
Country Overview
The United States of America is a federal republic composed of 50 states located in North America. The 48 neighboring states situated in the continent’s central portions accompany Hawaii, an island state in the center of the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska, a state at the far western end of North America. Canada borders the USA conterminous states to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The United States is the world’s fourth-largest nation by area (after Russia, Canada, and China). Washington, which includes the District of Columbia, the federal capital region established in 1790, serves as the nation’s capital.