United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the country, mainly
in Tornado Alley areas in the Midwest and South.[165]

Wildlife
The U.S. ecology is megadiverse: about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur
in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering
plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[166] The United
States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 bird species, 311 reptile species, and
295 amphibian species.[167] About 91,000 insect species have been
described.[168] The bald eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the
United States, and is an enduring symbol of the country itself.[169]
There are 58 national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks,
forests, and wilderness areas.[170] Altogether, the government owns about 28%
of the country's land area.[171] Most of this is protected, though some is leased
for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; about .86% is used
for military purposes.[172][173]

The bald eagle has been the

national bird of the United
States since 1782.

Environmental issues have been on the national agenda since 1970.

Environmental controversies include debates on oil and nuclear energy, dealing
with air and water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and deforestation,[174][175] and
international responses to global warming.[176][177] Many federal and state agencies are involved. The most
prominent is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created by presidential order in 1970.[178] The idea of
wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.[179] The
Endangered Species Act of 1973 is intended to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats,
which are monitored by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[180]

Population
The U.S. Census Bureau currently estimates the country's population to
be 321,161,000,[5] The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the
20th century, from about 76 million in 1900.[183] The third most
populous nation in the world, after China and India, the United States is
the only major industrialized nation in which large population increases
are projected.[184] In the 1800s the average woman had 7.04 children, by
the 1900s this number had decreased to 3.56.[185]
The United States has a very diverse population; 37 ancestry groups
have more than one million members.[186] German Americans are the
largest ethnic group (more than 50 million) - followed by Irish
Americans (circa 37 million), Mexican Americans (circa 31 million) and
English Americans (circa 28 million).[187][188]

Race/Ethnicity (2013)
By race:[181]

White

77.7%

African American

13.2%

Asian

5.3%

American Indian and Alaska

1.2%

Native
Native Hawaiian and Pacific

0.2%

Islander
Multiracial (2 or more)

2.4%

White Americans are the largest racial group; Black Americans are the

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