United States

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country situated in North America, it shares it's a border with Canada and Mexico and has access to the Atlantic Sea, the Pacific Sea, and the Caribbean Sea.

He is one of the most popular characters in CountryHumans, along with his half-siblings Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Appearance
In most depictions of the USA, he usually wears a black NATO shirt, jeans, sneakers/tennis shoes (from a popular brand), and sunglasses. You would also see him in bandages on his arms.

Others represent him with a black skin-tight top which covers his neck and black finger-less gloves. It is also usually depicted in typical cowboy clothing from the far west.

Personality
America is egotistical and rude when you first meet him. He doesn’t mean to offend, but he does anyway since that’s just his sense of humor. Even though he’s 243 and it’s been a long time since the American War of Independence, he still hates authority, unless he’s the authority. America boasts quite a bit about everything he’s done and all the things he has. The more things you have, and the more expensive those things are, the better you are, in America’s eyes.

But as you warm up to him he can be a genuinely nice guy (as long as you’re his friend). He cares a lot about his allies and his family. He’s especially protective of his younger siblings, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (even if they don't need it). If things go wrong, America has an optimistic outlook. He’s always happy to fix things (America’s definition of “fix,” of course), and will go to any length to achieve his goals.

He might seem a cold asshole at first, but under that shell is a guy with a big warm heart.

Interests

 * Any sport you can think of that has a following, like football, soccer, etc
 * Eating, even when bored
 * Hanging out with other countries
 * Fashion
 * Playing video games

Flag meaning
There are 13 red and white stripes in the flag of the USA. These 13 stripes (seven red and six white ones) represent the former Thirteen Colonies. There are 50 stars in the blue rectangle on the top left of the flag. These stars represent the 50 federal states. This has been the official flag since Hawaii became a member of the union on 21 August 1959.

The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:

"'The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.' "

History
America was first known as "New England" (depending on your headcanon, America and New England are different characters).

The American Revolution
The American colonials proclaimed "no taxation without representation" starting with the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. They rejected the authority of the British Parliament to tax them because they had no representatives in that governing body. Protests steadily escalated to the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the burning of the Gaspee in Rhode Island in 1772, followed by the Boston Tea Party in December 1773. The British responded by closing Boston Harbor and enacting a series of punitive laws that effectively rescinded Massachusetts Bay Colony's rights of self-government. The other colonies rallied behind Massachusetts, and a group of American Patriot leaders set up their government in late 1774 at the Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance of Britain; other colonists retained their allegiance to the Crown and were known as Loyalists or Tories.

Tensions erupted into battle between Patriot militia and British regulars when King George's redcoats attempted to destroy Colonial military supplies at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The conflict then developed into war, a during which the Patriots (and later their French allies) fought the British and Loyalists in what became known as the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Each of the thirteen colonies formed a Provincial Congress which assumed power from the former colonial governments, suppressed Loyalism, and recruited a Continental Army led by General George Washington. The Continental Congress declared King George a tyrant who trampled the colonists' rights as Englishmen, and they declared the colonies free and independent states on July 2, 1776. The Patriot leadership professed the political philosophies of liberalism and republicanism to reject monarchy and aristocracy, and they proclaimed that all men are created equal.

The Continental Army forced the redcoats out of Boston in March 1776, but that summer the British captured New York City and its strategic harbor, which they held for the duration of the war. The Royal Navy blockaded ports and captured other cities for brief periods, but they failed to destroy Washington's forces. The Patriots attempted to invade Canada during the winter of 1775–76 without success, but they captured a British army at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777. France entered the war as an ally of the United States with a large army and navy. The war then moved to the Southern states, where Charles Cornwallis captured an army at Charleston, South Carolina in early 1780, but he failed to enlist enough volunteers from Loyalist civilians to take effective control of the territory. Finally, a combined American and French force captured a second British army at Yorktown in the fall of 1781, effectively ending the war. The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, formally ending the conflict and confirming the new nation's complete separation from the British Empire. The United States took possession of nearly all the territory east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes, with the British retaining control of Canada, and Spain taking Florida.

Among the significant results of the revolution was the creation of the United States Constitution, establishing a relatively strong federal national government that included an executive, a national judiciary, and a bicameral Congress representing states in the Senate and the population in the House of Representatives. The Revolution also resulted in the migration of around 60,000 Loyalists to other British territories, especially British North America (Canada).

The American Civil War
Of the 34 U.S. states in February 1861, seven Southern slave states were declared by partisans to have seceded from the country, and a Confederate States of America was organized in rebellion against the U.S. Constitutional government. The Confederacy grew to control at least a majority of territory in eleven states, and it claimed the additional states of Kentucky and Missouri by assertions from native secessionists fleeing Union authority, but without territory or population therein; these states were given full representation in the Confederate Congress throughout the Civil War. The two remaining slave states, Delaware and Maryland, were invited to join the Confederacy, but nothing substantial developed due to intervention by federal troops.

The Confederate States was never diplomatically recognized by the government of the United States or by that of any foreign country. The states that remained loyal to the U.S. were known as the Union. The Union and the Confederacy quickly raised volunteer and conscription armies that fought mostly in the South over four years. Intense combat left 620,000 to 750,000 people dead, more than the number of U.S. military deaths in all other wars combined.

The war effectively ended April 9, 1865 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Appomattox Court House. Confederate generals throughout the southern states followed suit, the last surrender on land occurring June 23. Much of the South's infrastructure was destroyed, especially the transportation systems. The Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and four million black slaves were freed. During the Reconstruction era that followed the war, national unity was slowly restored, the national government expanded its power, and civil and political rights were granted to freed black slaves through amendments to the Constitution and federal legislation.

September 11, 2001
Warning, the following contains sensitive topics that are related to a major event.

On September 11, 2001, this day is considered the most deadly terrorist event in the 21st century, with having more deaths, not just in the United States, but in the world. This event is caused by a terrorist group of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden takes responsibility for these attacks.

Organizations and Affiliations
"As the United States is a major power to achieve peace around the world, he is part of many international organizations"


 * Asian Development Bank (ADB) (nonregional member)
 * Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
 * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (as a dialogue partner)
 * Australia Group
 * Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS)
 * Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
 * Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC) (observer)
 * Colombo Plan (CP)
 * Council of Europe (CE) (observer)
 * Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) (observer)
 * Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
 * Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
 * European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
 * European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (observer)
 * International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)
 * Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
 * Group of Seven (G7)
 * Group of Eight (G8)
 * Group of Ten (G10)
 * Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20)
 * Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
 * International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
 * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
 * International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
 * International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
 * International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
 * International Development Association (IDA)
 * International Energy Agency (IEA)
 * International Federation of Red Cross and Red * * Crescent Societies (IFRCS)
 * International Finance Corporation (IFC)
 * International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
 * International Olympic Committee (IOC)
 * International Organization for Migration (IOM)
 * International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
 * International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)
 * International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
 * International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
 * International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
 * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
 * North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
 * North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
 * Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
 * Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
 * Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
 * Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
 * Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
 * Organization of American States (OAS)
 * Pacific Community (SPC)
 * Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) (partner)
 * Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
 * Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive * * * Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Preparatory Commission)
 * South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (observer)
 * Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) (observer)
 * United Nations (UN)
 * United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
 * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
 * United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
 * United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH)
 * United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
 * United Nations Security Council (UNSC) (permanent member)
 * United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
 * Universal Postal Union (UPU)
 * World Bank Group (WBG)
 * World Customs Organization (WCO)
 * World Health Organization (WHO)
 * World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
 * World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
 * World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM)
 * World Trade Organization (WTO)
 * World Veterans Federation (WVF)
 * Zangger Committee (ZC)

Government
"The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches to make sure no individual or group will have too much power:
 * Legislative—Makes laws (Congress, comprised of the House of Representatives and Senate)


 * Executive—Carries out laws (president, vice president, Cabinet, most federal agencies)

Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches: The Executive Branch consists of the President of the United States, the Vice President, and their cabinet. They are the branch that can create laws, which would pass to the Legislative Branch. The President is the head of state, the government, and the commander in chief for the United States Armed Forces, they have a maximum of two terms, which includes 4 years each. The Legislative Branch is the branch the gets to pass the laws coming from the Executive Branch, they also have the power to accept or deny the nominee to be the head of federal agencies, judges, or the Supreme Court, and has the power to declare war. The Judicial Branch is responsible to interpret laws and see if the law(s) violates the Constitution. They are made of the Supreme Court and many other federal courts, the Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and six associate justices. The Justices have no fixed term and can serve as long as they want until they either die, retire, or removal in other circumstances.
 * Judicial—Evaluates laws (Supreme Court and other courts)
 * The president can veto legislation created by Congress and nominates heads of federal agencies.
 * Congress confirms or rejects the president's nominees and can remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.
 * The Justices of the Supreme Court, who can overturn unconstitutional laws, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
 * This ability of each branch to respond to the actions of the other branches is called the system of checks and balances." 

Brazil
Brazil-United States relations have a long history, characterized by some moments of a remarkable convergence of interests but also by sporadic and critical divergences on sensitive international issues. The United States has increasingly regarded Brazil as a significant power, especially in its role as a stabilizing force and skillful interlocutor in Latin America. As a significant political and economic power, Brazil has traditionally preferred to cooperate with the United States on specific issues rather than seeking to develop an all-encompassing, privileged relationship with the United States.

China
The United States Department of State tries to maintain the interests of the Chinese public and its government. However, they try their best to get China to stop international law abuses to get into a compromise with the two. 1971 and 1979, the United States did not recognize the legitimacy of the PRC government and supported Taiwan. Public signs of relations with the PRC and the USA started around 1971, with the Ping-Pong diplomacy, where China's ping-pong team invited the U.S. ping-pong team. The United Nations would soon replace the ROC with the PRC within the same year. It wasn't until 1979 that the United States would stop officially recognizing Taiwan and support the One China Policy. However, relations within the unofficial level would still continue for the United States and Taiwan. Their ties would soon be shaken throughout the Belgrade Bombing (as an accident), with the United States apologizing for the mistake, but Chinese protesters dismissed the apology and vandalized American official property in China. Since 2000, the United States and China are starting normal trading relations, in 2006, China became the second-largest trading partner after Canada. China would also surpass Japan to become the biggest foreign creditor, which means the United States has to return the debt to China at some point.

United Kingdom
After the American Revolution had ended, Great Britan did established relations with the United States. The relations broke when the War of 1812 came to be and declared war on the United Kingdom, but their diplomatic relations would soon be reestablished in 1815. The United States considers the United Kingdom as a close ally, ever since 1815, their bong only gets closer between these two. Visits are very common between these two.

Geography
The United States is 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), the United States is the world's third or fourth-largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles (10.1 million km2).

Family

 * United Kingdom — father
 * Spain — mother
 * France — stepmother/aunt
 * Ireland — stepmother
 * Canada — half-brother
 * Australia — half-brother
 * New Zealand — half-sister
 * China — wife (depends on the person)
 * Taiwan — son/daughter
 * Malaysia — stepbrother
 * El Salvador — stepbrother
 * Costa Rica — stepsister
 * Philippines — stepsister/stepdaughter

Friends

 * Australia
 * New Zealand
 * Malaysia
 * Germany — "I can never leave you behind!"
 * Japan — "My people love anime. Also, you're my trading partner"
 * India
 * Canada
 * United Kingdom
 * Spain
 * France
 * Poland
 * Malta — "old friend"
 * Brazil — "old friend/ally"

Neutral

 * China — "love-hate relationship"
 * Pakistan — "...Should I really trust you?"
 * Philippines
 * Saudi Arabia

Enemies

 * USSR — "I defeated you! And what you're gone, the world is a better place!"
 * Third Reich
 * Bolivia
 * Cuba
 * Iran
 * Mexico — "Stop making yourself the victim and blaming others for your problems that nobody cares about!"
 * North Korea — "You better calm down before something very bad happens!"
 * Nicaragua
 * Russia — "I'm still watching you..."
 * Syria
 * Venezuela
 * Japanese Empire

Russia
A main core for the United States is that he is frequently shipped with Russia, where mainly is about a love-hate relationship between these two. In real life, Russia has a long history of homophobia, with no laws to protect homosexuals. As such, Russia is portrayed as a secret homosexual who is in love with America, which tries to deny his feelings. America is portrayed as openly gay towards Russia so he can get Russia to be with him, probably likely that the United States knew that Russia was/is gay. Otherwise, the opposition for the pairing comes from people shipping the countries to another country or Russian conservatives, who expressed distaste towards the pairing. Current Russian-American relations are very sour, especially with the governments.

United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is pretty much the father of the USA. In most Countryhumans comics, the USA is depicted detesting his father. This is mainly based upon the idea that the USA is the "rebellious child" due to his advocacy for independence when he was younger.

But, despite the USA's defiant behavior, UK still loves him as a son and as an ally and overall, they are close. I mean, they're family after all. It's unconditional. They even have an unofficial term for their relationship for being a close ally, Special Relationship.

Spain
Spain is the USA's mother. He enjoys pestering her and calling her 'Mexico' which is another Spanish-speaking country and another one of her children. She dislikes this, but since she is his mother, they are close and she loves him as a son. Spain founded St. Augustine, Florida; the first oldest city in the United States. Sometimes, France and Spain compare the personality of the United States with that of England in a derogatory tone. However, both countries celebrate Independence Day with the United States due to the military support granted by both countries. Spain is also the biological mother of Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, Utah, Wyoming and the adoptive mother of Alaska. Today, the relations between the United States and Spain are one of the firmest, most stable and optimal in the Western world. Spain is a fan of George Washington. The United States usually remembers Spain whenever he looks at a dollar bill. The columns that appear in the dollar symbol are the same as the ones in the shield of Spain.
 * This is highly controversial but there has been evidence of some sort of romantic relationship between them, resulting in a child between them, Philippines, despite the fact she is his mother and they are directly related.

France
France is the USA's stepmother. Another guardian. Sometimes even considered biological mother but, in reality, France is the biological mother of Louisiana, Maine, and Mississippi. However, even though he is not her actual son, she appears to care for him. France and the USA enjoy teaming up and doing things that the USA' s father does not seem to enjoy, which is how they tend to bond. France constantly has to deal with her stepson's French surrender jokes and has hit him with a history book (usually to the head/face) on multiple occasions because of the USA's humor. Her, it is evident that she sees the UK as frenemy rather than a direct enemy. He seems to see France as some sort of parent, possibly as some sort of motherly figure. They seem to enjoy each other's company.

Australia
USA's nickname for Australia: "Hell-Spider Man"

Canada
Canada is the USA's brother, although very different from the USA. He's much more open-minded, although very very very timid and weak. Canada relies on his brother to keep safe (even though he's older than him) and tends to follow the USA around like a terrified puppy. This does get on USA's nerves, but most of the time he's happy to look after his brother. (If anyone tries to hurt Canada they face the wrath of USA.)

Germany
"I’m glad Germany is now clean from his mess and is ready to bring democracy to the table!"

- United States’ thoughts on Germany

Brazil
"I still for the day that Brazil hands me some trees" Brazil is portrayed in the fandom as a friend and ally towards the United States.

Japan
Japan and America shared tense relations in the past. This is because, during the times of the Japanese Empire, America had atomic bombed Japan. They try to forget the brutality of it, and nowadays, they're better friends being somewhat close. America thinks of Japan's culture very highly. Though sometimes, he is a little weirded out by her anime obsession. The minority of the fandom ship them together.

Philippines
"They like me way too much, and I appreciate that."

- United States’ thoughts on the Philippines The ship USA x Philippines is gaining in popularity. However, this can be a controversial subject since the Philippines is considered by many as his stepson/stepbrother.

Malaysia
USA is Malaysia's largest trading partner, while Malaysia is the tenth-largest trading partner. Both of them always join the UN peacekeeping mission together. Malaysia once help the USA to rescue US Ranger that suppose to rescue the pilot of 2 downed Black Hawk during the Battle of Mogadishu.

Extra(s)

 * Religion: Protestantism (48.9%), Roman Catholicism (23.0%), Mormonism (1.8%), Irreligion/Atheist (18.2%), Judaism (2.1%), Islam (0.8%), Other non-Christian religion (2.5%), No response given/Unknown (2.7%)
 * Urbanization: 81%
 * Social Progress Index: 26th in the World
 * Basic Human Needs: 34th in the World
 * Social Opportunities: 16th in the World
 * Health and Wellness: 39th in the World
 * Basic Medical Care: 31st in the world
 * Personal Safety: 55th in the world
 * Access to Education: 54th in the World
 * Advanced Education: 1st in the World
 * Personal Freedom: 18th in the World
 * Freedom of Speech: 29th in the World
 * Tolerance and Inclusion: 32nd in the World
 * Tolerance for Minorities: 80th in the World
 * Tolerance for Homosexuals: 15th in the World (76.6%)
 * Women Equality: Medium (37th in the World)
 * GDP: $20.580 trillion
 * Unemployment: 3.5% Nationwide
 * Currency: US Dollar ($)
 * Telephones:
 * Mobile Phones: 120%
 * Internet Users: 75%
 * Average Male Height: 5’9 (177 cm)
 * Average Female Height: 5’3.5 (162 cm)