United States
Coordinates: 40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W / 40; -100 The United States of America ( USA ), commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country located primarily in North America, consisting of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.h At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers), it is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area.d With a population of over 328 million , it is the third most populous country in the world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago, and European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Disputes over taxation and political representation with Great Britain led to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), whi...