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• Names: 
 
conventional long form: 
United States of America 
 
conventional short form: 
United States 
 
• Abbreviation: 
US or USA 
 
• Digraph: 
US 
 
• Type: 
federal republic; strong democratic tradition 
 
• Capital: 
Washington, DC 
 
• Administrative divisions: 
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming 
 
• Dependent areas: 
American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island 
 
note: 
from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986) 
 
• Independence: 
4 July 1776 (from England) 
 
• National holiday: 
Independence Day, 4 July (1776) 
 
• Constitution: 
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 
 
• Legal system: 
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 
 
• Suffrage: 
18 years of age; universal 
 
• Executive branch: 
 
chief of state and head of government: 
President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993);
Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
 
Cabinet: 
Cabinet; appointed by the president with Senate approval 
 
• Legislative branch: 
bicameral Congress 
 
Senate
 
House of Representatives 
 
• Women's Share of Seats in Parliament:

9% (1997 est.) 
 
• Judicial branch: 
Supreme Court 
 
• Political parties and leaders: 
Republican Party, Haley BARBOUR, national committee chairman; Jeanie AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, David C. WILHELM, national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance 
 
• Member of: 
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC 
 
• Flag: 
thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico 
 
• National Anthem - WAV File