The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It was founded in 1775 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The USPS is the operator of the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world and has over 600,000 employees. The agency is responsible for the collection and delivery of mail and packages, as well as providing various postal services such as money orders and passport applications.