Population density: 32/km2 (83/mi2)
Main languages spoken: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, Russian, Polish The demographic, economic, and cultural dominance of the white community is firmly entrenched after almost 400 years of settlement. However, the balance of ethnicity is rapidly shifting. An immigration boom peaked in the early 1990s, with many new arrivals from Latin America and Asia. The birthrate is particularly high in the Hispanic community, now the largest single minority in the US. The Census Bureau projects that in the year 2050 almost 25% of the population will be Hispanic, 14% black, and 9% Asians and Pacific islanders. More than two-thirds of the Hispanic, or Latino, population originated in Mexico, and thousands of Mexicans risk their lives crossing the border every year. Despite its growing size, the Hispanic community still struggles to compete politically and economically with the better established, and more politically sensitive, black population. Within the black community, their ancestors infamously brought to the New World as slaves, an African-American business leadership class has grown up, but only two black people – media moguls Oprah Winfrey and Robert L. Johnson – make the list of the 400 richest Americans. The country's original inhabitants, the Native Americans, or Amerindians, were dispossessed in the 19th century and now make up little more than 1% of the population. Some of the worst poverty and deprivation in the US can be found in their reservations. The separation of state and religion is guaranteed by the constitution, but Christian values dominate. Many evangelical churches, particularly well established in the south, forcefully oppose abortion, the teaching of evolution, and the social acceptance of homosexuality. THE URBAN/RURAL POPULATION SPLIT
 RELIGIOUS PERSUASION
 ETHNIC MAKEUP
 POPULATION AGE BREAKDOWN
 From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004 |
