The United States of America is situated in the middle of the North American continent, with Canada to the north and the United Mexican States to the south. The US also includes the state of Hawaii and the state of Alaska.

The first known inhabitants of what is now the United States are believed to have settled approximately 20,000 years ago, over a period of several thousand years. Evidence of these cultures settling in begins as early as 15,000 years ago with the Sandia and Clovis tribes. However, little information is known about these tribes in comparison to the European colonisers. Archaeological and geological evidence suggests that the region was originally populated by people migrating from Asia via the Bering land bridge. These indigenous people, who are now called Native Americans, inhabited the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans, as did many thriving cultures, including the Puebloans (Anasazi) in the southwest and the Adene Culture in the east.

The first European known to arrive on American land was Juan Ponce de León, a Spaniard who arrived in Florida in 1513; he named it La Florida. Columbus was next to arrive in what would become US territory when he came to Puerto Rico in 1493.

The Spanish created the first permanent European settlement in 1565 at St. Augustine in Florida, and later at Santa Fe, New Mexico, San Antonio, Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The English established their first successful colony in 1607 on the James River at Jamestown. The colony languished for many decades until a new wave of settlers arrived in the late 17th century and set up commercial agriculture based on tobacco. By 1650, the English had established a dominant presence on the Atlantic coast.

Conflict started to arise between the English settlers and the Native Americans, and in 1622, in what was called the Powhatan uprising, the Indians killed hundreds of English settlers in Virginia. The biggest conflict to take place between these groups was King Philip’s War in New England in the 17th century.

By the early 1700s enslaved Africans made up a growing percentage of the colonial population. By 1770, more than 2 million people lived and worked in England’s 13 North American colonies.

Tensions between the colonists and the British started mounting. For example, the Boston Tea Party in 1773 was an act of revolt against the British and their tax on tea in the colonies. It was tensions such as these that eventually led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The War of Independence, also known as the American Revolution began a year later. The British surrendered on October 19, 1781, meaning the Americans were officially independent of Britain and set about establishing their own government.   

America went to war with the British again in 1812, in response to continued British impressment (the act of conscripting people – involuntary labour) of American soldiers into the British navy. Both countries came to a draw in January 1815, after three years of fighting.  

Mid 19th century, North and South Americans were unable to reconcile their differences in their approach to controlling government, economics and slavery. The south seceded to form the Confederate States of America, which led to a four year Civil War, claiming half a million lives, leaving the south defeated. Steps were taken to put the divided country back together; for example southern states were readmitted into the Union, former slaves were granted citizenship and black men were granted the right to vote.

During the 19th century, The United States greatly expanded their territory, obtaining land from England, France, Mexico, Spain and Russia. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US became the world’s sole remaining superpower.

This nation continues to be a dominant economic, political, cultural and military influence around the world. American society is the product of large-scale immigration and is home to a complex social structure, making the US one of the world's most ethnically and socially diverse nations.