475 L'Enfant Plaza Sw
Washington, DC, 20260 United States
(202) 268-2500
http://www.usps.com
The United States Postal Service (USPS) handles cards, letters, and packages sent from sea to shining sea. The USPS delivered some 168 billion pieces of mail in fiscal 2011 in the US and its territories, and if that's not enough, it claims to deliver more than 40% of the world's mail. The independent government agency relies on postage and fees to fund operations. Though it has a monopoly on delivering the mail, the USPS faces competition for services such as package delivery. The US president appoints nine of the 11 members of the board who oversee the USPS. The presidential appointees select the postmaster general, and together they name the deputy postmaster general; the two also serve on the board.