Tag: United States

The United States is a Republic and a Democracy

Superfact 12: The United States is both a Republic and a Democracy

I believe that most people do not find that statement surprising in the least. When I became a citizen of the United States, through naturalization (I am originally from Sweden), I had to learn about the US government, and I was told by the US government officials that the United States is both a Republic and a Democracy.

However, I’ve come across a lot of people who state something like “The United States is a Republic and therefore not a Democracy” as if being a Republic and a Democracy are mutually exclusive. Well, as this article explains it is not. To be very specific, the United States is a “federal constitutional representative democracy.” Because the United States is indeed both a Republic and a Democracy and yet many would dispute that fact, I consider this to be a super-fact.

This is an article from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on the topic that confirms that the United States is a Republic and a Democracy. This is an article from NPR on the topic. This is what the Wikipedia entry on the United States says under the headline “Government and politics” “It is a liberal representative democracy “in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law.””

The United States is a representative democracy. Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

It should be noted that United States is not a Direct Democracy, like ancient Greece, but it features some aspects of it in referendums. Just like most democracies around the world. Another thing to note is that the Economists Intelligence Unit downgraded the United States from a full democracy to a flawed democracy in 2016. But it is still a democracy.

Is the United States a democracy?

If you ask google / AI this question “Is the United States a democracy?”. The answer you get is:

The United States is a representative democracy. This means that our government is elected by citizens. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. These officials represent the citizens’ ideas and concerns in government.

When I asked ChatGPT the same question (Is the United States a democracy?) I got this answer:

Yes, the United States is considered a democracy, but more specifically, it is a representative democracy or democratic republic. In a pure democracy, citizens directly vote on all laws and policies. In a representative democracy, like in the U.S., citizens elect officials (such as members of Congress, the president, and local representatives) who make decisions and pass laws on their behalf.

The U.S. system is also based on the principles of constitutional democracy, where the rule of law, individual rights, and the separation of powers (between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches) are foundational. The Constitution guarantees these principles, which are designed to protect minority rights while allowing majority rule through democratic elections.

In summary, the U.S. combines democratic elements with a framework that ensures checks and balances to prevent abuses of power.

The United States Capitol Building in Washington DC. Photo by Patrick Morris on Pexels.com

Partisan politics aside, the consensus seems to be that the United States is both a Republic and a Democracy.

To see the other Super Facts click here

United States, Europe and the Pacific Ocean Are Bigger Than You Might Think

Superfact 11: United States, Europe and the Pacific Ocean Are Bigger Than You Might Think

  • The area of the United States is around 9,8 million square kilometers
  • The area of continental United States is around 8.1 million square kilometers
  • The area of Europe is around 10.2 million square kilometers
  • Earth’s total land area is 148.9 million square kilometers
  • The area of the Pacific Ocean is 165.3 million square kilometers
  • The area of the whole earth is 510 million square kilometers

The United States

The United States is much bigger than many Europeans think. Europe is much bigger than many Americans think. Many of us don’t realize that one of the five oceans, the Pacific Ocean, is one third of earth’s entire surface and cover a larger area than all landmass on earth. Since so many of us are surprised to hear these facts and they are not under dispute among experts, they constitute a super-fact, or a few super-facts in my opinion.

Map of the United States. Alaska and Hawaii are not to scale. Alaska is double as big as Texas. Stock Vector ID: 2247501877 by HazimAlfi.

Some time ago I was talking to a Swedish friend of mine who told me something along the lines of “the United States isn’t so big as they say. We drove through half a dozen states in an afternoon.” I asked her, “which states?” It turns out that was the New England states, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and finally New Jersey and New York (New York city). You can do that drive in an afternoon, but you cannot drive through Texas in an afternoon, not even in a day.

The distance from Texarkana to El Paso is 1,300 kilometers and takes more than 12 hours to drive on the highway without stopping. I’ve come across many Europeans who underestimate the size of the United States. The mistake they make is that they don’t realize that while some US states are small, other states are much bigger. Just look at the map.

Political map of Europe (including European Russia) Stock Vector ID: 319593110 by okili77.

Europe

Interestingly Americans often make the same mistake about Europe. I quite often hear Americans claim that distances are so small in Europe. You can drive through a country in a couple of hours and the language changes. It’s a trope that seems to be repeated every time Europe is discussed on social networks.

Today, as I was talking to a friend of mine about our recent trip to Sweden and Norway, my friend told me that it was good that distances in Europe were so short so we could easily travel between the places I was telling him about. He was more than surprised to hear that was not the case.  The distance between where we were Sweden and Norway was too large for anything other than planes considering we only had 10 days.

The distance from Malmö in southern Sweden to Karesuando in northern Sweden is more than 1,900 kilometers and takes more than 21 hours to drive without stopping. In fact, by area, Sweden is bigger and longer than California. 

The Pacific Ocean

Last but not least. Earth has seven continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia), and five oceans (the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern (Antarctic) Oceans). But just one ocean, the Pacific Ocean cover a third of earth’s entire surface. This may come as a surprise to many. See the globe photorealistic 3d illustration below.

Earth Pacific Ocean view Stock Illustration ID: 1617553012 by Matis75.

To see the other Super Facts click here