United States

Internet country code

.us

Internet hosts

383 million (2009); note - the US Internet total host count includes the following top level domain host addresses: .us, .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, and .org country comparison to the world: 1

Internet users

231 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 2

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006)

Telephone system

general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems provide international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)

Telephones - main lines in use

150 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 2

Telephones - mobile cellular

270 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 3

Television broadcast stations

2,218 (2006)

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

Budget

revenues: $2.524 trillion expenditures: $2.978 trillion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate

0.5% (31 March 2009) country comparison to the world: 110 4.83% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.09% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 105 8.05% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$706.1 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 190 -$731.2 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$13.75 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 1 $13.43 trillion (31 December 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

45 (2007) country comparison to the world: 44 40.8 (1997)

Economy - overview

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $46,900. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; 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 war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices between 2005 and the first half of 2008 threatened inflation and unemployment, as higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $819 billion in 2007 and $821 billion in 2008. The global economic downturn, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, investment bank failures, falling home prices, and tight credit pushed the United States into a recession by mid-2008. To help stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and other industrial corporations. In January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover.

Electricity - consumption

3.873 trillion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Electricity - exports

24.08 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

57.02 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

4.11 trillion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Exchange rates

British pounds per US dollar: 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004) Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.0364 (2008), 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004) Chinese yuan per US dollar: 6.9385 (2008), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004) euros per US dollar: 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004) Japanese yen per US dollar: 103.58 (2008), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006) 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)

Exports

$1.277 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 $1.148 trillion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003)

Exports - partners

Canada 20.1%, Mexico 11.7%, China 5.5%, Japan 5.1%, Germany 4.2%, UK 4.1% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$14.44 trillion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$14.44 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $14.38 trillion (2007 est.) $14.09 trillion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.2% industry: 19.2% services: 79.6% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$47,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $47,700 (2007 est.) $47,200 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

0.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 193 2.1% (2007 est.) 2.7% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)

Imports

$2.117 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $1.968 trillion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003)

Imports - partners

China 16.5%, Canada 15.7%, Mexico 10.1%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 4.6% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate

-2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Industries

leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 59 2.9% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

14.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138

Labor force

154.3 million (includes unemployed) (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

Labor force - by occupation

farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%, managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%, other services 16.5% note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 1 $19.95 trillion (31 December 2007) $19.43 trillion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

657.2 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Natural gas - exports

28.49 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 10

Natural gas - imports

112.7 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Natural gas - production

582.2 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Natural gas - proved reserves

6.731 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Oil - consumption

19.5 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Oil - exports

1.433 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Oil - imports

13.47 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Oil - production

8.514 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Oil - proved reserves

21.32 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Population below poverty line

12% (2004 est.)

Public debt

37.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61 65% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$77.65 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 19 $70.57 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$3.162 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $2.791 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$2.367 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $2.093 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$15.06 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 2 $14.21 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$1.436 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 4 $1.395 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$10.99 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 1 $7.466 trillion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 72 4.6% (2007 est.)

Area

total: 9,826,675 sq km country comparison to the world: 3 land: 9,161,966 sq km water: 664,709 sq km note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia

Area - comparative

about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union

Climate

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

Coastline

19,924 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%) per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

38 00 N, 97 00 W

Geography - note

world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent

Irrigated land

223,850 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 12,034 km border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km

Land use

arable land: 18.01% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 81.78% (2005)

Location

North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico

Map references

North America

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified

Natural hazards

tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

Natural resources

coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total

Terrain

vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

Total renewable water resources

3,069 cu km (1985)

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

Capital

name: Washington, DC geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: the 50 United States cover six time zones

Constitution

17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Country name

conventional long form: United States of America conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA

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 administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union 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); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph BIDEN (since 20 January 2009) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held on 6 November 2012) election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of popular vote - Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%;

Flag description

13 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

Government type

Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Independence

4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts

Legal system

federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held November 2010); House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 41, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 257, Republican Party 178

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party [Timothy KAINE]; Green Party; Libertarian Party [William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party [Michael STEELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 72,715,332 females age 16-49: 71,638,785 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 59,764,677 females age 16-49: 59,437,663 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 2,196,124 female: 2,085,085 (2009 est.)

Military branches

United States Armed Forces: US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air Force, US Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy (2009)

Military expenditures

4.06% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); service obligation 8 years, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines) (2008)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704) 15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2009 est.)

Birth rate

13.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153

Death rate

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Education expenditures

5.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 57

Ethnic groups

white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.6% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

HIV/AIDS - deaths

22,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1.2 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 180 male: 6.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages

English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.11 years country comparison to the world: 50 male: 75.65 years female: 80.69 years (2009 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 36.7 years male: 35.4 years female: 38 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

noun: American(s) adjective: American

Net migration rate

4.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25

Population

307,212,123 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Population growth rate

0.975% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

Religions

Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.05 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

Urbanization

urban population: 82% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution

Illicit drugs

world's largest consumer of cocaine (shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean), Colombian heroin, and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643 refugees during FY04/05 including; 10,586 (Somalia); 8,549 (Laos); 6,666 (Russia); 6,479 (Cuba); 3,100 (Haiti); 2,136 (Iran) (2006)

Airports

15,095 (2009) country comparison to the world: 1

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5,174 over 3,047 m: 190 2,438 to 3,047 m: 229 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,477 914 to 1,523 m: 2,309 under 914 m: 969 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 9,921 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 158 914 to 1,523 m: 1,757 under 914 m: 8,000 (2009)

Heliports

126 (2009)

Merchant marine

total: 422 country comparison to the world: 24 by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 61, cargo 69, carrier 2, chemical tanker 22, container 81, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 59, petroleum tanker 53, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 22 foreign-owned: 74 (Australia 1, Denmark 31, Germany 5, Japan 7, Malaysia 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Singapore 12, Sweden 5, UK 1) registered in other countries: 732 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia 2, Bahamas 106, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6, Canada 10, Cayman Islands 42, Comoros 2, Cyprus 5, Ecuador 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 29, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 17, South Korea 7, Liberia 98, Luxembourg 4, Malta 23, Marshall Islands 123, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 8, Panama 126, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 22, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 12, Vanuatu 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Pipelines

petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City

Railways

total: 226,427 km country comparison to the world: 1 standard gauge: 226,427 km 1.435-m gauge (2007)

Roadways

total: 6,465,799 km country comparison to the world: 1 paved: 4,209,835 km (includes 75,040 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,255,964 km (2007)

Waterways

41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce) country comparison to the world: 4 note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2008)