United States

"This is America. The home of the free and the home of the brave. The stars and stripes symbolize the freedom and liberty of every American people. I may not be American, but Ryan does it for being an American citizen. My childhood friend too lives in America as well."

--Su Ji-Hoon, Lily's Wish

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (US) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2) and with over 325 million people, the United States is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area and the third-most populous. The capital is Washington, DC, and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The US territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.