Home to over 300 million people, the USA are a vast country consisting of fifty states, a federal district and several territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Due to its epic size, the USA encompasses a wealth of geographic diversity. The climate and natural environment differ massively from coast to coast and north to south, with some areas of the country boasting considerable mountain ranges, volcanoes, deserts and forests. Known to be the world’s longest established federation, the USA is ruled as a constitutional republic. The federal government is headed by a President who is democratically elected. The 1787 United States Constitution and the later addition of the Bill of Rights guarantee the democratic freedom of American citizens and the upholding of important civil rights.

Recognised as one of the world’s leading super-powers, the USA is responsible for the world’s largest national economy. Representing almost a fifth of the entire globe’s gross domestic product (GDP), the USA is the world’s premier importer and the third most prolific exporter. Like its neighbouring Canada, the USA is home to a wealth of natural resources such as natural gas, sulphur and agricultural goods. The world’s number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, the USA is also the world’s third most significant producer of oil. The USA’s highly developed infrastructure and high levels of productivity have ensured it remains a global industrial, manufacturing and trade power, even in the face of the recent global economic crisis. The USA’s service sector accounts for almost 70% of its economy while many of its exported and franchised brands, such as Nike, McDonalds and Coca Cola, are the most recognised in the world. The public sector is the leading source of employment for Americans, with the private health and social care sectors following in a close second.

The USA is known as one of the most affluent nations in the world with some of its citizens enjoying extremely high household incomes compared to the other developed nations. However, it is recognised that the USA has the greatest income inequality among these developed nations with the richest 1% of the country possessing almost 35% of the net wealth of the entire nation. Despite this, the USA remains one of the top immigration destinations for travellers from all over the globe. Immigrants make up about 15% of the USA’s labour force. There are many opportunities for immigrants to find work, start businesses and develop professionally in the USA; moreover, those who have been resident in the USA for at least five years can apply for naturalization and citizenship. The USA boasts some of the world’s most prestigious universities. Most of the USA’s top-class institutions are extremely welcoming to candidates who are not US citizens, resulting in an extremely diverse academic culture.

The United States of America’s fiercely protected constitution is utilised to uphold every American citizen and temporary resident’s democratic freedom. Despite the USA’s widely recognized issues with income inequality, the USA is still an extremely desirable place to live with the highest immigration rate in the world. An intensely multicultural nation, the USA is home to people of hugely disparate ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Each of the forty nine American states has its own unique identity, heritage and traditions; each state can almost be considered as a country in its own right. A leading political, economical and cultural power in the world, the USA is undoubtedly one of the most desirable countries of the world in which to live.