U.S. in focus: part one.How much do you know about the United States of America UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The name of this country. The United States, now thirty-one in number, are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, ? Which state has the most people? Where does a famous actor serve as Governor? How many territories and self-governing self-gov·ern·ing adj. 1. Exercising control or rule over oneself or itself. 2. Having the right or power of self-government; autonomous. Adj. 1. commonwealths does the U.S. have? Find these and many other facts in Part One of the "U.S. in Focus." Our table provides a wealth of useful and interesting information. Read on, and you'll you'll Contraction of you will. you'll you will or you shall you'll will be a well-informed well-informed Adjective knowing a lot about a great variety of subjects or about one particular subject Adj. 1. well-informed - possessing sound knowledge; "well-informed readers" intelligent citizen! Key Facts on the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Area: 3,717,796 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. ; ranks third in the world after Russia Russia, officially the Russian Federation, Rus. Rossiya, republic (2005 est. pop. 143,420,000), 6,591,100 sq mi (17,070,949 sq km). and Canada Canada (kăn`ədə), independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of . Population: 293,600,000; ranks third after China and India India, officially Republic of India, republic (2005 est pop. 1,080,264,000), 1,261,810 sq mi (3,268,090 sq km), S Asia. The second most populous country in the world, it is also sometimes called Bharat, its ancient name. India's land frontier (c. . Capital: Washington Washington, town, England Washington, town (1991 pop. 48,856), Sunderland metropolitan district, NE England. Washington was designated one of the new towns in 1964 to alleviate overpopulation in the Tyneside-Wearside area. , D.C. Form of Government: Presidential-legislative democracy. The U.S. Constitution divides federal (national) powers among three independent branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution are held by the states. Chief Executive: George George, river, c.345 mi (560 km) long, rising in a lake on the Quebec-Labrador boundary, E Canada. It flows N through Indian Lake (125 sq mi/324 sq km) to Ungava Bay (an arm of Hudson Strait). W. Bush, 43rd President (Republican). 109th Congress: 100 Senators The term Senators can refer to:
The House of Representatives: 232 Republicans, 202 Democrats The List of notable Democrats is a list of prominent politicians, government officials, and organizational leaders of the Democratic Party of the United States. Prominent figures of the Democratic Party Currently notable Democrats
Illinois, river, 273 mi (439 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, NE Ill., and flowing SW to the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. It is an important commercial and recreational waterway. ). The Senate: 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats, 1 Independent (1); Majority Leader: Bill Frist v. t. 1. To sell upon credit, as goods. (R, Tennessee Tennessee, state, United States Tennessee (tĕn`əsē', tĕn'əsē`), state in the south-central United States. ). Chief Justice of the United States the presiding judge of the Supreme Court, and Highest judicial officer of the republic. See also: Chief justice : William William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack H. Rehnquist Rehn·quist , William Hubbs Born 1924. American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1972-1986) and was appointed chief justice in 1986. Noun 1. . State Governors *: 28 Republicans, 21 Democrats.
STATE NAME ORIGIN
NICKNAME OF NAME
ALABAMA Named for the Alibamu
The Heart of Dixie Indian tribe
ALASKA Russian version of an Aleut
The Last Frontier word meaning great land
(unofficial)
ARIZONA Indian word arizonac, which
The Grand Canyon State means small spring
ARKANSAS From an Indian word meaning
The Natural State land of downstream people
CALIFORNIA Named after a treasure island
The Golden State in a popular Spanish tale
COLORADO
The Centennial State Spanish for colored red
CONNECTICUT Algonquian Indian word that
The Constitution State means on the long tidal river
DELAWARE Honors Lord De La Warr,
The First State first Governor of Virginia
FLORIDA Spanish word meaning
The Sunshine State flowery
GEORGIA Honors King George II of
The Empire State Great Britain
of the South
HAWAII Named in honor of Polynesian
The Aloha State Chief Hawaii-Ioa
IDAHO Word invented by settlers;
The Gem State the meaning is unknown
ILLINOIS For the Iliniwek Indians; the
The Prairie State name means superior men
INDIANA
The Hoosier State The name means land of Indians
IOWA
The Hawkeye State Indian word for beautiful land
KANSAS For the Kansa Indians; the name
The Sunflower State means people of the south wind
KENTUCKY Cherokee word for meadowland
The Bluegrass State
LOUISIANA Honors Louis XIV, King
The Pelican State of France
MAINE Named by English explorers;
The Paine Tree State name is short for mainland
MARYLAND Honors Queen Henrietta Maria
The Old Line State; of England
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS For the Massachusetts Indians;
The Bay State the name means near the
great hill
MICHIGAN Chippewa word Michigama,
The Wolverine State which means great lake
MINNESOTA From two Sioux Indian words
The North Star State that mean sky-tinted waters
MISSISSIPPI Indian word that means big river
The Magnolia State or father of waters
MISSOURI Indian word that mean
The Show Me State town of the large canoes
MONTANA Spanish word meaning
The Treasure State mountainous
NEBRASKA Oto Indian word nebrathka,
The Cornhusker State which means flat water
NEVADA Spanish word meaning
The Silver State snow-clad
NEW HAMPSHIRE Named for Hampshire, a
The Granite State county in England
NEW JERSEY Named for Jersey, and island
The Garden State in the English Channel
NEW MEXICO Named after the country Mexico
The Land of
Enchantment
NEW YORK Honors England's Duke of York
The Empire State
NORTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of England
The Tar Heel State;
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux
The Peace Garden State Indians of the region
OHIO Iroquois Indian word that
The Buckeye State means something great
OKLAHOMA Choctaw Indian words okla,
The Sooner State meaning people, and homma,
meaning red
OREGON French word ouragan,
The Beaver State meaning hurricane
PENNSYLVANIA Honors Sir William Penn, the
The Keystone State colony's founder; the name
means Penn's Woods in Latin
RHODE ISLAND After the Greek island of Rhodes
The Ocean State
SOUTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of England
The Palmetto State
SOUTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux
The Mount Indians of the region
Rushmore State
TENNESSEE From Tanasie, the name of a
The Volunteer State Cherokee Indian village
TEXAS From an Indian word that
The Lone Star State means friends
UTAH Named for the Ute Indians
The Beehive State of the region
VERMONT French words vert, meaning green,
The Green and mont, meaning mountain
Mountain State
VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen,"
The OLD Dominion England's Elizabeth I
WASHINGTON Named in honor of
The Evergreen State George Washington
WEST VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen,"
The Mountain State England's Elizabeth I
WISCONSIN From an Indian word meaning
The Badger State grassy place
WYOMING From a Delaware Indian word
The Equality State meaning upon the great plain
LAND AREA
(SQ MI)
STATE NAME ENTERED
NICKNAME UNION POPULATION (2) CAPITAL
ALABAMA 51,718
The Heart of Dixie 1819 4,500,752 Montgomery
ALASKA 587,878
The Last Frontier 1959 648,818 Juneau
(unofficial)
ARIZONA 114,007
The Grand Canyon State 1912 5,580,811 Phoenix
ARKANSAS 53,183
The Natural State 1836 2,725,714 Little Rock
CALIFORNIA 158,648
The Golden State 1850 35,484,453 Sacramento
COLORADO 104,100
The Centennial State 1876 4,550,688 Denver
CONNECTICUT 5,006
The Constitution State 1788 3,483,372 Hartford
DELAWARE 2,026
The First State 1787 817,491 Dover
FLORIDA 58,681
The Sunshine State 1845 17,019,068 Tallahassee
GEORGIA 58,930
The Empire State 1788 8,684,715 Atlanta
of the South
HAWAII 6,459
The Aloha State 1959 1,257,608 Honolulu
IDAHO 83,574
The Gem State 1890 1,366,332 Boise
ILLINOIS 56,343
The Prairie State 1818 12,653,544 Springfield
INDIANA 36,185
The Hoosier State 1816 6,195,643 Indianapolis
IOWA 56,276
The Hawkeye State 1846 2,944,062 Des Moines
KANSAS 82,282
The Sunflower State 1861 2,723,507 Topeka
KENTUCKY 40,411
The Bluegrass State 1792 4,117,827 Frankfort
LOUISIANA 47,717
The Pelican State 1812 4,496,334 Baton Rouge
MAINE 33,128
The Paine Tree State 1820 1,305,728 Augusta
MARYLAND 10,455
The Old Line State; 1788 5,508,909 Annapolis
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS 8,262
The Bay State 1788 6,433,422 Boston
MICHIGAN 58,513
The Wolverine State 1837 10,079,985 Lansing
MINNESOTA 84,397
The North Star State 1858 5,059,375 St. Paul
MISSISSIPPI 47,695
The Magnolia State 1817 2,881,281 Jackson
MISSOURI 69,709
The Show Me State 1821 5,704,484 Jefferson City
MONTANA 147,047
The Treasure State 1889 917,621 Helena
NEBRASKA 77,359
The Cornhusker State 1867 1,739,291 Lincoln
NEVADA 110,567
The Silver State 1864 2,241,154 Carson City
NEW HAMPSHIRE 9,283
The Granite State 1788 1,287,687 Concord
NEW JERSEY 7,790
The Garden State 1787 8,638,396 Trenton
NEW MEXICO 121,599
The Land of 1912 1,874,614 Santa Fe
Enchantment
NEW YORK 49,112
The Empire State 1788 19,190,115 Albany
NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heel State; 52,672
The Old North State 1789 8,407,248 Raleigh
NORTH DAKOTA 70,704
The Peace Garden State 1889 633,837 Bismarck
OHIO 41,328
The Buckeye State 1803 11,435,798 Columbus
OKLAHOMA 69,903
The Sooner State 1907 3,511,532 Oklahoma City
OREGON 97,052
The Beaver State 1859 3,559,596 Salem
PENNSYLVANIA 45,310
The Keystone State 1787 12,365,455 Harrisburg
RHODE ISLAND 1,213
The Ocean State 1790 1,076,164 Providence
SOUTH CAROLINA 31,117
The Palmetto State 1788 4,147,152 Columbia
SOUTH DAKOTA 77,122
The Mount 1889 764,309 Pierre
Rushmore State
TENNESSEE 42,146
The Volunteer State 1796 5,841,748 Nashville
TEXAS 266,874
The Lone Star State 1845 22,118,509 Austin
UTAH 84,905
The Beehive State 1896 2,351,467 Salt Lake City
VERMONT 9,615
The Green 1791 619,107 Montpelier
Mountain State
VIRGINIA 40,598
The OLD Dominion 1788 7,386,330 Richmond
WASHINGTON 68,126
The Evergreen State 1889 6,131,445 Olympia
WEST VIRGINIA 24,231
The Mountain State 1863 1,810,354 Charleston
WISCONSIN 56,145
The Badger State 1848 5,472,299 Madison
WYOMING 97,818
The Equality State 1890 501,242 Cheyenne
STATE NAME U.S. U.S.
NICKNAME GOVERNOR SENATORS REPS.
ALABAMA 2D
The Heart of Dixie Bob Riley, R 2R 5R
ALASKA
The Last Frontier Frank Murkowski, R 2R 1R
(unofficial)
ARIZONA 2D
The Grand Canyon State Janet Napolitano, D 2R 6R
ARKANSAS 3D
The Natural State Mike Huckabee, R 2D 1R
CALIFORNIA Arnold 33D
The Golden State Schwarzenegger, R 2D 20R
COLORADO 1D 3D
The Centennial State Bill Owens, R 1R 4R
CONNECTICUT 2D
The Constitution State M. Jodi Rell, R 2D 3R
DELAWARE
The First State Ruth Ann Minner, D 2D 1R
FLORIDA 1D 7D
The Sunshine State Jeb Bush, R 1R 18R
GEORGIA 6D
The Empire State Sonny Perdue, R 2R 7R
of the South
HAWAII
The Aloha State Linda Lingle, R 2D 2D
IDAHO
The Gem State Dirk Kempthorne, R 2R 2R
ILLINOIS 10D
The Prairie State Rod Blagojevich, D 2D 9R
INDIANA 1D 2D
The Hoosier State Mitch Daniels, R 1R 7R
IOWA 1D 1D
The Hawkeye State Tom Vilsack, D 1R 4R
KANSAS 1D
The Sunflower State Kathleen Sebelius, D 2R 3R
KENTUCKY 1D
The Bluegrass State Ernie Fletcher, R 2R 5R
LOUISIANA 1D 2D
The Pelican State Kathleen B. Blanco, D 1R 5R
MAINE
The Paine Tree State John Baldacci, D 2R 2D
MARYLAND 6D
The Old Line State; Robert Ehrlich, R 2D 2R
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS
The Bay State Mitt Romney, R 2D 10D
MICHIGAN 6D
The Wolverine State Jennifer Granholm, D 2D 9R
MINNESOTA 1D 4D
The North Star State Tim Pawlenty, R 1R 4R
MISSISSIPPI 2D
The Magnolia State Haley Barbour, R 2R 2R
MISSOURI 4D
The Show Me State Matt Blunt, R 2R 5R
MONTANA 1D
The Treasure State Brian Schweitzer, D 1R 1R
NEBRASKA 1D 3R
The Cornhusker State Dave Heineman, R 1R
NEVADA 1D 1D
The Silver State Kenny C. Guinn, R 1R 2R
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Granite State John Lynch, D 2R 2R
NEW JERSEY 7D
The Garden State Richard Codey, D 2D 6R
NEW MEXICO 1D 1D
The Land of Bill Richardson, D 1R 2R
Enchantment
NEW YORK 20D
The Empire State George E. Pataki, R 2D 9R
NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heel State; 6D
The Old North State Michael F. Easley, D 2R 7R
NORTH DAKOTA
The Peace Garden State John Hoeven, R 2D 1D
OHIO 6D
The Buckeye State Bob Taft, R 2R 12R
OKLAHOMA 1D
The Sooner State Brad Henry, D 2R 4R
OREGON 1D 4D
The Beaver State Ted Kulongoski, D 1R 1R
PENNSYLVANIA 7D
The Keystone State Edward G. Rendell, D 2R 12R
RHODE ISLAND 1D
The Ocean State Don Carcieri, R 1R 2D
SOUTH CAROLINA 2D
The Palmetto State Mark Sanford, R 2R 4R
SOUTH DAKOTA 1D
The Mount Michael Rounds, R 1R 1D
Rushmore State
TENNESSEE 5D
The Volunteer State Phil Bredesen, D 2R 4R
TEXAS 11D
The Lone Star State Rick Perry, R 2R 21R
UTAH 1D
The Beehive State Jon Huntsman Jr., R 2R 2R
VERMONT 1D
The Green Jim Douglas, R 1 Ind. (1) 1 Ind. (1)
Mountain State
VIRGINIA 3D
The OLD Dominion Mark R. Warner, D 2R 8R
WASHINGTON November 2, 2004, 6D
The Evergreen State election still 2D 3R
contested at press
time
WEST VIRGINIA 2D
The Mountain State Joe Manchin III, D 2D 1R
WISCONSIN 4D
The Badger State Jim Doyle, D 2D 4R
WYOMING
The Equality State Dave Freudenthal, D 2R 1R
* November election in Washington State still contested at press time.
Capital District, Territories, and Possessions
NAME ORIGIN OF NAME
DISTRICT OF Honors Christopher
COLUMBIA (D.C.) Columbus
AMERICAN SAMOA Ancient Pacific deity
GUAM Guahan word that means
we have
NORTHERN Honors Maria Ana of Austria, the
MARIANA mother of Spain's King Carlos II
ISLANDS
PUERTO RICO Spanish for rich port
U.S. VIRGIN Named for the Virginia of St. Ursula,
ISLANDS an early religious order
LAND AREA
STATUS (SQ MI)
NAME DATE ACQUIRED POPULATION (2) CAPITAL
DISTRICT OF Federal district (3) 68
COLUMBIA (D.C.) 1800 (4) 564,326 Washington
AMERICAN SAMOA U.S. territory 77
1900 (5) 57,291 Pago Pago
GUAM U.S. territory 209
1898 (6) 154,805 Hagatna
NORTHERN Self-governing
MARIANA commonwealth 184
ISLANDS 1947 (7) 69,221 Saipan
PUERTO RICO Self-governing
commonwealth 3,515
1898 (8) 3,878,532 San Juan
U.S. VIRGIN U.S. territory 132 Charlotte
ISLANDS 1917 (10) 108,612 Amalie,
St. Thomas
NAME HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
DISTRICT OF Mayor
COLUMBIA (D.C.) Anthony A. Williams, D
AMERICAN SAMOA Governor
Togiola Tulafono, D
GUAM Governor
Felix Perez Camacho, R
NORTHERN
MARIANA Governor
ISLANDS Juan N. Babauta, R
PUERTO RICO Governor (9)
U.S. VIRGIN Governor
ISLANDS Charles W. Trunbull, D
FOOTNOTES:
(1) An Independent belongs to no political party.
(2) Population figures: States and Puerto Rico, U.S. Census
Bureau, July 2003 estimates; Territories, 2000 Census.
(3) Seat of U.S. government.
(4) Date when federal government moved from Philadelphia
to Washington.
(5) Date gained by treaty with the U.K. and Germany.
(6) Date ceded to U.S. by Spain after the Spanish-American
War; became a U.S. territory in 1950.
(7) Date administration by U.S. began (in a trusteeship for the
United Nations); became a self-governing commonwealth in 1978.
(8) Date ceded to U.S. by Spain after the Spanish-American
War; became a self-governing commonwealth in 1952.
(9) November 2004 election undecided at press time.
(10) Date purchased from Denmark.
SOURCES: Nickname, date entered union/acquired, capital: The Book
of the Stares, 2002. Origin of name, land area: World Book
Encyclopedia. Population: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Governor/
head of government: National Governors Association. U.S. Senators
and Representatives: U.S. House and Senate Web sites, CNN Web site.
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