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The United States of America
President: William J. Clinton (1993)
Vice President: Albert A. Gore, Jr. (1993)
Land area: 3,761,363 sq. mi. (9,629,091 sq. km)
Resident population (July 1999 est.): 272,878,000;
(1990 census): 248,709,873 (change 1980–1990: 9.8%). White: 199,686,070 (80.3%); Black: 29,986,060 (12.1%); American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut: 1,959,234 (0.8%); Asian or Pacific Islander: 7,273,662 (2.9%); Other Race: 9,804,847 (3.9%); Hispanic origin1: 22,354,059 (9.0%); (average annual rate of natural increase: 0.55%); birth rate: 14.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.3/1000; density per sq. mi.: 77
Capital (1990 census.): Washington, D.C., 606,900
Largest cities (1998 est.): New York: city proper, 7,420,166; metro. area (1996 est.), 19,938,492; Los Angeles: city proper, 3,597,556; metro. area (1996 est.), 15,495,155; Chicago, 2,802,079; Houston, 1,786,691; Philadelphia, 1,436,287; San Diego, 1,220,666; Phoenix, 1,198,064; San Antonio, 1,114,130; Dallas, 1,075,894; Detroit, 970,196
Monetary unit: dollar
Languages: predominantly English, sizable Spanish-speaking minority
Ethnicity/race: white 83.4%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Native American 0.8% (1992)
Religions: Protestant, 61%; Roman Catholic, 25%; Jewish, 2%; other, 5%; none, 7%
Literacy rate: 97%
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (1997 est.): $8.083 trillion; $30,200 per capita. Real growth rate: 3.8%. Inflation: 2%. Unemployment: 4.9% (1997). Arable land: 19%. Agriculture: corn, wheat, barley, oats, sugar, potatoes, soybeans, fruits, beef, veal, pork. Labor force: 136.3 million (includes unemployed, 1997); managerial and professional, 29.1%; technical, sales and administrative support, 29.6%; services; 13.5%; manufacturing, mining, transportation and crafts, 25.1%; farming, fishing and forestry, 2.7%. Industry: petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber mining. Natural resources: coal, oil, copper, gold, silver, minerals, timber. Exports: $625.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996): capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies, raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products. Imports: $822 billion (c.i.f., 1996): crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial and raw materials, food, beverages. Major trading partners: Canada, Japan, western Europe.
