united states overview, united states of america, popularly referred to as the united states or as america, a federal republic on the continent of north america, consisting of 48 contiguous states and the noncontiguous states of alaska and hawaii. the united states is discussed in seven articles this overview, as well as separate articles on united states geography, united states people, united states culture, united states economy, united states government, and united states history.
these six topicsgeography, people, culture, economy, government, and historycomprise the interrelated elements of the nations experience. geography is the first element because landforms, resources, and climate affected how people who came to the united states formed new societies. people, in all their variety, are the second element because they formed communities and built a society. the next three elements are major parts of that societyits culture, economy, and government. h...