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{{quote|''"I want to be in America, okay by me in America, everything's free in America -- for a small fee in America."''|'''"America"''', ''[[West Side Story]]''}}
{{quote|''"I want to be in America, okay by me in America, everything's free in America -- for a small fee in America."''|'''"America"''', ''[[West Side Story]]''}}
The United States of America -- [[I Have Many Names|commonly referred to as the United States, the US, the USA, the US of A, America, or the States]]—is a constitutional federal democratic republic occupying a large part of the continent of North America. It borders [[Canada]] from the south and [[Mexico]] from the north in its main territorial area. It also contains, off the mainland, the [[Hawaii|Hawaiian islands]] of the Pacific Ocean and a large state northwest of [[Canada]] called Alaska that shares a sea border with the Russian Federation. In all, the country consists of fifty states, one state-neutral capital city called [[Washington, D.C.]] (for "District of Columbia"), and assorted smaller commonwealths and protectorates. It is ''so'' huge (third largest overall, behind [[Russia]] and [[Canada]] respectively), in fact, that it would take days on end to drive from one opposite end to the other. One state of the fifty, Texas, the largest state in the mainland, is almost three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom''. So if you're planning to come here, don't expect to hit all the widespread landmarks in one trip unless you have a lot of time to spend and don't mind paying for many flights or sitting through long car drives (we don't have all that many passenger trains here anymore, aside from more local, smaller train lines that work within a city or across a fairly small set of towns).
The United States of America -- [[I Have Many Names|commonly referred to as the United States, the US, the USA, the US of A, America, or the States]]—is a constitutional federal democratic republic occupying a large part of the continent of North America. It borders [[Canada]] from the south and [[Mexico]] from the north in its main territorial area. It also contains, off the mainland, the [[Hawaii|Hawaiian islands]] of the Pacific Ocean and a large state northwest of [[Canada]] called [[Alaska]] that shares a sea border with the [[Russia|Russian Federation]]. In all, the country consists of fifty states, one state-neutral capital city called [[Washington, D.C.]] (for "District of Columbia"), and assorted smaller commonwealths and protectorates. It is ''so'' huge (third largest overall, behind [[Russia]] and [[Canada]] respectively), in fact, that it would take days on end to drive from one opposite end to the other. One state of the fifty, Texas, the largest state in the mainland, is almost three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom''. So if you're planning to come here, don't expect to hit all the widespread landmarks in one trip unless you have a lot of time to spend and don't mind paying for many flights or sitting through long car drives (we don't have all that many passenger trains here anymore, aside from more local, smaller train lines that work within a city or across a fairly small set of towns).
Colonized by Europeans from the 16th century onwards, thirteen of the British-ruled colonies on the eastern coast [[Start My Own|declared independence in 1776 and combined to form their own country]]. The new nation then [[Manifest Destiny|expanded westwards]] (to the unhappiness of the previous native population that it came into conflict with), acquiring land from [[France]], [[Britain]] (not [[Canada]]), [[Mexico]], and [[Russia]], annexing the Kingdom of [[Hawaii]], and small territory gains from military conflicts with [[Spain]] (now [[Cuba]]) and [[Japan]].
Colonized by Europeans from the 16th century onwards, thirteen of the British-ruled colonies on the eastern coast [[Start My Own|declared independence in 1776 and combined to form their own country]]. The new nation then [[Manifest Destiny|expanded westwards]] (to the unhappiness of the previous native population that it came into conflict with), acquiring land from [[France]], [[Britain]] (not [[Canada]]), [[Mexico]], and [[Russia]], annexing the Kingdom of [[Hawaii]], and small territory gains from military conflicts with [[Spain]] (now [[Cuba]]) and [[Japan]].
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* [[ANSI Standard Broadcast TV Schedule]]
* [[ANSI Standard Broadcast TV Schedule]]
* [[Broadcasting in the United States]]
* [[Broadcasting in the United States]]
* [[National Public Radio]] (NPR)
* [[NPR]]
* [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS)
* [[PBS]]
* [[Seven Dirty Words]]
* [[Seven Dirty Words]]
* [[Station Ident]]ification -- Yes, along with every other country in the world, the USA does this too.
* [[Station Ident]]ification -- Yes, along with every other country in the world, the USA does this too.
The United States of America -- commonly referred to as the United States, the US, the USA, the US of A, America, or the States—is a constitutional federal democratic republic occupying a large part of the continent of North America. It borders Canada from the south and Mexico from the north in its main territorial area. It also contains, off the mainland, the Hawaiian islands of the Pacific Ocean and a large state northwest of Canada called Alaska that shares a sea border with the Russian Federation. In all, the country consists of fifty states, one state-neutral capital city called Washington, D.C. (for "District of Columbia"), and assorted smaller commonwealths and protectorates. It is so huge (third largest overall, behind Russia and Canada respectively), in fact, that it would take days on end to drive from one opposite end to the other. One state of the fifty, Texas, the largest state in the mainland, is almost three times as large as the entire United Kingdom. So if you're planning to come here, don't expect to hit all the widespread landmarks in one trip unless you have a lot of time to spend and don't mind paying for many flights or sitting through long car drives (we don't have all that many passenger trains here anymore, aside from more local, smaller train lines that work within a city or across a fairly small set of towns).
Over the course of the late 19th century to the present, the United States became a superpower and from the 1940s on became commonly considered to be one of, if not the, most powerful countries on the planet — being basically uncontested in this role from the 1990s to the mid 2010s. It is technologically advanced and possesses a huge industrial base, a colossal military, and immense financial wealth. It is known for its soft power, and is among the largest exporter of modern media, its products being seen the world over.
The country's government consists of three branches, with the head of one of these (the executive branch) being commonly viewed as a main political leader: the elected President of the United States, Joe Biden as of January 20, 2021.[1]