United States Country in North America Description The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking. ― Google President : Joe Biden Trending Capital : Washington, D.C. Dialing code : +1 Founded : 4 July 1776 Population : 331.9 million (2021) Gross domestic product : 23 trillion USD (2021) World Bank