Reuters AlertNet - United States of America

United States of America

$Small country map\n© Microsoft Virtual Earth$

Capital:	Washington D.C.
Area size:	9158960 sq. km Slightly smaller than Canada
Time zone:	Standard time ranges from GMT -5 to GMT -10. Daylight savings time ranges from GMT-4 to GMT-8.
Currency:	US dollar
Area code:	(+) 1
Driving:	Right
Climate description:	Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest. Low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm Chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

People

Standard of living

Economy & aid

Health

Disasters, conflict & migration

Language
English, Spanish, Native Amercian languages and those of various immigrant groups.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide

Population

2007	305.9 million	U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006)
2006	302.9 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2005	299.8 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2004	296.8 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2003	293.8 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2002	290.8 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2001	287.8 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2000	284.9 million	U.N. DESA (2006)

Future population estimates
424.3 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)

Ethnic groups
The white population originally descended from immigrant Europeans. There are black (11 percent), Hispanic (10 percent) and Asian (eight percent) minorities, as well as 1.9 million Native Americans.
Source: NI World Guide

Religion
Protestant 58 percent, Catholic 26 percent. There are Jewish, Muslim and other minorities.
Source: NI World Guide

Percentage urban population

2007	81.4 percent	U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005
2006	81.1 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2005	80.8 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2004	80.5 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2003	80.1 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2002	79.8 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2001	79.5 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2000	79.1 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)

Year women granted right to vote
1920 1965
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.

Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2006)

Percentage of population under 15

2005	20.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	20.9 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	21.1 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	21.6 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	21.7 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	21.7 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Average life expectancy

2005	77.9 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	77.5 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	77.4 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	77.0 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	76.9 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	77.0 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - male

2005	75.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	74.8 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	74.6 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	74.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	74.0 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	74.1 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - female

2005	80.4 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	80.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	80.0 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	79.8 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	79.7 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	79.9 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Infant mortality

2006	6 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	6 per 1,000 live births	U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	7 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003	7 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	7 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	7 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	7 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Child mortality - deaths before the age of five

2006	8 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	7 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	8 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003	8 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	8 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	8 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	8 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Births attended by skilled personnel

1997-2005	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
1996-2004	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
1995-2003	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1995-2002	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1995-2001	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
1995-2000	99 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Maternal mortality

2005	11 per 100,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2000	17 per 100,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006

Human development index (HDI rank)

2005	12	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	8	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	10	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	8	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	7	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	6	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)

2000-2006	2 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
1996-2005	2 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
1996-2004	No data available percent
1995-2003	No data available percent
1995-2002	No data available percent
1995-2001	No data available percent
1995-2000	No data available percent

Percentage of undernourished population

2002-2004 average	<2.5 percent	U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2006
2001-2003average	<2.5 percent	FAO 2006

Food intake falls below the minimum requirement.

Population with access to improved water

2004	100 percent	UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006
2002	100 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2000	100 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Population with access to improved sanitation

2004	100 percent	UNICEF and WHO 2006
2002	100 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2000	100 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Literacy - average

2004	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Literacy - male

2004	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Literacy - female

2004	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	99.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Landlines telephones

2006	572 per 1,000 people	International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2007
2005	587 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	605 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	629 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	657 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2001	672 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2000	684 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Cellular telephone subscribers

2006	774 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	715 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	629 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	552 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	492 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2001	451 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2000	389 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Internet users

2006	691 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	663 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	630 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	556 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	552 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2001	501 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2000	441 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)

2007	20	Transparency International 2007
2006	20 (joint)	Transparency International
2005	17	Transparency International
2004	17 (joint)	Transparency International
2003	18 (joint)	Transparency International
2002	16	Transparency International
2001	16 (joint)	Transparency International
2000	14	Transparency International

Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Yes (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Signed but not yet ratified (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb

Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent

GNI per capita, Atlas method

2006	44710� current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	43210 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	40930 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	37470 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	35210 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	34810 current US$	WorldBankDataProfileTables2008
2000	34400 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country�s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.

GDP

2006	13163.9 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	12397.9 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	11657.3 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	10908.0 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	10417.6 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	10075.9 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000	9764.8 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Annual GDP growth

2005	3.2 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	4.2 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	2.7 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	1.6 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2001	0.8 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2000	3.7 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007

Annual inflation

2005	3 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	2.6 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	2 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	1.8 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2001	2.4 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2000	2.2 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007

Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
1.9 (latest available year)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008

Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
29.9 (latest available year)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008

Physicians

2000-2004	256 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
1990-2004	256 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
1990-2003	279 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1990-2002	276 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)

2005	0.6 percent	U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2006
2003	0.6 percent	UNAIDS 2006

Malaria
No risk
Source: WHO

TB cases

2006	4 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2005	5 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2004	5 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2003	5 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2002	5 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2001	5 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2000	6 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008

Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

Number of refugees originating here

2006	1356	Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2005	683	UNHCR
2004	451	UNHCR
2003	395	UNHCR
2002	383	UNHCR
2001	219	UNHCR
2000	176	UNHCR

Number of refugees residing here

2006	843498	UNHCR
2005	379340	UNHCR
2004	420854	UNHCR
2003	452548	UNHCR
2002	485171	UNHCR
2001	515853	UNHCR
2000	508222	UNHCR

Number of internally displaced people\Estimate

	No data available

No data available

Landmine casualties per year

2004	0	Landmine Monitor Report 2005
2003	0	Landmine Monitor Report 2004

Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
No
Source: Landmine Monitor Report

Percentage of GDP spent on military

2005	4.1 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	4.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	3.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	3.4 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	3.1 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	3.1 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Percentage of GDP spent on education

2002-2005	5.9 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2002-2004	5.9 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2000-2002	5.7 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1999-2001	5.6 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1998-2000	4.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage of GDP spent on health

2004	6.9 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2003-2004	6.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2002	6.6 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2001	6.2 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2000	5.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

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