United States

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. The 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., are in central North America between Canada and Mexico, while Alaska is in the northwestern part of North America and Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Caribbean and parts of the Pacific. The population of the United States is more than 327 million people, making it the third most populous country in the world. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.