Climate: mostly temperate, but varies from tropical (Hawaii) to arctic (Alaska); arid to semiarid in west
Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic island topography in Hawaii
Ethnic divisions: non-hispanic white 75.2%, black 9.3%, hispanic 3.2%, Asian and Pacific Islander 3.2%, Eskimo Native American Laut 0.8%
Principal languages: English; Spanish
Principal religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%
Rank of affluence among U.N. members: 9/183
No nation embodies the ideals of personal freedom, unlimited opportunity and a universally high standard of living more fully than the United States. That stylish freedom and the high tech material world it embraces is broadcast around the globe via American movies, television, popular music, and professional sports.
Yet America is a troubled nation, whose middle-class majority finds itself increasingly alarmed by the signs of what might be called "moral decay": violent crime, drug abuse, urban disintegration, and exceedingly high rates of divorce, abortion, and teenage pregnancy. The breakdown of the traditional family, the sweeping changes in the workplace that are leaving millions of people chronically unemployed, and the sense that the American dream is slipping away from more and more of its citizens all contribute to a general sense that life is getting harder and uglier for many Americans.
Finding a "typical" family is not nearly as simple as it would have been a few decades ago. In a profound demographic shift, the percentage of whites in the populace is steadily declining, producing more tension and rapid change in a racially uneasy nation. Such domestic unrest is one reason that the exhilaration of winning the Cold War has been short-lived.
Yet the uncomfortable certainty of rapid change is nothing new to the United States, which has made its lack of tradition into an asset. Indeed, it is perhaps the only nation on Earth whose founders described its creation as an experiment; one that is facing some of its most difficult hours as the country--and the world--rush headlong into the third millennium.
