The United States of America, a Western nation with a powerful economy, is situated in North America and is more often referred to as the United States or the US or America. The country became distinctly characterised by a myriad population given its history of mass migration that dates way back to the 17th century. A relatively young nation by world standards (less than 250 years old), the US was the first European colony to gain freedom. It rose to prominence as a world power gradually in the 20th century, and their position was strengthened further by the two world wars. By the end of World War II, the United States along with the Soviet Union had emerged as superpowers, and their positions were only strengthened by the Cold War that could see itself play out in other smaller nations, without the Soviet or the US ever engaging in direct military conflict. The high-octane competition that lasted for years took both nations to space and saw rapid scientific advancement in their mutual zeal to outperform each other. In the end, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, establishing America as the sole superpower of the world. The United States is now a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The current president of the United States is Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected to the post and also the first woman of colour and first person of Indian origin to rise to the rank. They were elected to power in November 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. More