The United States of America (the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, the United States, or America[1]) is a federal republic in North America. Founded in 1776, it is the oldest extant constitutional republic in the world.
The U.S. originated from thirteen colonies in British North America that declared their independence in 1776. After winning the American Revolutionary War, it was recognized as an independent nation by the Kingdom of Great Britain following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Since then, the nation has expanded across the North American continent and also has acquired a number of overseas territories, adding 37 more states in the process.
Buoyed by victories and as the only major power not devastated in World Wars I and II, and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 following the Cold War, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower or hyperpower. It is a founding member of the United Nations (with a permanent seat on the Security Council), G8, NATO and NAFTA.
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