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GOVERNMENT
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Country
Name:
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conventional
long form: United States of America conventional short
form: United States abbreviation: US or USA |
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Government
Type:
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federal republic; strong democratic tradition |
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Capital:
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Washington,
DC |
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Administrative
Divisions:
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50
states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington,
West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
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Independence:
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4
July 1776 (from England) |
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National
Holiday:
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Independence
Day, 4 July (1776) |
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Constitution:
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17
September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 |
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Legal
System :
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based
on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive
Branch:
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chief
of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January
1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993);
note?the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President William Jefferson CLINTON
(since 20 January 1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since
20 January 1993); note?the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate
approval
elections: president and vice president elected on the
same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly
from each state; president and vice president serve four-year
terms; election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November
2000) election results: William Jefferson CLINTON reelected
president; percent of popular vote?William Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic
Party) 49.2%, Robert DOLE (Republican Party) 40.7%, Ross PEROT
(Reform Party) 8.4%, other 1.7% |
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Legislative
Branch:
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bicameral
Congress consists of Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed
every two years; two members are elected from each state by popular
vote to serve six-year terms) and House of Representatives (435
seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year
terms) elections: Senate?last held 2 November 1998 (next to be
held 7 November 2000); House of Representatives?last held 2 November
1998 (next to be held 7 November 2000) election results: Senate?percent
of vote by party?NA; seats by party?Republican Party 55, Democratic
Party 45; House of Representatives?percent of vote by party?NA;
seats by party?Republican Party 223, Democratic Party 211, independent
1 |
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Judicial
Branch:
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Supreme
Court (the nine justices are appointed for life by the president
with confirmation by the Senate) |
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Political
Parties and Leaders:
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Republican Party [Jim NICHOLSON, national committee chairman];
Democratic Party [Steve GROSSMAN, national committee chairman];
several other groups or parties of minor political significance
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International
Organization Participation:
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AfDB,
ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN
(observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G-5, G-7,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Flag
Description:
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thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side
corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in
nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating
with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states,
the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old
Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number
of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto
Rico |
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