The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal union of 50 states and Washington, D.C., its federal capital district. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclavic state of Alaska in the northwest and the archip…The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal union of 50 states and Washington, D.C., its federal capital district. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclavic state of Alaska in the northwest and the archipelagic state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. also asserts sovereignty over five major island territories and various uninhabited islands. It is a megadiverse country, with the world's third-largest land area and third-largest population, exceeding 340 million. The country also has the world's second-largest exclusive economic zone. Its three largest metropolitan areas are New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and its three most populous states are California, Texas, and Florida. Paleo-Indians migrated to North America across the Bering land bridge more than 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations and societies. Spanish exploration and colonization led to the establishment in 1513 of Spanish Florida, the first European colony in what is now the continental United States. France also began to colonize at this time, but major settlements came much later. Subsequent British colonization led to the first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies in Virginia in 1607. Intensive agriculture in the rapidly expanding colonies soon led to the forced migration of enslaved Africans. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political representation sparked the American Revolution, with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War, the country continued to expand westward across North America, resulting in the dispossession of native inhabitants. As more states were admitted, a North–South division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America, which fought the Union in the 1861–1865 American Civil War. With the victory and preservation of the United States, slavery was abolished nationally. By 1900, the country had established itself as a great power, a status …
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