British American Group - Country Profile: America

Once part of Britain, America 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.

Formal Name: United States of America

Location: Bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean; between Mexico (south) and Canada.

Capital City: Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)

Population: 295,734,134 (July 2005 est.)

Currency: 1 dollar = 100 cents

Official Language: English
Other languages: Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%

Religions: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish (1%), Muslim (1%)

Government type: Constitution-based federal republic

FACT: America was once ruled by a German king
King George III of Hanover ruled Great Britain during America's colonial era. Since America was under British control, we once had the king as our sovereign.