People of United States of America (USA)
The United States of America is world's third-largest country in terms of population. This nation, in the past, has attracted vast numbers of immigrants from around the globe. Yet, the country remains less densely populated than other large countries or other industrialized nations. In 2003, there were 30 persons per sq km (78 per sq mi). For a large country, the United States is also remarkably uniform linguistically and culturally.
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Arts, Culture and Music of United States of America (USA)
The United States is a country where immigrants from various ethnic and racial backgrounds forego their traditional traits and join with other Americans to create a new identity. The people who came to the United States brought in their culture and once here, they borrowed cultures from each other. This trend continued for generations and today, American culture is an infusion of various elements from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This has, in turn, made American culture rich and complex. For example, African Americans brought in the music and rhythms of blues and jazz that became the nation's most globally popular cultural form. Although America's culture is becoming more uniform, its society remains a diverse mix of ethnic, racial, and religious groups.
Flag of United States of America (USA)
The flag of the United States has thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (from top to 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 (from top to 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.
Please click here to view the Flag of United States of America
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Economy of United States of America (USA)
The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $37,600. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions,
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and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The years 1994-2000 witnessed solid increases in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. The year 2001 saw the end of boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising substantially. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the
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economy. Moderate recovery took place in 2002, with the GDP growth rate rising to 2.45%. A major short-term problem in first half 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. The war in March/April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq shifted resources to military industries and introduced uncertainties about investment and employment in other sectors of the economy. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.
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