[READ: America Slips in the Eyes of the World]

The U.S. is culturally and racially diverse, and was shaped by large waves of immigration from Europe and beyond. American literature, art and music reflect the rich heritage of the county’s people. The U.S. is the birthplace of jazz, and Louis Armstrong, an African American, is one of the country’s most recognized and admired musicians. Prize-winning Jewish writers Saul Bellow and Philip Roth are some of the best known literary figures in the U.S. The media industry in the U.S. has a global audience, with its television shows, music videos and films distributed worldwide.

The country is home to some of the top universities in the world, including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Despite being the foremost global power, the U.S. still faces domestic challenges, including racial tensions, income inequality and an increasingly polarized electorate. All of these fissures have been on display during Trump's presidency, as even his own party has been divided on some of the nation's most important legislation. While national security is a concern, so too, is the debt incurred from wars and expenditures on an aging population. The U.S. leads the developed world in deaths due to firearms.

The U.S. often takes a leading role in international organizations, and was a founding force behind institutions such as the United Nations, NATO and the World Bank.