Outline of the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also: Index of United States–related articles
The flag of the United States
The Great Seal of the United States (obverse)
(reverse)
United States (orthographic projection).svg

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

General reference[]

An enlargeable map of the United States showing the population density in 2010
  • Pronunciation: /jʊˌnaɪ.tɪd ˈsteɪts/ (About this soundlisten)
  • Abbreviations: USA or US
  • Common English country name: United States
  • Official English country name: United States of America
  • Common endonyms: United States, U.S., U.S.A., America
  • Official endonym: United States of America
  • Common exonyms: United States; America or The States (chiefly British/Commonwealth); North America (chiefly Latin America)
  • Adjectivals: United States, American
  • Demonyms: American (among others)
  • Etymology
  • International rankings of the United States
  • ISO country codes: US, USA, 840
  • ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:US
  • Internet country code top-level domain: .us

Geography of the United States[]

Main article: Geography of the United States
An enlargeable topographic map of the contiguous United States
 Canada 8,893 km (5,525 mi)[note 1]
 Mexico 3,145 km (1,954 mi)[1]
  • Coastline: 19,924 km (12,380 mi)
  • Population of the United States: 308,745,538 (2010 census) – 3rd most populous country
  • Area of the United States: 9,826,630 km2 (3,794,080 sq mi) – 4th most extensive country
  • Atlas of the United States
  • Cities of the United States, by population

Environment of the United States[]

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

Geographic features of the United States[]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of landforms of the United States.
  • Fjords of the United States
  • Glaciers of the United States
  • Islands of the United States
  • Lakes of the United States
  • Mountain peaks of the United States
    • The 104 highest major summits of the United States
    • The 129 most prominent summits of the United States
    • The 112 most isolated major summits of the United States
    • Alaska Range
    • Appalachian Mountains
    • Black Hills
    • Cascade Range
    • Ozark Mountains
    • Sierra Nevada
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Volcanoes of the United States
  • Rivers of the United States
    • Columbia River
    • Colorado River
    • Hudson River
    • Mississippi River
    • Missouri River
    • Potomac River
    • Rio Grande
    • Ohio River
    • Delaware River
    • Susquehanna River
  • Waterfalls of the United States
  • Valleys of the United States
  • World Heritage Sites in the United States
View from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, a World Heritage Site

Regions of the United States[]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of regions of the United States.
  • East Coast of the United States
  • West Coast of the United States
  • Belt regions of the United States
  • New England
  • Mid-Atlantic
  • The South
  • Midwest
  • Great Plains
  • Pacific Northwest
  • Southwest
  • Hawaiian Archipelago

Physiographic divisions of the United States[]

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

  • Laurentian Upland – part of the Canadian Shield that extends into the northern United States Great Lakes area.
  • Atlantic Plain – the coastal regions of the eastern and southern parts includes the continental shelf, the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast.
  • Appalachian Highlands – lying on the eastern side of the United States, it includes the Appalachian Mountains, Adirondacks and New England province.
  • Interior Plains – part of the interior contentintal United States, it includes much of what is called the Great Plains.
  • Interior Highlands – also part of the interior contentintal United States, this division includes the Ozark Plateau.
  • Rocky Mountain System – one branch of the Cordilleran system lying far inland in the western states.
  • Intermontane Plateaus – also divided into the Columbia Plateau, the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province, it is a system of plateaus, basins, ranges and gorges between the Rocky and Pacific Mountain Systems. It is the setting for the Grand Canyon, the Great Basin and Death Valley.
  • Pacific Mountain System – the coastal mountain ranges and features in the west coast of the United States.

Administrative divisions of the United States[]

States of the United States[]

Main articles: U.S. state and Administrative division

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

Map of the United States with state border lines. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.
  • Alabama (AL)
  • Alaska (AK)
  • Arizona (AZ)
  • Arkansas (AR)
  • California (CA)
  • Colorado (CO)
  • Connecticut (CT)
  • Delaware (DE)
  • Florida (FL)
  • Georgia (GA).
  • Hawai'i (HI)
  • Idaho (ID)
  • Illinois (IL)
  • Indiana (IN)
  • Iowa (IA)
  • Kansas (KS)
  • Kentucky (KY)
  • Louisiana (LA)
  • Maine (ME)
  • Maryland (MD)
  • Massachusetts (MA)
  • Michigan (MI)
  • Minnesota (MN)
  • Mississippi (MS)
  • Missouri (MO)
  • Montana (MT)
  • Nebraska (NE)
  • Nevada (NV)
  • New Hampshire (NH)
  • New Jersey (NJ)
  • New Mexico (NM)
  • New York (NY)
  • North Carolina (NC)
  • North Dakota (ND)
  • Ohio (OH)
  • Oklahoma (OK)
  • Oregon (OR)
  • Pennsylvania (PA)
  • Rhode Island (RI)
  • South Carolina (SC)
  • South Dakota (SD)
  • Tennessee (TN)
  • Texas (TX)
  • Utah (UT)
  • Vermont (VT)
  • Virginia (VA)
  • Washington (WA)
  • West Virginia (WV)
  • Wisconsin (WI)
  • Wyoming (WY)

Territories of the United States[]

Location of the insular areas of the United States:
  The United States of America
  Incorporated unorganized territory
  Unincorporated organized territory
  Unincorporated unorganized territory
  Freely associated commonwealth
Main article: Territories of the United States
  • United States territory
    • Territorial evolution of the United States
Incorporated organized territories[]
  • none since 1959
Incorporated unorganized territories[]
  • Palmyra Atoll
Unincorporated organized territories[]
  • Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
  • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
  • Territory of Guam
  • Territory of the United States Virgin Islands
Unincorporated unorganized territories[]
  • Territory of American Samoa, technically unorganized, but self-governing under a constitution last revised in 1967
  • Baker Island, uninhabited
  • Howland Island, uninhabited
  • Jarvis Island, uninhabited
  • Johnston Atoll, uninhabited
  • Kingman Reef, uninhabited
  • Bajo Nuevo Bank, uninhabited (disputed with Colombia)
  • Serranilla Bank, uninhabited (disputed with Colombia)
  • Midway Islands, no indigenous inhabitants, currently included in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
  • Navassa Island, uninhabited (claimed by Haiti)
  • Wake Atoll consisting of Peale, Wake and Wilkes Islands,[3] no indigenous inhabitants, only contractor personnel (claimed by the Marshall Islands)

Geography of the states and territories[]

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Demography of the United States[]

Main article: Demography of the United States

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Climate of the United States[]

History of the United States[]

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but it actually shows the drafting committee presenting its work to the Congress.
A map of the territorial evolution of the United States
Main outline: Outline of United States history
Main articles: History of the United States and Timeline of United States history

Period-coverage[]

History of the states and territories[]

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Presidents of the United States[]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Presidents of the United States.
Main article: President of the United States
  • George Washington: 1789–1797
  • John Adams: 1797–1801
  • Thomas Jefferson: 1801–1809
  • James Madison: 1809–1817
  • James Monroe: 1817–1825
  • John Quincy Adams: 1825–1829
  • Andrew Jackson: 1829–1837
  • Martin Van Buren: 1837–1841
  • William Henry Harrison: 1841
  • John Tyler: 1841–1845
  • James K. Polk: 1845–1849
  • Zachary Taylor: 1849–1850
  • Millard Fillmore: 1850–1853
  • Franklin Pierce: 1853–1857
  • James Buchanan: 1857–1861
  • Abraham Lincoln: 1861–1865
  • Andrew Johnson: 1865–1869
  • Ulysses S. Grant: 1869–1877
  • Rutherford B. Hayes: 1877–1881
  • James A. Garfield: 1881
  • Chester A. Arthur: 1881–1885
  • Grover Cleveland: 1885–1889
  • Benjamin Harrison: 1889–1893
  • Grover Cleveland: 1893–1897
  • William McKinley: 1897–1901
  • Theodore Roosevelt: 1901–1909
  • William H. Taft: 1909–1913
  • Woodrow Wilson: 1913–1921
  • Warren G. Harding: 1921–1923
  • Calvin Coolidge: 1923–1929
  • Herbert Hoover: 1929–1933
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt: 1933–1945
  • Harry S. Truman: 1945–1953
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1953–1961
  • John F. Kennedy: 1961–1963
  • Lyndon B. Johnson: 1963–1969
  • Richard M. Nixon: 1969–1974
  • Gerald Ford: 1974–1977
  • Jimmy Carter: 1977–1981
  • Ronald Reagan: 1981–1989
  • George H. W. Bush: 1989–1993
  • Bill Clinton: 1993–2001
  • George W. Bush: 2001–2009
  • Barack Obama: 2009–2017
  • Donald Trump: 2017–2021
  • Joe Biden: 2021–present

Government and politics in the United States[]

Main outline: Outline of American politics
Main articles: Government of the United States and Politics of the United States
  • Form of government: presidential, federal republic
  • Capital (political) of the United States: Washington, D.C.
    • List of Capitals
  • Flag of the United States
  • Political parties in the United States
  • Elections in the United States
  • Voting rights in the United States
  • List of political parties in the United States
    • Democratic Party
      • History of the United States Democratic Party
    • Republican Party
      • History of the United States Republican Party
    • Green Party
    • Independent Party
    • Libertarian Party
    • Reform Party
    • Constitution Party
    • Socialist Party USA
  • Political divisions of the United States
  • Canadian and American politics compared
  • Politics of the Southern United States

Federal government[]

Main article: Federal government of the United States
  • United States Constitution

Legislative branch[]

The United States Capitol
Further information: Legislative branch

Executive branch[]

The White House
Further information: Executive branch
  • Head of state and head of government, 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr
    • 49th Vice President of the United States, Kamala D. Harris
Federal executive departments[]
Main article: United States federal executive departments
Further information: List of United States federal agencies

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

Department Creation Order of
succession 		Modifications since creation 2007 Budget
in billions
of dollars 		Employees (2007)
State 1789 1 Initially named "Department of Foreign Affairs" 9.96 30,266
Treasury 1789 2 11.10 115,897
Defense 1947 3 Initially named "National Military Establishment" 439.30 3,000,000
Justice 1870 4 Position of Attorney General created in 1789, but had no department until 1870 23.40 112,557
Interior 1849 5 10.70 71,436
Agriculture 1889 6 77.60 109,832
Commerce 1903 7 Originally named Commerce and Labor; Labor later separated 6.20 36,000
Labor 1913 8 59.70 17,347
Health and Human Services 1953 9 Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated 543.20 67,000
Housing and Urban Development 1965 10 46.20 10,600
Transportation 1966 11 58.00 58,622
Energy 1977 12 21.50 116,100
Education 1979 13 62.80 4,487
Veterans Affairs 1989 14 73.20 235,000
Homeland Security 2002 15 44.60 208,000
Total budget (fiscal year 2007): 1,523.42 4,193,144

Commissions[]

  • Federal Trade Commission
  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Judicial branch[]

The United States Supreme Court building
Further information: Judicial branch

State and territory governments[]

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Politics of the states and territories[]

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Foreign relations[]

Main article: Foreign relations of the United States
  • Foreign policy of the United States

International organization membership[]

Main article: International organization membership of the United States
  • Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
  • Member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Member state of the Organization of American States
  • Member state of the United Nations
  • Member of the World Health Organization
  • Member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
  • World Veterans Federation

Military[]

The Pentagon
Main article: United States Armed Forces
  • United States Army
    • United States Army Reserve
    • Army National Guard
  • United States Marine Corps
    • United States Marine Corps Reserve
  • United States Navy
    • United States Navy Reserve
  • United States Air Force
    • Air Force Reserve Command
    • Air National Guard
  • United States Space Force
  • United States Coast Guard
    • United States Coast Guard Reserve

Intelligence organizations[]

Headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency
Main article: United States Intelligence Community
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • Twenty-Fifth Air Force
  • United States Army Military Intelligence
  • Defense Intelligence Agency
  • Marine Corps Intelligence Activity
  • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  • National Reconnaissance Office
  • National Security Agency
  • Office of Naval Intelligence
  • Coast Guard Intelligence
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Drug Enforcement Administration
  • Bureau of Intelligence and Research
  • Office of Intelligence and Analysis
  • Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
  • Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence

Law of the United States[]

Main article: Law of the United States
  • Adoption in the United States
  • Age of candidacy laws in the United States
  • Arbitration in the United States
  • Assisted suicide in the United States
  • Attorneys in the United States
  • Bankruptcy in the United States
  • Bicycle law in the United States
  • Birthright citizenship in the United States
  • Blasphemy law in the United States
  • Blue laws in the United States
  • Campaign finance reform in the United States
  • Cannabis in the United States
  • Capital punishment in the United States
    • Capital punishment debate in the United States
  • Censure in the United States
  • Census in the United States
  • Censorship in the United States
  • Child-related laws
  • Constitution of the United States
    • United States Bill of Rights
    • Separation of church and state in the United States
    • Separation of powers under the United States Constitution
  • Copyright law in the United States
    • Public domain in the United States
  • Crime in the United States
    • Polygamy in the United States
    • Race and crime in the United States
    • Rape in the United States
    • Scientific plagiarism in the United States
  • Human rights in the United States
  • Law enforcement in the United States
  • Local ordinance
  • Rent control in the United States
  • School anti-bullying legislation in the United States
  • Secession in the United States
  • Securities regulation in the United States
  • Speed limits in the United States
    • Rail speed limits in the United States*State law
  • Taxation in the United States
    • Capital gains tax in the United States
    • Cigarette taxes in the United States
    • Internal Revenue Code
    • Property tax in the United States
  • Zoning in the United States

Culture of the United States[]

Main article: Culture of the United States
  • American humor
  • American family structure
  • Languages of the United States
    • American English
  • National symbols of the United States
  • Religion in the United States
  • Society of the United States
  • World Heritage Sites in the United States

American cuisine[]

Main article: Cuisine of the United States

Historical cuisine[]

  • American Chinese cuisine
  • Cajun cuisine
  • Italian-American cuisine
  • Louisiana Creole cuisine
  • Midwestern cuisine
  • Native American cuisine
  • Southern cuisine
  • Southwestern cuisine
  • Tex-Mex cuisine

Cuisine of the regions[]

Main page: Category:American cuisine by region
  • Cuisine of the Southwestern United States
  • Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic United States
  • Cuisine of the Midwestern United States
  • Cuisine of the Northeastern United States
  • Cuisine of the Southern United States
  • Cuisine of the Western United States

Art in the United States[]

Film[]

Music in the United States[]

Main article: Music in the United States
  • Best-selling Music Artists
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Genres[]
  • Alternative rock
  • Americana
  • Bluegrass music
  • Blues
  • Contemporary Christian music
  • Country music
  • Folk music
  • Gospel music
  • Hardcore punk
  • Heavy metal
  • Hip hop
  • Jazz
  • Punk rock
  • R&B music
  • Rock music
  • Soul music
Music in the states and territories[]

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Radio[]

Main article: Radio in the United States

Sports in the United States[]

Main article: Sports in the United States
  • Football in the United States
  • Baseball in the United States
  • Little League Baseball
  • Motorsport in the United States
  • Soccer in the United States
  • Stadiums in the United States

List of Major Sports Leagues in the United States[]

Main article: Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
  • Major League Baseball (MLB)
  • National Basketball Association (NBA)
  • National Football League (NFL)
  • National Hockey League (NHL)
  • Major League Soccer (MLS)
Other top-level leagues and series[]
Minor and developmental professional leagues and series[]
College sports[]
Main article: College athletics in the United States
Sports governing bodies[]

Sports by state and territory[]

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Sports Museums in the United States[]

Education in the United States[]

Main article: Education in the United States
For a more comprehensive list, see Lists of schools in the United States.

Education in the states and territories[]

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Economy and infrastructure of the United States[]

Main article: Economy of the United States
The United States is the world's largest economy (IMF, 2010).
  • Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2010): 1st
  • Economic rank, by GDP (PPP) (2010): 1st
  • Currency of the United States: US$
    • ISO 4217: USD
  • Banking in the United States
    • Federal Reserve System
  • Communications in the United States
    • Internet in the United States
      • American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
    • EDGAR
    • Form 10-K
  • Economic history of the United States
    • National debt by U.S. presidential terms
    • United States public debt
  • Energy in the United States
    • Electricity sector of the United States
      • Coal power in the United States
        • Coal mining in the United States
      • Nuclear power in the United States
        • Nuclear energy policy of the United States
      • Renewable energy in the United States
        • Geothermal energy in the United States
        • Solar power in the United States
        • Wind power in the United States
          • United States Wind Energy Policy
    • Energy conservation in the United States
    • Energy policy of the United States
    • Petroleum in the United States
      • Offshore oil and gas in the United States
      • Oil reserves in the United States
  • Health care in the United States
  • Industry trade groups in the United States
  • Tourism in the United States
  • Transportation in the United States
  • Trade policy of the United States
    • North American Free Trade Agreement
    • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
    • World Trade Organization
  • Wealth in the United States
    • American Dream
    • Household income in the United States
    • Income inequality in the United States
    • Personal income in the United States
    • Poverty in the United States
  • Water supply and sanitation in the United States

Economy by state and territory[]

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Tourism in the United States[]

  • Walt Disney World
  • Hollywood
  • Ski Resorts

See also[]

Notes[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ "U.S.-Mexico Border". National Geographic. February 26, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  2. ^ "Physiographic Regions". United States Geological Survey. April 17, 2003. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  3. ^ DOI Office of Internal Affairs "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links[]

Government
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