gǎng kǒu yě wèi yú měi guó； zuì fán máng de shì jiā lì fú ní yà zhōu de luò shān jī gǎng hé cháng dī gǎng， yǐ jí niǔ yuē gǎng， tā men quándōu shì shì jiè shàng zuì fán máng de gǎng kǒu。 wǔ dà hú yě yòu xǔ duō chuán yùn jiāo tōng， měi dà hú dū yǔ mì xī xī bǐ hé de hé wǎng luò guǎng fàn lián jiē， hé de zuì xià yóu zhí tōng dà xī yáng。 ér dì yī gè lián jiē wǔ dà hú yǔ dà xī yáng de yī lì yùn hé（ ErieCanal） zé cù chéng liǎo měi guó zhōng xī bù de kuài sù nóng yè hé gōng yè fā zhǎn， bìng shǐ dé niǔ yuē shì chéng wéi měi guó de jīng jì zhōng xīn。 　　　 　　 cái zhèng jīn róng 　　20 shì jì 60 zhì 70 nián dài， měi guó zhèng fǔ fèng xíng“ kǎi 'ēn sī zhù yì” de chì zì cái zhèng zhèng cè， dà fú zēng jiā shè huì fú lì hé jūn shì zhī chū。 80 nián dài， lǐ gēn zhèng fǔ yī fāng miàn jiǎn miǎn shuì shōu， lìng yī fāng miàn kuò dà zhèng fǔ zhī chū tè bié shì jūn fèi kāi zhī， dǎo zhì měi guó lián bāng cái zhèng chì zì jí jù kuò zhāng。 1992 nián， měi lián bāng cái zhèng chì zì dá dào 2904 yì měi yuán de lì shǐ zuì gāo fēng， zhàn dāng nián měi guó guó nèi shēng chǎn zǒng zhí bǐ zhòng gāo dá 4.9%。 1993 nián kè lín dùn zhèng fǔ shàng tái hòu jiāng“ jiǎn chì” zuò wéi shī zhèng zhòng diǎn zhī yī。 90 nián dài měi jīng jì chí xù zēng cháng shǐ shuì shōu shōu rù dà fú zēng jiā， tóng shí kè lín dùn zhèng fǔ jiā qiáng liǎo shuì shōu zhēng guǎn， měi lián bāng cái zhèng yú 1998 nián cái nián zhuǎn kuī wéi yíng， chū xiàn 692 yì měi yuán de yíng yú。 bù shí zhèng fǔ 2001 nián 1 yuè shàng tái hòu， miàn duì jīng jì tuí shì， lì zhù tōng guò jiǎn shuì cì jī jīng jì fù sū， jiā zhī fǎn kǒng jí jūn fèi kāi zhī dà fú zēng jiā， 2002 cái nián měi lián bāng cái zhèng chóngxiàn chì zì， dá 1578 yì měi yuán。 2004 cái nián měi cái zhèng chì zì dá 4123 yì měi yuán， chuàng lì shǐ xīn gāo。 2004 nián dǐ， měi guó gōng zhài zǒng 'é wéi 75962 yì měi yuán， gōng zhòng chí yòu 'é wéi 44084 yì měi yuán。（ shù jù lái yuán： měi guó cái zhèng bù） 　　 　　 yínháng 　　 jìn nián lái， měi guó zhèng fǔ zhú bù fàng kuān duì jīn róng yè de guǎn zhì， jīn róng yè jiān bìng zhòng zǔ jiā jù， shāng yè yínháng zǒng shù yǐ cóng 1985 nián 14000 duō jiā jiǎn shǎo dào 2002 nián de 7887 jiā。 1999 nián 11 yuè， měi guó guó huì tōng guò《 jīn róng fú wù xiàn dài fǎ》 fǎ 'àn， jìn yī bù qǔ xiāo liǎo zhèng quàn、 bǎo xiǎn jí shāng yè yínháng hùn yè jīng yíng de xiàn zhì。 měi zhù yào shāng yè yínháng yòu： 　　 huā qí jí tuán（ Citigroup） 　　1955 nián niǔ yuē huā qí yín xíng yǔ niǔ yuē dì yī yínháng hé bìng， gǎi míng wéi niǔ yuē dì yī huā qí yínháng， 1962 nián gǎi wéi dì yī huā qí yínháng， 1967 nián gǎi wéi huā qí gōng sī。 zǒng bù shè zài niǔ yuē。 1998 nián yǔ lǚ xíng zhě jí tuán hé bìng zǔ jiàn huā qí jí tuán， chéng wéi shì jiè shàng zuì dà de jīn róng fú wù gōng sī。 　　 mó gēn dà tōng gōng sī（ J.P.MorganChase&Co） 　　2000 nián 12 yuè yóu J ． P． mó gēn gōng sī hé dà tōng - màn hā dùn gōng sī hé bìng 'ér chéng， zǒng bù shè zài niǔ yuē。 　　 bèi 'ěr sī dēng gōng sī 　　 chéng lì yú 1923 nián， zǒng bù wèi yú niǔ yuē， shì měi guó huá 'ěr jiē dì liù dà tóu zī yínháng， xì quán qiú 500 qiáng qǐ yè zhī yī 　　 měi zhōu yínháng gōng sī（ BankofAmericaCorp） 　　 měi zhōu yínháng yú 1904 nián chéng lì， zǒng bù zài jiù jīn shān。 1998 nián yǔ guó mín yínháng hé bìng wéi měi zhōu yínháng gōng sī， chéng wéi héng kuà dōng xī liǎng 'àn de quán guó xìng yínháng。 　　 dì yī yínháng gōng sī（ BankOneCorporation） 　　1957 nián chéng lì。 1998 nián yǔ zhī jiā gē dì yī guó mín yínháng hé bìng。 zǒng bù zài zhī jiā gē。 　　 cǐ wài zhù yào shāng yè yínháng hái yòu： dì yī lián hé yínháng、 měi lín yínháng、 wēi 'ěr sī · fǎ gé yínháng、 měi guó yínháng、 měi guó guó mín chéng shì yínháng、 měi yí yínháng děng。 　　 　　 duì wài tóu zī hé wài guó zī běn 　　2004 nián měi guó duì wài zhí jiē tóu zī wéi 2258 yì měi yuán， gāo yú 2003 nián de 1518 yì měi yuán。 jié zhì 2004 nián dǐ， měi guó duì wài zhí jiē tóu zī zǒng 'é yuē wéi 23674 yì měi yuán（ yǐ 2004 nián jià gé jì suàn）。 2004 nián wài guó duì měi guó zhí jiē tóu zī wéi 1049 yì měi yuán， yuǎn gāo yú shàng nián de 298 yì měi yuán。 jié zhì 2004 nián dǐ， wài guó duì měi guó zhí jiē tóu zī zǒng 'é yuē wéi 17088 yì měi yuán（ yǐ 2004 nián jià gé jì suàn）。 　　 　　 duì wài yuán zhù 　　 měi guó huì 2005 cái nián pī zhǔn yòng yú fā zhǎn yuán zhù de zī jīn（ bāo kuò yī lā kè jiǎn zhài hé chóngjiàn jìhuà） gòng jì yuē 170 yì měi yuán， qí zhōng“ qiān nián tiǎo zhàn zhàng hù”（ MCA） zhàn 15 yì měi yuán；“ guān jiàn fā zhǎn yuán zhù”（ CoreDevelopment， hán fā zhǎn yuán zhù jī jīn、“ zhuǎn xíng jìhuà” yǐ jí 'ér tóng hé jiàn kāng xiàng mù děng） zhàn 30 duō yì měi yuán。 　　 　　 yǐ sè liè hé 'āi jí réng wéi měi zuì dà shòu yuán guó， 2005 cái nián měi duì yǐ、 āi yuán zhù 'é fēn bié wéi 25.6 yì měi yuán hé 18 yì měi yuán。 cǐ wài， 2005 cái nián měi duì 'ā fù hàn yuán zhù 'é wéi 26.8 yì měi yuán（ hán yóu guó fáng bù zhī pèi de 17.24 yì měi yuán de jǐn jí bō kuǎn）， duì bā lè sī tǎn yuán zhù 'é wéi 2.7 yì měi yuán。（ shù jù lái yuán： 2004 nián měi guó huì yán jiū fú wù bù（ CongressionalResearchService）） 　　 　　 rén mín shēng huó 　　2004 nián gè rén shōu rù zǒng 'é wéi 94185 yì měi yuán， gè rén shōu rù zhù yào gòu chéng： gōng zī hé xīn jīn shōu rù 51086 yì měi yuán， qí tā láo wù shōu rù 11034 yì měi yuán， zī chǎn shōu yì 8541 yì měi yuán， zū jīn shōu rù 1686 yì měi yuán， gǔ xī shōu rù 4321 yì měi yuán， lì xī shōu rù 9687 yì měi yuán， zhuǎn yí zhī fù jìng 'é（ lǎo rén、 ér tóng、 cán jí rén、 shī yè、 wèi shēng bǎo jiàn děng shè huì fú lì jiǎn qù gè rén shè huì bǎo xiǎn 'é） 13845 yì měi yuán。 gè rén kě zhī pèi shōu rù dá 83276 yì měi yuán。 měi gè rén chǔ xù shuài（ gè rén chǔ xù 'é / kě zhī pèi shōu rù） jìn nián chéng bù duàn xià jiàng qū shì， 1997 nián hé 1998 nián fēn bié wéi 4.2%、 4.7%， 2002 nián jiàng zhì 2.3%， 2004 nián wéi 2.0%。 　　　　 　　 měi guó pín fù chā jù jìn yī bù jiā dà， 20% zuì gāo shōu rù jiā tíng zhàn quán guó shōu rù bǐ zhòng cóng 1980 nián de 41.1% shàng shēng dào 2002 nián de 50%。 2002 nián pín kùn shuài lián xù dì 'èr nián shàng shēng， yóu shàng nián de 11.7% shēng zhì 12.1%， pín kùn rén kǒu zēng jiā 1663 wàn， dá 3457 wàn。 　　　　 　　 měi guó de shè huì fú lì fēn wéi shè huì bǎo xiǎn hé fēi shè huì bǎo xiǎn liǎng zhǒng。 shǔ yú shè huì bǎo xiǎn fú lì xiàng mùdì yòu： lǎo cán bǎo xiǎn、 shī yè bǎo xiǎn hé qí tā jiù yè bǎo xiǎn； shǔ yú fēi shè huì bǎo xiǎn fú lì xiàng mùdì yòu： duì fǔ yǎng 'ér tóng kùn nán jiā tíng de bǔ zhù、 shè huì bǎo zhàng shōu rù、 shí pǐn quàn、 yī liáo bǔ zhù、 zhù fáng bǔ zhù hé néng yuán bǔ zhù。 　　　　 　　2002 nián měi rén jūn shòu mìng 77.4 suì， qí zhōng nán xìng 74.5 suì， nǚ xìng 80.2 suì。 2004 nián měi chū shēng shuài wéi 14 ‰， sǐ wáng shuài wéi 8.2‰。 　　 　　 　　 　　 qī、 wén huà 　　 yīnyuè 　　 měi guó yīnyuè de lì shǐ kě yǐ zhuī sù zhì zǎo qī měi guó yuán zhù mín de chuán tǒng zōng jiào yīnyuè， suí zhù dà liàng 'ōu zhōu guó jiā yí mín de dào lái， tì měi guó yīnyuè zēng tiān liǎo jī dū jiào hé chàng、 yīnyuè yuèpǔ dídí sè cǎi。 zhī hòu de měi bō yí mín cháo dū dài lái liǎo bù tóng dì qū、 bù tóng wén huà hé tè sè de yīnyuè。 dà liàng de fēi yì měi guó rén yě dài lái liǎo jù yòu fēi zhōu tè sè de chuán tǒng yīnyuè， 19 shì jì hòu qī kāi shǐ fú xiàn de měi guó liú xíng yīnyuè hěn dà yī bù fēn dōushì yuán zì zhè xiē fēi yì měi guó rén de bù lǔ sī， yǐ jí 1920 nián dài kāi shǐ fā zhǎn de fú yīn yīnyuè。 fēi yì měi guó rén yīnyuè chéng wèile měi guó liú xíng yīnyuè de gēn jī， hùn hé liǎo 'ōu zhōu yǔ tǔ zhù de yīnyuè chéngfèn。 měi guó yě yòu dà liàng de mín jiān yīnyuè yǐ jí lái zì wū kè lán、 ài 'ěr lán、 sū gé lán、 bō lán、 mò xī gē hé yóu tài rén děng yí mín de yīnyuè。 xǔ duō měi guó chéng shì hé xiāng zhèn yědōu fā zhǎn chū dú lì de dì qū yīnyuè。 dǐ tè lǜ、 niǔ yuē、 zhī jiā gē、 luò shān jī děng dà chéng shì yǐ jí shǔbù jìn de xiǎo chéng shì dū fā zhǎn chū zì jǐ de yīnyuè fēng gé。 　　 　　 wén xué 　　 zài zuì zǎo de zhí mín shí qī， měi guó wén xué zhù yào de tí cái shì zàn yáng xīn dà lù tì zhí mín zhě hé 'ōu zhōu mǔ guó suǒ dài lái de lì yì。 zōng jiào xìn yǎng shàng de zhēng yì yě shì tí cái zhī yī。 suí zhù gé mìng zhàn zhēng de bào fā hé měi guó de dú lì， běn jié míng · fù lán kè lín hé tuō mǎ sī · pān 'ēn děng rén xiě xià de zhèng zhì zhù zuò zài wén xué hé zhèng zhì shàng dōuyòu jí dà yǐng xiǎng， yě cuī shēng liǎo xīn guó jiā de dú lì yì shí。 xiě xià liǎo dú lì xuān yán bìng zài hòu lái chéng wéi měi guó zǒng tǒng de tuō mǎ sī · jié fú xùn yě bèi rèn wéi shì měi guó zǎo qī zuì jù tiān fèn de zuò jiā zhī yī。 suí zhe 1812 nián zhàn zhēng hé duì yú dú lì wén xué tè sè de kě wàng， gèng duō xīn de、 jù yòu měi guó tè sè de zuò jiā rú 'ài lún · pō děng rén zhú jiàn zhǎn lòutóu jiǎo。 nú lì zhì dù de chōng tū hé jiē zhǒng 'ér lái de nèi zhàn yě duì měi guó wén xué yòu shēn kè yǐng xiǎng， dào liǎo 19 shì jì mò， yóu yú gōng yè huà de jìn zhǎn hé guó tǔ kāi tuò shí qī de jié shù， měi guó wén xué tuō lí liǎo yuán xiān de biān jìng wén xué， mǎ kè · tù wēn chéng wéi dì yī gè bù zài dōng hǎi 'àn chū shēng de zhù yào zuò jiā， kāi qǐ měi guó běn tǔ wén xué zhī xiān hé。 yīng guó zuò jiā máo mǔ rèn wéi hè 'ěr màn · méi 'ěr wéi 'ěr de《 bái jīng jì》 shì shì jiè shí dà wén xué míng zhù zhī yī， dì wèi gèng zài mǎ kè tù wēn děng rén zhī shàng。 　　 　　 jìn rù liǎo 20 shì jì， gōng yè huà dài lái de shè huì zhuǎn biàn shǐ měi guó wén xué fā zhǎn de gèng wéi duō yuán hé fù zá。 hǎi míng wēi fǎn yìng liǎo rén men duì dì yī cì shì jiè dà zhàn de yàn 'è qíng xù。 1925 nián fèi zī jié luó chū bǎn《 dà hēng xiǎozhuàn》 dài biǎo zhe 20 nián dài jīng jì dà kǒng huāng qián měi guó rén de mí mèng。 hēi rén wén xué、 nán bù wén xué、 yǐ jí xiàn dài wén xué yě zài tóng shí qī xīng qǐ。 zài dì 'èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn hòu， xīn de shì dài、 hé xīn de zhǒng zú、 dì qū、 shè huì tè zhēng dū yǔ zhī qián de shì dài dà bù xiāng tóng， dà liàng de yí mín wén xué hé xīn xīng de nǚ xìng zhù yì wén xué yě chéng wéi měi guó wén xué de yī bù fēn liǎo。 　　 　　 yǐng shì yǔ xì jù 　　 bìng fēi suǒ yòu de měi guó wén huà dōushì yuán zì qí tā guó jiā， diàn yǐng de dàn shēng hé fā zhǎn biàn dōushì yuán zì měi guó de。 yīng guó chū shēng de měi guó shè yǐng shī EadweardMuybridge pāi xià liǎo rén lèi shǐ shàng dì yī bù diàn yǐng bēn páo de mǎ pǐ。 zì cóng nà shí kāi shǐ， měi guó de diàn yǐng chǎn yè biàn kāi shǐ gāo sù fā zhǎn， jiā lì fú ní yà zhōu de hǎo lāi wù chéng wéi rén lèi diàn yǐng fā zhǎn de zhòng zhèn， jué dà duō shù diàn yǐng jì shù de chuàng xīn hé fā zhǎn dōushì yuán yú hǎo lāi wù， hǎo lāi wù diàn yǐng yě chéng wéi měi guó wén huà de zhù yào dài biǎo zhī yī。 zài 1920 nián dài， měi guó měi nián píng jūn chǎn chū gāo dá 800 bù zhèng guī diàn yǐng， chá lǐ · zhuó bié lín de xǐ jù、 yǐ jù xiǎo shuō piāo gǎi biān de luàn shì jiā rén、 hé chāo rén děng diàn yǐng liú chuán zhì jīhū měi gè dà lù hé guó jiā， chéng wéi jiā yù hù xiǎo de měi guó xiàng zhēng。 zhè xiē diàn yǐng de chū kǒu yě shǐ měi guó huò qǔ liǎo jù dà de jīng jì lì rùn。 chú liǎo diàn yǐng zhī wài， yóu dí shì ní kāi chuàng díkǎ tōng jì shù yě shì yuán zì měi guó。 　　 　　 měi guó yě shì shì jiè shàng diàn shì jì shù fā zhǎn hé pǔ jí zuì zǎo de guó jiā zhī yī。 zài jīn tiān， měi guó yòu zhù shù qiān jiā diàn shì tái， diàn shì shì měi guó rén wén huà hé shēng huó de yī bù fēn， xǐ 'ài kàn diàn shì yě shì dà duō shù měi guó rén de shǎo shù gòng tóng tè zhēng zhī yī。 měi guó mín zhòng tòu guò diàn shì dé zhī guó nèi wài de xīn wén shí shì， guān kàn diàn yǐng、 bǐ sài、 kǎ tōng hé féi zào jù。 99% de měi guó jiā tíng zhì shǎo yòu yī bù diàn shì jī， jué dà duō shù jiā tíng hái yōng yòu liǎng bù。 　　 　　 yùn dòng 　　 yùn dòng shì měi guó quán guó xìng de xiū xián huó dòng， qí shòu huān yíng de chéng dù shì qí tā xiū xián huó dòng dōuwú fǎ xiāng bǐ de。 zhí yè yùn dòng zài měi guó shì shāng jī jí dà de lǐng yù， xuǎn zé chéng wéi zhí yè yùn dòng yuán de rén yě huò dé jí gāo de bào chóu。 shì jiè shàng shōu rù zuì gāo de yùn dòng tuán duì hé yùn dòng yuán jué dà duō shù dōushì zài měi guó。 bèi chēng wéi“ sì jù tóu” de yùn dòng lǐng yù bāo kuò liǎo bàng qiú、 měi shì zú qiú、 bīng shàng qū gùn qiú、 hé lán qiú。 qí tā shòu huān yíng de yùn dòng hái bāo kuò sài chē hé cháng qū gùn qiú héng nà shì yuán zì yú měi zhōu yuán zhù mín de yùn dòng， yě shì měi guó zuì gǔ lǎo de yùn dòng。 suī rán zú qiú yě shì xiāng dāng shòu huān yíng de yùn dòng， dàn xiāng jiào qí tā guó jiā 'ér yán， zú qiú zài měi guó de pǔ jí dù bìng bù gāo。 　　 　　 měi guó yě yòu xǔ duō yuán zì 'ōu zhōu、 bìng zài měi guó guǎng fàn fā zhǎn de yùn dòng， lì rú sài mǎ。 yīng shì gǎn lǎn qiú yě xiāng dāng shòu dào huān yíng。 qí tā de 'ōu zhōu yùn dòng rú mǎ shàng qū gùn qiú hé bǎn qiú suī rán bìng bù pǔ jí， dàn yě yòu bù shǎo sǐ zhōng de guān zhòng。 měi guó yě shì fā zhǎn gāo 'ěr fū qiú hé wǎng qiú děng yùn dòng de zhù yào guó jiā。 měi guó yě shì xī fāng guó jiā lǐ quán jī hé zhí yè shuāi jiǎo de fā zhǎn zhōng xīn， bǐ sài wǎng wǎng xī yǐn dà liàng qún zhòng guān zhàn， tóng shí yě xī yǐn gè zhǒng yùn dòng dǔ bó de huó dòng， měi guó yě chǎn chū liǎo xǔ duō shì jiè zhī míng de quán jī guànjūn。 qí tā de gé dǒu yùn dòng， lì rú yuán zì rì běn de kōng shǒu dào， zài měi guó yě xiāng dāng shòu huān yíng， bìng qiě jīng cháng jìn xíng bǐ sài。 　　 　　 dà xué tǐ yù yùn dòng zài měi guó yě xiāng dāng pǔ jí， ér qiě jīhū yǔ zhí yè lǐng yù bù xiāng shàng xià， yóu qí shì zài zú qiú hé lán qiú lǐng yù。 xǔ duō dà xué hé xué yuàn dū péi yǎng liǎo yùn dòng tuán duì， dìng qī jǔ xíng xiào jì jiān de jìng sài。 dà xué hé xué yuàn suǒ péi yǎng de yùn dòng lèi xíng xiāng dāng guǎng fàn， cóng tián jìng yùn dòng dào shuǐ qiú dū bāo hán zài nèi。 tóng yàng de， měi guó de gāo zhōng yě yòu gè shì gè yàng de tǐ yù huó dòng， yòu shí hòu zhè xiē xiào jì jiān de bǐ sài hái huì chéng wéi dāng dì de tóu tiáo xīn wén， xiǎn shì liǎo měi guó rén mín duì yú yùn dòng de xǐ 'ài hé zhòng shì。 　　 　　 měi guó mèng 　　 suǒ wèi de měi guó mèng（ AmericanDream）， shì yī zhǒng xiāng xìn zhǐ yào zài měi guó jīng guò nǔ lì bù xiè de fèn dǒu biàn néng huò zhì gèng hǎo shēng huó de lǐ xiǎng， yì jí rén men bì xū tòu guò zì jǐ de gōng zuò qín fèn、 yǒng qì、 chuàng yì、 hé jué xīn mài xiàng fán róng， ér fēi yǐ lài yú tè dìng de shè huì jiē jí hé tā rén de yuán zhù。 tōng cháng zhè dài biǎo liǎo rén men zài jīng jì shàng de chéng gōng huò shì qǐ yè jiā de jīng shén。 xǔ duō 'ōu zhōu yí mín dōushì bào chí zhù měi guó mèng de lǐ xiǎng qián wǎng měi guó de。 jìn guǎn yòu xiē rén pī píng měi guó mèng guò dù qiáng diào liǎo wù zhì cái fù zài héng liàng shèng lì hé kuài lè shàng bàn yǎn de juésè， dàn xǔ duō měi guó rén díquè rèn wéi， zhè zhǒng huò zhì chéng gōng de jī huì zài shì jiè shàng qí tā guó jiā shì zhǎo bù dào yě bìng bù cún zài de。 yīn wéi yǔ qí tā dà duō shù guó jiā bù tóng de shì， zài měi guó yōng yòu de jīng jì zì yóu xiāng dāng duō， zhèng fǔ bàn yǎn de juésè xiāng dāng yòu xiàn， zhè shǐ dé měi guó de shè huì liú dòng xìng jí dà， rèn hé réndōu yòu kě néng tòu guò zì jǐ de nǔ lì mài xiàng diān fēng。 cóng měi guó dú lì zhí zhì 19 shì jì mò qī， guǎng dà de tǔ dì dōuwú rén jū zhù hé yōng yòu， rèn hé yòu xīn réndōu kě yǐ jiā yǐ zhàn jù bìng tóu zī hé kāi kěn。 ér dào liǎo gōng yè gé mìng shí qī， měi guó páng dà de zì rán zī yuán hé xiān jìn de gōng yè jì shù zé shǐ dé kuài sù de shè huì liú dòng biàn de kě néng， ér qiě zhè zhǒng qū shì réng zài yī tiān yī tiān de zēng jiā zhōng。 　　 　　 bā、 jiào yù 　　 zhōng xiǎo xué jiào yù zhù yào shì yóu gè zhōu jiào yù wěi yuán huì hé dì fāng zhèng fǔ guǎn lǐ。 xué xiào fēn gōng lì、 sī lì liǎng lèi。 duō shù zhōu shí xíng shí nián yì wù jiào yù。 gè zhōu xué zhì bù yī， dà bù fēn wéi xiǎo xué liù nián、 chū zhōng sān nián、 gāo zhōng sān nián。 gāo děng jiào yù yòu liǎng nián zhì de chū jí xué yuàn hé jì shù xué yuàn， sì nián zhì de dà xué běn kē hé 'èr zhì sì nián de yán jiū shēng yuàn。 2002 cái nián jiào yù yù suàn wéi 565 yì měi yuán， zhù yào yòng yú bù shí zhèng fǔ tí chū de“ tí gāo xué shēng chéng jì hé bù ràng yī gè hái zǐ luò hòu” děng jìhuà。 guó huì hái tōng guò liǎo jiào yù gǎi gé yì 'àn， zhòng diǎn wéi jiā qiáng gōng lì xué xiào、 tí gāo jiào yù zhì liàng děng。 　　　 　　 gāo děng xué fǔ 　　 hā fó dà xué、 má shěng lǐ gōng xué yuàn、 gē lún bǐ yà dà xué、 jiā lì fú ní yà dà xué bó kè lì fēn xiào、 sī tǎn fú dà xué、 zhī jiā gē dà xué、 qiáo zhì · huá shèng dùn dà xué、 yé lǔ dà xué、 jiā zhōu lǐ gōng xué yuàn、 yuē hàn · huò pǔ jīn sī dà xué、 pǔ lín sī dùn dà xué hé dù kè dà xué děng。 　　 　　 jiǔ、 wài jiāo 　　 měi guó jù yòu quán qiú xìng de jīng jì、 zhèng zhì hé jūn shì yǐng xiǎng lì， qí wài jiāo zhèng cè zǒu xiàng yī zhí shì shì jiè guān zhù hé tǎo lùn de jiāo diǎn。 měi guó de wài jiāo guān xì guī mó shì quán shì jiè zuì wéi páng dà de。 jīhū suǒ yòu de guó jiā zài huá shèng dùn tè qū dū shè yòu dà shǐ guǎn hé pài zhù dà shǐ。 yǐ sè liè、 yīng guó、 jiā ná dà、 hé rì běn bèi shì wéi shì měi guó zuì qīn mì de méng yǒu。 zhǐ yòu shǎo shù guó jiā méi yòu yǔ měi guó jiàn lì zhèng shì de wài jiāo guān xì， bāo kuò gǔ bā、 yī lǎng、 běi cháo xiān、 suǒ mǎ lǐ hé sū dān。 　　 　　 měi guó gé mìng qī jiān， měi guó yǔ yī xiē 'ōu zhōu guó jiā jiàn lì liǎo wài jiāo guān xì， shuō fú liǎo fǎ guó、 xī bān yá、 hé hé lán xié zhù duì kàng yīng guó。 zài jiē xià lái de kāi kěn nián dài lǐ， měi guó yī zhí zài qīn fǎ huò qīn yīng liǎng gè xuǎn zé jiān yáo bǎi bù dìng。 dāng shí měi guó duì 'ōu zhōu shì wù bù yuàn chā shǒu， zhuān zhù yú běi měi de jiāng tǔ kāi tuò。 hòu lái yǐ mén luó zhù yì xuē ruò 'ōu zhōu zài lā dīng měi zhōu de yǐng xiǎng lì， yǐ què bǎo zài měi zhōu dì qū shì wù de zhī pèi quán。 měi guó de kuò zhāng zhèng cè lù xù yǐn fā liǎo yǔ mò xī gē hé xī bān yá de zhàn zhēng， liǎng zhàn jūn yǐ měi guó de shèng lì gào zhōng。 zài nán běi zhàn zhēng zhōng， měi guó zhǐ zé yīng guó hé fǎ guó zhī yuán nán bù fēn liè de měi lì jiān lián méng guó、 bìng shì tú zhàn lǐng mò xī gē， dàn zài nèi zhàn jié shù hòu， měi guó zài běi měi zhōu de zhù dǎo dì wèi jiù zài wèi shòu guò tiǎo zhàn。 　　 　　 suí zhù guó lì jiàn zēng， měi guó kāi shǐ jiāng zhù yì lì zhuànxiàng hǎi wài， yóu qí shì duì wài mào yì de kāi tuò。 wèicǐ， měi guó zhàn lǐng liǎo tài píng yáng de xǔ duō lǐng tǔ， bāo kuò xià wēi yí hé fěi lǜ bīn， pò shǐ rì běn kāi fàng mào yì， bìng yǔ 'ōu zhōu liè qiáng jìng zhēng zài zhōng guó de yǐng xiǎng lì。 dì 'èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn hòu， měi guó zài lián hé guó de chuàng jiàn shàng bàn yǎn liǎo zhòng yào juésè， bìng qiě chéng wéi 'ān quán lǐ shì huì de wǔ míng yǒng jiǔ huì yuán zhī yī。 　　 　　 lěng zhàn qī jiān， měi guó zuì chū shì tú xiàn zhì sū lián yú shì jiè gè dì de yǐng xiǎng lì。 wèile 'è zhì sū lián， měi guó、 jiā ná dà hé 10 gè xī 'ōu guó jiā gòng tóng jiàn lì liǎo běi dà xī yáng gōng yuē zǔ zhì， yǐ lián hé méng guó duì kàng rèn hé xiàng běi měi hé 'ōu zhōu de jūn shì rù qīn， hòu lái yòu yòu 14 gè 'ōu zhōu guó jiā lù xù jiā rù liǎo zhè yī gòng tóng fáng yù lián méng， bāo kuò tǔ 'ěr qí hé yī xiē qián huá shā tiáo yuē chéng yuán guó yǐ jí bù fēn sū lián jiā méng gòng hé guó。 chū yú zhèng zhì shàng de xiàn shí kǎo liàng， měi guó yě yǔ duì kàng sū lián de gòng chǎn zhù yì guó jiā jié méng， lì rú zhōng sū fēn liè hòu de zhōng huá rén mín gòng hé guó。 jìn nián lái， měi guó zhuān zhù yú zì shēn de biān jiè 'ān quán， fáng zhǐ fēi fǎ yí mín hé fēi fǎ fàn dú jìn rù guó nèi héng yóu qí shì zhēn duì mò xī gē hé jiā lè bǐ hǎi guó jiā。 měi guó yě zhì lì yú duì kàng kǒng bù zhù yì hé bì miǎn dà guī mó shā shāng xìng wǔ qì de kuò sàn， dàn qí zhù yào mù biāo réng wéi bǎo hù zài guó nèi wài de guó jiā lì yì yǐ jí gōng mín 'ān quán。 　　 　　2004 nián， měi duì wài zhèng cè jì xù yǐ fǎn kǒng hé fáng kuò sàn wéi hé xīn， dàn shòu guó nèi dà xuǎn zhèng zhì yǐng xiǎng， zhòng zài qiú wěn fáng luàn。 bù shí zhèng fǔ xià lì qì tuī dòng yī lā kè zhàn hòu chóngjiàn， wěn dìng yī 'ān quán jú shì， zhù dǎo zǔ jiàn yī lín shí zhèng fǔ bìng xiàng qí jiāo quán， tuī dòng guó jì shè huì wéi yī chóngjiàn chū qián chū lì， jiǎn miǎn yī zhài wù。 yǐ bā guó jí tuán míng yì tuī chū“ dà zhōng dōng gǎi gé jìhuà”， shì tú“ mín zhù gǎi zào dà zhōng dōng”。 jiān chí tōng guò duō biān jī zhì jiě jué cháo hé wèn tí， cān jiā dì 'èr、 dì sān lún běi jīng liù fāng huì tán。 tōng guò guó jì yuán zǐ néng jī gòu hé fǎ、 dé、 yīng děng guó yā yī lǎng fàng qì hé jìhuà。 xuān bù shí shī zì cháo xiān zhàn zhēng yǐ lái zuì guǎng fàn de quán qiú jūn lì bù shǔ tiáozhěng， tuī jìn“ fáng kuò sàn 'ān quán chàng yì”。 jiào qián zhòng shì dà guó hé zuò， qiáng diào kuà dà xī yáng lián méng de zhòng yào xìng， bǎo chí yǔ 'é luó sī guān xì zǒng tǐ wěn dìng。 jiā dà duì yà tài dì qū de tóu rù， shēn huà yǔ rì、 ào děng chuán tǒng méng guó de guān xì， gǒng gù měi hán tóng méng， fù yú tài guó、 bā jī sī tǎn“ fēi běi yuē zhù yào méng guó” dì wèi， yǔ yìn dù fā zhǎn zhàn lüè huǒ bàn guān xì。 　　 rú guǒ nín rèn wéi běn cí tiáo hái yòu dài wán shàn， xū yào bǔ chōng xīn nèi róng huò xiū gǎi cuò wù nèi róng， qǐng biān ji cí tiáo 　　 cān kǎo zī liào： 　　1. měi guó guó wù yuàn guó jì xìn xī jú zhōng wén bǎn http://usinfo.state.gov/mgck/ 　　2. měi guó zhèng fǔ guān fāng wǎng zhàn www.usa.gov 　　3. měi guó shāng wù bù www.commerce.gov 　　4. shāng wù bù guó jì mào yì jú www.ita.doc.gov 　　5. měi guó lián bāng mào yì wěi yuán huì www.ftc.gov 　　6. měi guó mào yì fā zhǎn jú www.tda.gov 　　7. měi guó rén kǒu pǔ chá jú www.census.gov 　　8. měi guó xiǎo qǐ yè guǎn lǐ jú www.sba.gov 　　9. měi guó shāng yè gù wèn www.business.gov 　　10. měi guó guó shuì jú www.irs.gov 　　11. měi guó huán bǎo shǔ www.epa.gov 　　12. měi guó yān jiǔ guǎn lǐ jú www.atf.treas.gov 　　13. měi guó nóng yè bù www.usda.gov 　　14. měi guó jiāo tōng bù www.dot.gov 　　15. měi guó xiāo fèi 'ān quán wěi yuán huì www.cpsc.gov 　　16. měi guó shí pǐn yào wù guǎn lǐ jú www.fda.gov 　　17. měi zhōng mào yì wěi yuán huì www.uschina.org 　　18. měi guó hǎi guān www.customs.gov 　　19. měi guó zhù huá shǐ guǎn 　　20. sōu hú wǎng 　　The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie 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 Russia to the west across the Bering Strait, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The United States also possesses several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific. 　　 　　At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with more than 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. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with a nominal 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$13 trillion (over 19% of the world total based on purchasing power parity). 　　 　　The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. Proclaiming themselves "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rebellious states defeated Great 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, Great Britain, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over states' rights and the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked the American Civil War of the 1860s. The North's victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the end of slavery in the United States. The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the nation's status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a founding member of NATO. In the post–Cold War era, the United States is the only remaining superpower—accounting for approximately 50% of global military spending—and a dominant economic, political, and cultural force in the world. 　　 　　Etymology 　　The term America, 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.'" Common short forms and abbreviations of the United States of America include the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America. Colloquial names for the country include the U.S. of A. and the States. 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. 　　 　　The standard way to refer to a citizen of the United States is as an American. Though United States is the formal adjective, American and U.S. are the most common adjectives used to refer to the country ("American values," "U.S. forces"). American is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States. 　　 　　The phrase "the United States" was originally treated as plural—e.g, "the United States are"—including in the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1865. However, it became increasingly common to treat the name as singular—e.g., "the United States is"—after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard, while the plural form is retained in the set idiom "these United States." 　　 　　Geography 　　 　　Topographic map of the contiguous United States 　　Climate zones of the contiguous United StatesThe United States is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere: the contiguous United States stretches from the Pacific on the west to the Atlantic on the east, with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, and bordered by Canada on the north and Mexico on the south. Alaska is the largest state in area; separated from the contiguous U.S. by Canada, it touches the Pacific on the south and Arctic Ocean on the north. Hawaii occupies an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America. The United States is the world's third or fourth largest nation by total area, before or after China. The ranking varies depending on (a) how two territories disputed by China and India are counted and (b) how the total size of the United States is calculated: the CIA World Factbook gives 9,826,630 km², the United Nations Statistics Division gives 9,629,091 km², and the Encyclopedia Britannica gives 9,522,055 km². Including only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada. The United States also possesses several insular territories scattered around the West Indies (e.g., the commonwealth of Puerto Rico) and the Pacific (e.g., Guam). 　　 　　The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi-Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north-south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie land of the Great Plains stretches to the west. The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the continental United States, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. The area to the west of the Rocky Mountains is dominated by the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Mojave. The Sierra Nevada range runs parallel to the Rockies, relatively close to the Pacific coast. At 20,320 feet (6,194 m), Alaska's Mount McKinley is the country's tallest peak. Active volcanoes are common throughout the Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and the entire state of Hawaii is built upon tropical volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature. 　　 　　Because of the United States' large size and wide range of geographic features, nearly every type of climate is represented. The climate is temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, polar in Alaska, semi-arid in the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in Coastal California, and arid in the Great Basin. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the continental United States, primarily in the Midwest. 　　 　　Environment 　　 　　The bald eagle has been the national bird of the United States since 1782Main article: Environment of the United States 　　U.S. plant life is very diverse; the country has more than 17,000 identified native species of flora. More than 400 mammal, 700 bird, 500 reptile and amphibian, and 90,000 insect species have been documented. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 　　 　　The U.S. has fifty-eight national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas. Altogether, the U.S. government regulates 28.8% of the country's total land area. Most such public land comprises protected parks and forestland, though some federal land is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, or cattle ranching. 　　 　　The energy policy of the United States is widely debated; many call on the country to take a leading role in fighting global warming. The United States is currently the second largest emitter, after the People's Republic of China, of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. 　　 　　History 　　 　　Native Americans and European settlers 　　Main articles: Native Americans in the United States, European colonization of the Americas, and Thirteen Colonies 　　The indigenous peoples of the U.S. mainland, including Alaska Natives, are thought to have migrated from Asia. They began arriving at least 12,000 and as many as 40,000 years ago. Several indigenous communities in the pre-Columbian era developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. In 1492, Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus, under contract to the Spanish crown, reached several Caribbean islands, making first contact with the indigenous population. In the years that followed, the majority of the indigenous American peoples were killed by epidemics of Eurasian diseases. 　　 　　The Mayflower transported Pilgrims to the New World in 1620, as depicted in William Halsall's The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, 1882On April 2, 1513, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León landed on what he called "La Florida"—the first documented European arrival on what would become the U.S. mainland. Of the colonies Spain established in the region, only St. Augustine, founded in 1565, remains. Later Spanish settlements in the present-day southwestern United States drew thousands through Mexico. French fur traders established outposts of New France around the Great Lakes; France eventually claimed much of the North American interior as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. The first successful English settlements were the Virginia Colony in Jamestown in 1607 and the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony in 1620. The 1628 chartering of the Massachusetts Bay Colony resulted in a wave of migration; by 1634, New England had been settled by some 10,000 Puritans. Between the late 1610s and the American Revolution, an estimated 50,000 convicts were shipped to England's, and later Great Britain's, American colonies. Beginning in 1614, the Dutch established settlements along the lower Hudson River, including New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. The small settlement of New Sweden, founded along the Delaware River in 1638, was taken over by the Dutch in 1655. 　　 　　By 1674, English forces had won the former Dutch colonies in the Anglo-Dutch Wars; the province of New Netherland was renamed New York. Many new immigrants, especially to the South, were indentured servants—some two-thirds of all Virginia immigrants between 1630 and 1680. By the turn of the century, African slaves were becoming the primary source of bonded labor. With the 1729 division of the Carolinas and the 1732 colonization of Georgia, the thirteen British colonies that would become the United States of America were established. All had active local and colonial governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient rights of Englishmen and a sense of self government that stimulated support for republicanism. All had legalized the African slave trade. With high birth rates, low death rates, and steady immigration, the colonies doubled in population every twenty-five years. The Christian revivalist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the Great Awakening fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty. In the French and Indian War, British forces seized Canada from the French, but the francophone population remained politically isolated from the southern colonies. By 1770, those thirteen colonies had an increasingly Anglicized population of three million, approximately half that of Britain. Though subject to British taxation, they were given no representation in the Parliament of Great Britain. 　　 　　Independence and expansion 　　 　　Declaration of Independence, by John Trumbull, 1817–18Tensions between American colonials and the British during the revolutionary period of the 1760s and early 1770s led to the American Revolutionary War, fought from 1775 through 1781. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress, convening in Philadelphia, established a Continental Army under the command of George Washington. Proclaiming that "all men are created equal" and endowed with "certain unalienable Rights," the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration, drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson, pronounced the colonies sovereign "states." In 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted, uniting the states under a weak federal government that operated until 1788. Some 70,000–80,000 loyalists to the British Crown fled the rebellious states, many to Nova Scotia and the new British holdings in Canada. Native Americans, with divided allegiances, fought on both sides of the war's western front. 　　 　　After the defeat of the British army by American forces who were assisted by the French, Great Britain recognized the sovereignty of the thirteen states in 1783. A constitutional convention was organized in 1787 by those who wished to establish a strong national government with power over the states. By June 1788, nine states had ratified the United States Constitution, sufficient to establish the new government; the republic's first Senate, House of Representatives, and president—George Washington—took office in 1789. New York City was the federal capital for a year, before the government relocated to Philadelphia. In 1791, the states ratified the Bill of Rights, ten amendments to the Constitution forbidding federal restriction of personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections. Attitudes toward slavery were shifting; a clause in the Constitution protected the African slave trade only until 1808. The Northern states abolished slavery between 1780 and 1804, leaving the slave states of the South as defenders of the "peculiar institution." In 1800, the federal government moved to the newly founded Washington, D.C. The Second Great Awakening made evangelicalism a force behind various social reform movements. 　　 　　Territorial acquisitions by dateAmericans' eagerness to expand westward began a cycle of Indian Wars that stretched to the end of the nineteenth century, as Native Americans were stripped of their land. The Louisiana Purchase of French-claimed territory under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 virtually doubled the nation's size. The War of 1812, declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened American nationalism. A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led Spain to cede it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819. The country annexed the Republic of Texas in 1845. The concept of Manifest Destiny was popularized during this time. The 1846 Oregon Treaty with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest. The U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War resulted in the 1848 cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest. The California Gold Rush of 1848–49 further spurred western migration. New railways made relocation much less arduous for settlers and increased conflicts with Native Americans. Over a half-century, up to 40 million American bison, commonly called buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread. The loss of the bison, a primary economic resource for the plains Indians, was an existential blow to many native cultures. 　　 　　Civil War and industrialization 　　 　　Battle of Gettysburg, lithograph by Currier & Ives, ca. 1863Tensions between slave and free states mounted with increasing disagreements over the relationship between the state and federal governments and violent conflicts over the expansion of slavery into new states. Abraham Lincoln, candidate of the largely antislavery Republican Party, was elected president in 1860. Before he took office, seven slave states declared their secession from the United States, forming the Confederate States of America. The federal government maintained secession was illegal, and with the Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter, the American Civil War began and four more slave states joined the Confederacy. The Union freed Confederate slaves as its army advanced through the South. Following the Union victory in 1865, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution ensured freedom for the nearly four million African Americans who had been slaves, made them citizens, and gave them voting rights. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in federal power. 　　 　　Immigrants landing at Ellis Island, New York, 1902After the war, the assassination of President Lincoln radicalized Republican Reconstruction policies aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves. The resolution of the disputed 1876 presidential election by the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction; Jim Crow laws soon disenfranchised many African Americans. In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented influx of immigrants hastened the country's industrialization. The wave of immigration, which lasted until 1929, provided labor for U.S. businesses and transformed American culture. High tariff protections, national infrastructure building, and new banking regulations encouraged industrial growth. The 1867 Alaska purchase from Russia completed the country's mainland expansion. The Wounded Knee massacre in 1890 was the last major armed conflict of the Indian Wars. In 1893, the indigenous monarchy of the Pacific Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in a coup led by American residents; the archipelago was annexed by the United States in 1898. Victory in the Spanish-American War that same year demonstrated that the United States was a major world power and resulted in the annexation of Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The Philippines gained independence a half-century later; Puerto Rico remains a commonwealth of the United States. 　　 　　World War I, Great Depression, and World War II 　　 　　An abandoned farm in South Dakota during the Dust Bowl, 1936At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the United States remained neutral. Americans sympathized with the British and French, although many citizens, mostly Irish and German, opposed intervention. In 1917, the United States joined the Allies, turning the tide against the Central Powers. Reluctant to be involved in European affairs, the Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles, which established the League of Nations. The country pursued a policy of unilateralism, verging on isolationism. In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a constitutional amendment granting women's suffrage. Partly because of the service of many in the war, Native Americans gained U.S. citizenship in the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. 　　 　　During most of the 1920s, the United States enjoyed a period of unbalanced prosperity as farm profits fell while industrial profits grew. A rise in debt and an inflated stock market culminated in the 1929 crash that triggered the Great Depression. After his election as president in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt responded with the New Deal, a range of policies increasing government intervention in the economy. The Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration. The nation would not fully recover from the economic depression until the industrial mobilization spurred by its entrance into World War II. The United States, effectively neutral during the war's early stages after the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939, began supplying materiel to the Allies in March 1941 through the Lend-Lease program. 　　 　　On December 7, 1941, the United States joined the Allies against the Axis powers after a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. World War II cost far more money than any other war in American history, but it boosted the economy by providing capital investment and jobs, while bringing many women into the labor market. Among the major combatants, the United States was the only nation to become richer—indeed, far richer—instead of poorer because of the war. Allied conferences at Bretton Woods and Yalta outlined a new system of international organizations that placed the United States and Soviet Union at the center of world affairs. As victory was achieved in Europe, a 1945 international conference held in San Francisco produced the United Nations Charter, which became active after the war. The United States, having developed the first nuclear weapons, used them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Japan surrendered on September 2, ending the war. 　　 　　Superpower 　　 　　Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech, 1963The United States and Soviet Union jockeyed for power after World War II during the Cold War, dominating the military affairs of Europe through NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The United States promoted liberal democracy and capitalism, while the Soviet Union promoted communism and a centrally planned economy. Both the United States and the Soviet Union supported dictatorships, and both engaged in proxy wars. United States troops fought Communist Chinese forces in the Korean War of 1950–53. The House Un-American Activities Committee pursued a series of investigations into suspected leftist subversion, while Senator Joseph McCarthy became the figurehead of anticommunist sentiment. 　　 　　The Soviet Union launched the first manned spacecraft in 1961, prompting U.S. efforts to raise proficiency in mathematics and science and President John F. Kennedy's call for the country to be first to land "a man on the moon," achieved in 1969. Kennedy also faced a tense nuclear showdown with Soviet forces in Cuba. Meanwhile, America experienced sustained economic expansion. A growing civil rights movement headed by prominent African Americans, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., fought segregation and discrimination, leading to the abolition of Jim Crow laws. Following Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson and his successor, Richard Nixon, expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the unsuccessful Vietnam War. 　　 　　President Ronald Reagan (1981–89) challenges Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, 1987As a result of the Watergate scandal, in 1974 Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign, rather than be impeached on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power; he was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford. During the Jimmy Carter administration in the late 1970s, the U.S. economy experienced stagflation. The election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 marked a significant rightward shift in American politics, reflected in major changes in taxation and spending priorities. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Soviet Union's power diminished, leading to its collapse. The leadership role taken by the United States and its allies in the United Nations–sanctioned Gulf War, under President George H. W. Bush, and later the Yugoslav wars helped to preserve its position as the world's last remaining superpower. The longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history—from March 1991 to March 2001—encompassed the administration of President Bill Clinton. In 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House on charges relating to a civil lawsuit and a sexual scandal, but he was acquitted by the Senate and remained in office. 　　 　　The controversial presidential election of 2000 was resolved by a Supreme Court decision that effectively awarded the presidency to Texas governor George W. Bush, son of George H. W. Bush. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City and The Pentagon near Washington, D.C., killing nearly three thousand people. In the aftermath, President Bush launched the War on Terrorism under a military philosophy stressing preemptive war now known as the Bush Doctrine. In late 2001, U.S. forces led a NATO invasion of Afghanistan, removing the Taliban government and al-Qaeda training camps. Taliban insurgents continue to fight a guerrilla war against the NATO-led force. In 2002, the Bush administration began to press for regime change in Iraq on controversial grounds. Lacking the support of NATO or an explicit United Nations mandate for military intervention, Bush formed a Coalition of the Willing, and the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, removing President Saddam Hussein from power. Although facing both external and internal pressure to withdraw, the United States maintains its military presence in Iraq. The United States has been criticized for human rights violations in its pursuit of the War on Terrorism, including holding so-called enemy combatants at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for years without trial and for its alleged use of torture. 　　 　　Government and politics 　　 　　The west front of the United States Capitol, which houses the United States CongressThe United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law." It is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy, though U.S. citizens residing in the territories are excluded from voting for federal officials. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the United States Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document and as a social contract for the people of the United States. In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local; the local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels. Federal and state judicial and cabinet officials are typically nominated by the executive branch and approved by the legislature, although some state judges and officials are elected by popular vote. 　　 　　The north side of the White House, home and work place of the U.S. presidentThe federal government is composed of three branches: 　　 　　Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government. 　　Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies. 　　Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional. 　　The House of Representatives has 435 members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the fifty states by population every tenth year. As of the 2000 census, seven states have the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, has fifty-three. Each state has two senators, elected at-large to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every second year. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The president is not elected by direct vote, but by an indirect electoral college system in which the determining votes are apportioned by state. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who serve for life. 　　 　　The front of the United States Supreme Court buildingAll laws and procedures of both state and federal governments are subject to review, and any law ruled in violation of the Constitution by the judicial branch is overturned. The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government, the relationship between it and the individual states, and essential matters of military and economic authority. Article One protects the right to the "great writ" of habeas corpus, and Article Three guarantees the right to a jury trial in all criminal cases. Amendments to the Constitution require the approval of three-fourths of the states. The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments, which make up the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment form the central basis of individual rights in the United States. 　　 　　Parties and elections 　　 　　Politics in the United States have operated under a two-party system for virtually all of the country's history. For elective offices at all levels, state-administered primary elections are held to choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since the general election of 1856, the two dominant parties have been the Democratic Party, founded in 1824 (though its roots trace back to 1792), and the Republican Party, founded in 1854. Since the Civil War, only one third-party presidential candidate—former president Theodore Roosevelt, running as a Progressive in 1912—has won as much as 20% of the popular vote. 　　 　　The incumbent president, Republican George W. Bush, is the 43rd president in the country's history. All U.S. presidents to date have been white men. If the Democrats win the next presidential election in, November 2008, either an African-American, Barack Obama, or a woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, will become president. Following the 2006 midterm elections, the Democratic Party controls both the House and the Senate. Every member of the U.S. Congress is a Democrat or a Republican except two independent members of the Senate—one a former Democratic incumbent, the other a self-described socialist. An overwhelming majority of state and local officials are also either Democrats or Republicans. 　　 　　Within American political culture, the Republican Party is considered "center-right" or conservative and the Democratic Party is considered "center-left" or liberal, but members of both parties have a wide range of views. In a January 2008 poll, 39% of Americans described themselves as "conservative," 33% as "moderate," and 20% as "liberal." On the other hand, a plurality of adults, 35.9%, identify as Democrats, 32.9% as independents, and 31.3% as Republicans. The states of the Northeast and West Coast and some of the Great Lakes states are relatively liberal-leaning—they are known in political parlance as "blue states." The "red states" of the South and the Rocky Mountains lean conservative. 　　 　　States 　　 　　The United States is a federal union of fifty states. The original thirteen states were the successors of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against British rule. Most of the rest have been carved from territory obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. The exceptions are Vermont, Texas, and Hawaii; each was an independent republic before joining the union. Early in the country's history, three states were created out of the territory of existing ones: Kentucky from Virginia; Tennessee from North Carolina; and Maine from Massachusetts. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the states do not have the right to secede from the union. 　　 　　The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the only other areas considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the federal district where the capital, Washington, is located; and Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited but incorporated territory in the Pacific Ocean. The United States possesses five major territories with indigenous populations: Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Those born in the territories (except for American Samoa) possess U.S. citizenship. 　　 　　Foreign relations and military 　　 　　President George W. Bush (right) with UK prime minister Gordon BrownThe United States has vast economic, political, and military influence on a global scale, which makes its foreign policy a subject of great interest around the world. Almost all countries have embassies in Washington, D.C., and many host consulates around the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host American diplomatic missions. However, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Bhutan, Sudan, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States. 　　 　　American isolationists have often been at odds with internationalists, as anti-imperialists have been with promoters of Manifest Destiny and American Empire. American imperialism in the Philippines drew sharp rebukes from Mark Twain, philosopher William James, and many others. Later, President Woodrow Wilson played a key role in creating the League of Nations, but the Senate prohibited American membership in it. Isolationism became a thing of the past when the United States took a lead role in founding the United Nations, becoming a permanent member of the Security Council and host to the United Nations Headquarters. The United States enjoys a special relationship with the United Kingdom and strong ties with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and fellow NATO members. It also works closely with its neighbors through the Organization of American States and free trade agreements such as the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. In 2005, the United States spent $27.3 billion on official development assistance, the most in the world; however, as a share of gross national income (GNI), the U.S. contribution of 0.22% ranked twentieth of twenty-two donor states. On the other hand, nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and educational and religious institutions donated $95.5 billion. The total of $122.8 billion is again the most in the world and seventh in terms of GNI percentage. 　　 　　The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrierThe president holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and the Department of the Navy in times of war. In 2005, the military had 1.38 million personnel on active duty, along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and the National Guard for a total of 2.3 million troops. The Department of Defense also employs approximately 700,000 civilians, disregarding contractors. Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime through the _Select_ive Service System. The rapid deployment of American forces is facilitated by the Air Force's large fleet of transportation aircraft and aerial refueling tankers, the Navy's fleet of eleven active aircraft carriers, and Marine Expeditionary Units at sea in the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets. Outside of the American homeland, the U.S. military is deployed to 770 bases and facilities, on every continent except Antarctica. Because of the extent of its global military presence, scholars describe the United States as maintaining an "empire of bases." 　　 　　Total U.S. military spending in 2006, over $528 billion, was 46% of the entire military spending in the world and greater than the next fourteen largest national military expenditures combined. (In purchasing power parity terms, it was larger than the next six such expenditures combined.) The per capita spending of $1,756 was approximately ten times the world average. At 4.06% of GDP, U.S. military spending is ranked 27th out of 172 nations. The proposed base Department of Defense budget for 2009, $515.4 billion, is a 7% increase over 2008 and a nearly 74% increase over 2001. The estimated total cost of the Iraq War to the United States through 2016 is $2.267 trillion. As of March 25, 2008, the United States had suffered 4,001 military fatalities during the war and over 29,300 wounded. 　　 　　Economy 　　 　　National economic indicators 　　Unemployment 5.0% April 2008 　　GDP growth 2.9% 2005–2006 　　CPI inflation 4.0% March 2007–March 2008 　　National debt $9.365 trillion May 8, 2008 　　Poverty 12.3% or 13.3% 2006 　　The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. According to the International Monetary Fund, the United States GDP of more than $13 trillion constitutes over 25.5% of the gross world product at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at purchasing power parity (PPP). The largest national GDP in the world, it was slightly less than the combined GDP of the European Union at PPP in 2006. The country ranks eighth in the world in nominal GDP per capita and fourth in GDP per capita at PPP. The United States is the largest importer of goods and third largest exporter. Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners. The leading export commodity is electrical machinery, while vehicles constitute the leading import. The national debt is the world's largest; in 2005, it was 23% of the global total. As a percentage of GDP, U.S. debt ranked thirtieth out of 120 countries for which data is available. 　　 　　The private sector constitutes the bulk of the economy, with government activity accounting for 12.4% of GDP. The economy is postindustrial, with the service sector contributing 67.8% of GDP. The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is finance and insurance. The United States remains an industrial power, with chemical products the leading manufacturing field. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, and its largest consumer. It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, aluminum, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. While agriculture accounts for just under 1% of GDP, the United States is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans. The country's leading cash crop is marijuana, despite federal laws making its cultivation and sale illegal. Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the two most recognized brands in the world. 　　 　　Wall Street is home to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)Three quarters of U.S. business firms have no payroll, but they account for only a small fraction of business receipts. Firms with payrolls of 500 or more employ 49.1% of all paid workers; in 2002, they accounted for 59.1% of business receipts. The United States ranks third in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. Compared to Europe, U.S. property and corporate income taxes are generally higher, while labor and, particularly, consumption taxes are lower. The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest by dollar volume; the exchange's parent company, NYSE Euronext, represents over $29 trillion in total market capitalization of listed securities. 　　 　　In 2005, 155 million persons were employed with earnings, of whom 80% worked in full-time jobs. The majority, 79%, were employed in the service sector. With approximately 15.5 million people, health care and social assistance is the leading field of employment. About 12% of American workers are unionized, compared to 30% in Western Europe. The U.S. ranks number one in the ease of hiring and firing workers, according to the World Bank. Americans tend to work considerably more hours annually than workers in other developed nations, taking fewer and shorter vacations. Between 1973 and 2003, a year's work for the average American grew by 199 hours. Partly as a result, the United States maintains the highest labor productivity in the world. However, it no longer leads the world in productivity per hour as it did from the 1950s through the early 1990s; workers in Norway, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg are now more productive per hour. Spending on the social safety net is relatively low: the United States redistributes between 8 and 9% of GDP through social protection programs, slightly under the Japanese rate and less than half the estimated 19% of the European Union. 　　 　　Income, human development, and social class 　　 　　According to the Census Bureau, the pretax median household income in 2006 was $48,201. The two-year average ranged from $66,752 in New Jersey to $34,343 in Mississippi. Using purchasing power parity exchange rates, these income levels are similar to those found in other postindustrial nations. Depending on the method of analysis, 12.3% or 13.3% of Americans were below the federally designated poverty line. The number of poor Americans, at least 36.5 million, was actually 3.5 million more than in 2001, the bottom year of the most recent U.S. recession. The United States was ranked twelfth in the world in the UNDP's 2008 Human Development Report. A 2007 UNICEF study of children's well-being in twenty-one industrialized nations, covering a broad range of factors, ranked the U.S. next to last. 　　 　　Between 1967 and 2006, median household income rose 30.8% in constant dollars, largely because of the growing number of dual-earner households. Though the standard of living has improved for nearly all classes since the late 1970s, income inequality has grown substantially. The share of income received by the top 1% has risen considerably while the share of income of the bottom 90% has fallen, with the gap between the two groups being roughly as large in 2005 as in 1928. According to the standard Gini index, income inequality in the United States is higher than in any European nation. Some economists, such as Alan Greenspan, see rising income inequality as a cause for concern. 　　 　　While American social classes lack defined boundaries, sociologists point to social class as a crucial societal variable. Occupation, educational attainment, and income are used as the main indicators of socioeconomic status. Dennis Gilbert of Hamilton College has proposed a system, adapted by other sociologists, with six social classes: an upper, or capitalist, class consisting of the wealthy and powerful (1%), an upper middle class consisting of highly educated professionals (15%), a middle class consisting of semiprofessionals and craftsmen (33%), a working class consisting of clerical and blue-collar workers who conduct highly routinized tasks (33%), and two lower classes—the working poor (13%) and a largely unemployed underclass (12%). Where it was once common for middle-class households to employ domestic servants, many domestic tasks are now outsourced to the service industry. Wealth is highly concentrated: The richest 10% of the adult population possesses 69.8% of the country's household wealth, the second-highest share of any democratic developed nation. The top 1% possesses 33.4% of net wealth, including more than half of the total value in publicly traded stocks. Though the American Dream, or the perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, played a key role in attracting immigrants to the United States, particularly in the late 1800s, some analysts find that the United States has relatively low social mobility compared to Western Europe and Canada. 　　 　　Science and technology 　　 　　Astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the first human landing on the Moon, 1969The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late nineteenth century. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. The laboratory of Thomas Edison developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera. In the early twentieth century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford pioneered assembly line manufacturing. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made what is recognized as the "first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight." The rise of Nazism in the 1930s led many important European scientists, including Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi, to immigrate to the United States. During World War II, the U.S.-based Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age. The Space Race produced rapid advances in rocketry, materials science, computers, and many other areas. The United States largely developed the ARPANET and its successor, the Internet. Today, the bulk of research and development funding, 64%, comes from the private sector. The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor. Americans enjoy high levels of access to technological consumer goods. Almost half of U.S. households have broadband Internet service. The country is the primary developer and grower of genetically modified food; more than half of the world's land planted with biotech crops is in the United States. 　　 　　Transportation 　　 　　Interstate 80, the second-longest U.S. Interstate highway, runs from California to New JerseyAs of 2003, there were 759 automobiles per 1,000 Americans, compared to 472 per 1,000 inhabitants of the European Union the following year. Approximately 39% of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks. The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and nondrivers) spends 55 minutes behind the wheel every day, driving 29 miles (47 km). The U.S. intercity passenger rail system is relatively weak. Only 9% of total U.S. work trips employ mass transit, compared to 38.8% in Europe. Bicycle usage is minimal, well below European levels. The civil airline industry is entirely privatized, while most major airports are publicly owned. The five largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are all American; American Airlines is number one. Of the world's thirty busiest passenger airports, sixteen are in the United States, including the busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). 　　 　　Demographics 　　 　　Largest ancestry groups by county, 2000On October 17, 2006, the United States population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 300,000,000. The U.S. population included an estimated 12 million unauthorized migrants, of whom an estimated 1 million were uncounted by the Census Bureau. The overall growth rate is 0.89%, compared to 0.16% in the European Union. The birth rate of 14.16 per 1,000 is 30% below the world average, while higher than any European country except for Albania and Ireland. In 2006, 1.27 million immigrants were granted legal residence. Mexico has been the leading source of new U.S. residents for over two decades; since 1998, China, India, and the Philippines have been in the top four sending countries every year. The United States is the only industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected. 　　 　　The United States has a very diverse population—thirty-one ancestry groups have more than a million members. Whites are the largest racial group, with German Americans, Irish Americans, and English Americans constituting three of the country's four largest ancestry groups. African Americans, mostly descendants of former slaves, constitute the nation's largest racial minority and third largest ancestry group. Asian Americans are the country's second largest racial minority; the two largest Asian American ancestry groups are Chinese and Filipino. In 2005, the U.S. population included an estimated 4.5 million people with some American Indian or Alaskan native ancestry (2.4 million exclusively of such ancestry) and nearly 1 million with some native Hawaiian or Pacific island ancestry (0.4 million exclusively). 　　 　　Race/Ethnicity (2005) 　　White 73.9% 　　African American 12.4% 　　Asian 4.4% 　　Native American and Alaskan Native 0.8% 　　Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 0.1% 　　Other/multiracial 8.3% 　　Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 14.8% 　　Hispanic American population growth is a major demographic trend. The approximately 44 million Americans of Hispanic descent constitute the largest ethnic minority in the country. About 64% of Hispanic Americans are of Mexican descent. Between 2000 and 2004, the country's Hispanic population increased 14% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 2%.[dead link – history] Much of this growth is from immigration; as of 2004, 12% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, over half that number from Latin America. Fertility is also a factor; the average Hispanic woman gives birth to three children in her lifetime. The comparable fertility rate is 2.2 for non-Hispanic black women and 1.8 for non-Hispanic white women (below the replacement rate of 2.1). Hispanics accounted for nearly half of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 2005 and July 2006. It is estimated on the basis of current trends that by 2050 whites of non-Hispanic origin will be 50.1% of the U.S. population, compared to 69.4% in 2000. They are currently less than half the population in four "minority-majority states"—California, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas—as well as the District of Columbia. 　　 　　About 83% of the population lives in one of the country's 363 metropolitan areas. In 2006, 254 incorporated places in the United States had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than 1 million residents, and four global cities had over 2 million (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston). The United States has fifty metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million. Of the fifty fastest-growing metro areas, twenty-three are in the West and twenty-five in the South. Among the country's twenty most populous metro areas, those of Dallas (the fourth largest), Houston (sixth), and Atlanta (ninth) saw the largest numerical gains between 2000 and 2006, while that of Phoenix (thirteenth) grew the largest in percentage terms. 　　 　　Leading population centers 　　 　　New York City 　　 　　Los Angeles 　　1 New York City New York 8,250,567 1 18,818,536 Northeast 　　2 Los Angeles California 3,849,378 2 12,950,129 West 　　3 Chicago Illinois 2,833,321 3 9,505,748 Midwest 　　4 Houston Texas 2,169,248 6 5,539,949 South 　　5 Phoenix Arizona 1,512,986 13 4,039,182 West 　　6 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,448,394 5 5,826,742 Northeast 　　7 San Antonio Texas 1,296,682 29 1,942,217 South 　　8 San Diego California 1,256,951 17 2,941,454 West 　　9 Dallas Texas 1,232,940 4 6,003,967 South 　　10 San Jose California 929,936 30 1,787,123 West 　　2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates 　　 　　Language 　　Languages (2003) 　　English (only) 214.8 million 　　Spanish, incl. Creole 29.7 million 　　Chinese 2.2 million 　　French, incl. Creole 1.9 million 　　Tagalog 1.3 million 　　Vietnamese 1.1 million 　　German 1.1 million 　　English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2003, about 215 million, or 82% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by over 10% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught foreign language. Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states. Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law. While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by Samoa and Guam, respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico. 　　 　　Religion 　　 　　A church in the largely Protestant Bible BeltThe United States government does not audit Americans' religious beliefs. In a private survey conducted in 2001, 76.5% of American adults identified themselves as Christian, down from 86.4% in 1990. Protestant denominations accounted for 52% of adult Americans, while Roman Catholics, at 24.5%, were the largest individual denomination. A different study describes white evangelicals, 26.3% of the population, as the country's largest religious cohort; evangelicals of all races are estimated at 30–35%. The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2001 was 3.7%, up from 3.3% in 1990. The leading non-Christian faiths were Judaism (1.4%), Islam (0.5%), Buddhism (0.5%), Hinduism (0.4%), and Unitarian Universalism (0.3%). Between 1990 and 2001, the number of Muslims and Buddhists more than doubled. From 8.2% in 1990, 14.1% in 2001 described themselves as agnostic, atheist, or simply having no religion, still significantly less than in other postindustrial countries such as Britain (2005:44%) and Sweden (2001:69%, 2005:85%). 　　 　　 　　Education 　　 　　The University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson, is one of 19 American UNESCO World Heritage SitesAmerican public education is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. Children are obliged in most states to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, kindergarten or first grade) until they turn eighteen (generally bringing them through 12th grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen. About 12% of children are enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. Just over 2% of children are homeschooled. The United States has many competitive private and public institutions of higher education, as well as local community colleges of varying quality with open admission policies. Of Americans twenty-five and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a bachelor's degree, and 9.6% earned graduate degrees. The basic literacy rate is approximately 99%. The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for twelfth-best in the world. 　　 　　Health 　　 　　The American life expectancy of 77.8 years at birth is a year shorter than the overall figure in Western Europe, and three to four years lower than that of Norway and Switzerland. Over the past two decades, the country's rank in life expectancy has dropped from 11th to 42nd place in the world. The infant mortality rate of 6.37 per thousand likewise places the United States 42nd out of 221 countries, behind all of Western Europe. U.S. cancer survival rates are the highest in the world. Approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and an additional third is overweight; the obesity rate, the highest in the industrialized world, has more than doubled in the last quarter-century. Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is considered epidemic by healthcare professionals. The U.S. adolescent pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is nearly four times that of France and five times that of Germany. Abortion in the United States, legal on demand, is a source of great political controversy. Many states ban public funding of the procedure and have laws to restrict late-term abortions, require parental notification for minors, and mandate a waiting period prior to treatment. While the incidence of abortion is in decline, the U.S. abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and abortion rate of 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 remain higher than those of most Western nations. 　　 　　The United States healthcare system far outspends any other nation's, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP. Unlike most developed countries, the U.S. healthcare system is not universal, and relies on a higher proportion of private funding. In 2004, private insurance paid for 36% of personal health expenditure, private out-of-pocket payments covered 15%, and federal, state, and local governments paid for 44%. The World Health Organization ranked the U.S. healthcare system in 2000 as first in responsiveness, but 37th in overall performance. The United States is a leader in medical innovation. In 2004, the U.S. nonindustrial sector spent three times as much as Europe per capita on biomedical research. Medical bills are the most common reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States. In 2005, 46.6 million Americans, or 15.9% of the population, were uninsured, 5.4 million more than in 2001. The primary cause of the decline in coverage is the drop in the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance, which fell from 62.6% in 2001 to 59.5% in 2005. Approximately one third of the uninsured lived in households with annual incomes greater than $50,000, with half of those having an income over $75,000. Another third were eligible but not registered for public health insurance. In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate health insurance; California is considering similar legislation. 　　 　　Crime and punishment 　　 　　Homicide rates in _select_ed countries, 2004 (2000 for Russia)Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police and sheriff's departments, with state police providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have specialized duties. At the federal level and in almost every state, jurisprudence operates on a common law system. State courts conduct most criminal trials; federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as appeals from state systems. 　　 　　Among developed nations, the United States has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of gun violence and homicide.[update needed] In 2006, there were 5.7 murders per 100,000 persons, three times the rate in neighboring Canada. The U.S. homicide rate, which decreased by 42% between 1991 and 1999, has been roughly steady since. Some scholars have associated the high rate of homicide with the country's high rates of gun ownership, in turn associated with U.S. gun laws which are very permissive compared to those of other developed countries. 　　 　　The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate and total prison population in the world and by far the highest figures among democratic, developed nations. At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were held in American prisons or jails, more than one in every 100 adults. The current rate is almost seven times the 1980 figure. African American males are jailed at over six times the rate of white males and three times the rate of Hispanic males. In the latest comparable data, from 2006, the U.S. incarceration rate was more than three times the figure in Poland, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country with the next highest rate. The country's extraordinary rate of incarceration is largely caused by changes in sentencing and drug policies. Though it has been abolished in most Western nations, capital punishment is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and in thirty-seven states. Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty after a four-year moratorium, there have been over 1,000 executions in the United States. In 2006, the country had the sixth highest number of executions in the world, following China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and Sudan. In December 2007, New Jersey became the first state to abolish the death penalty since the 1976 Supreme Court decision. 　　 　　Culture 　　 　　The United States is a culturally diverse nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. There is no "American" ethnicity, as nearly all Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past four centuries. The culture held in common by the majority of Americans is referred to as mainstream American culture, a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Western European migrants, beginning with the early English and Dutch settlers. German, Irish, and Scottish cultures have also been very influential. Certain Native American traditions and many cultural characteristics of enslaved West Africans were absorbed into the American mainstream. Westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced many new cultural elements. More recent immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has had broad impact. The resulting mix of cultures may be characterized as a homogeneous melting pot or as a pluralistic salad bowl in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics. 　　 　　While American culture maintains that the United States is a classless society, economists and sociologists have identified cultural differences between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values. The American middle and professional class has been the source of many contemporary social trends such as feminism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism. Americans' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree. While Americans tend to greatly value socioeconomic achievement, being ordinary or average is generally seen as a positive attribute. Women, formerly limited to domestic roles, now mostly work outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees. The changing role of women has also changed the American family. In 2005, no household arrangement defined more than 30% of households; married childless couples were most common, at 28%. The extension of marital rights to homosexual persons is an issue of debate, with more liberal states permitting civil unions and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court having ruled that state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in 2003. Forty-four states still legally restrict marriage to the traditional man-and-woman model. 　　 　　Popular media 　　 　　The famous Hollywood signIn 1878, Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion. In 1894, the world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City, using Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope. The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the United States was in the forefront of sound film's development in the following decades. Since the early twentieth century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, California. Director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar and Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently cited in critics' polls as the greatest film of all time. American screen actors like John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe have become iconic figures, while producer/entrepreneur Walt Disney was a leader in both animated film and movie merchandising. The major film studios of Hollywood are the primary source of the most commercially successful movies in the world, such as Star Wars (1977) and Titanic (1997), and the products of Hollywood today dominate the global film industry. 　　 　　Americans are the heaviest television viewers in the world, and the average time spent in front of the screen continues to rise, hitting five hours a day in 2006. The four major broadcast networks are all commercial entities. Americans listen to radio programming, also largely commercialized, on average just over two-and-a-half hours a day. Aside from web portals and web search engines, the most popular websites are eBay, MySpace, Amazon.com, The New York Times, and Apple. Twelve million Americans keep a blog. 　　 　　The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African American music have deeply influenced American music at large, distinguishing it from European traditions. Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and what is now known as old-time music were adopted and transformed into popular genres with global audiences. Jazz was developed by innovators such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington early in the twentieth century. Country music, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll emerged between the 1920s and 1950s. In the 1960s, Bob Dylan emerged from the folk revival to become one of America's greatest songwriters and James Brown led the development of funk. More recent American creations include hip hop and house music. American pop stars such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna have become global celebrities. 　　 　　Literature, philosophy, and the arts 　　 　　Mount Rushmore, a massive sculpture of four prominent American presidentsIn the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues from Europe. Writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Henry David Thoreau established a distinctive American literary voice by the middle of the nineteenth century. Mark Twain and poet Walt Whitman were major figures in the century's second half; Emily Dickinson, virtually unknown during her lifetime, is recognized as America's other essential poet. Eleven U.S. citizens have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, most recently Toni Morrison in 1993. Ernest Hemingway, the 1954 Nobel laureate, is often named as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—such as Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851), Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925)—may be dubbed the "Great American Novel." Popular literary genres such as the Western and hardboiled crime fiction developed in the United States. 　　 　　The transcendentalists, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau, established the first major American philosophical movement. After the Civil War, Charles Peirce and then William James and John Dewey were leaders in the development of pragmatism. In the twentieth century, the work of W.V.O. Quine and Richard Rorty helped bring analytic philosophy to the fore in U.S. academic circles. 　　 　　In the visual arts, the Hudson River School was an important mid-nineteenth-century movement in the tradition of European naturalism. The 1913 Armory Show in New York City, an exhibition of European modernist art, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene. Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and others experimented with new styles, displaying a highly individualistic sensibility. Major artistic movements such as the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning and the pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein have developed largely in the United States. The tide of modernism and then postmodernism has also brought American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry to the top of their field. 　　 　　One of the first notable promoters of the nascent American theater was impresario P. T. Barnum, who began operating a lower Manhattan entertainment complex in 1841. The team of Harrigan and Hart produced a series of popular musical comedies in New York starting in the late 1870s. In the twentieth century, the modern musical form emerged on Broadway; the songs of musical theater composers such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Stephen Sondheim have become pop standards. Playwright Eugene O'Neill won the Nobel literature prize in 1936; other acclaimed U.S. dramatists include multiple Pulitzer Prize winners Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, and August Wilson. 　　 　　Though largely overlooked at the time, Charles Ives' work of the 1910s established him as the first major U.S. composer in the classical tradition; other experimentalists such as Henry Cowell and John Cage created an identifiably American approach to classical composition. Aaron Copland and George Gershwin developed a unique American synthesis of popular and classical music. Choreographers Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham were central figures in the creation of modern dance; George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins were leaders in twentieth-century ballet. The United States has long been at the fore in the relatively modern artistic medium of photography, with major practitioners such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Ansel Adams, and many others. The newspaper comic strip and the comic book are both U.S. innovations. Superman, the quintessential comic book superhero, has become an American icon. 　　 　　Food 　　 　　American cultural icons: apple pie, baseball, and the American flagMainstream American culinary arts are similar to those in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, white-tailed deer venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup, indigenous foods employed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Slow-cooked pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American styles. Soul food, developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. Syncretic cuisines such as Louisiana creole, Cajun, and Tex-Mex are regionally important. Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed. Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous breakfast beverages. During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%; frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what health officials call the American "obesity epidemic." Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular; sugared beverages account for 9% of the average American's caloric intake. 　　 　　Sports 　　 　　The Pro Bowl (2006), American football's annual all-star gameSince the late nineteenth century, baseball has been regarded as the national sport; football, basketball, and ice hockey are the country's three other leading professional team sports. College football and basketball also attract large audiences. Football is now by several measures the most popular spectator sport in the United States. Boxing and horse racing were once the most watched individual sports, but they have been eclipsed by golf and auto racing, particularly NASCAR. Soccer, though not a leading professional sport in the country, is played widely at the youth and amateur levels. Tennis and many outdoor sports are also popular. 　　 　　While most major U.S. sports have evolved out of European practices, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding, and snowboarding are American inventions. Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact. Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. The United States has won 2,191 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, more than any other country, and 216 in the Winter Olympic Games, the second most.

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