The United States of America (USA or U.S.A.), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states and one federal district. With the exception of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, all states and the capital, Washington, D.C., are located on the North American continent, bordering Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Additionally, the state of Alaska, located in the northwest, borders Canada to the east and faces Russia across the Bering Strait to the west. To the southeast of the Florida peninsula lie the Bahamas and Cuba. The United States also holds overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.