United States of America, USA - About, Facts, History, Government, Geography, Culture, Climate, People, Land, Nature, Business & Economy ~ All Around

Capital: The Capital City is Washington D.C
Leader: The leader of the USA is the President who is elected every four years
State: The USA has 50 states plus various territories. Recently Puerto Rico voted to become a state too
Population: The population is around 315 million, making it the 3rd biggest country by population
Area: The area is 3.79 million square miles, which means it is either the 3rd or 4th biggest country depending on who you measure this
Income/Capita: The income per capita is $49,601 making it the 15th richest country per person in the world. Most of the 14 countries with richer citizens are tiny in comparison
Currency: The currency of the United States is the dollar, represented by the symbol $
Domain: Most people think that .com is the US top level domain, but this is actually a global one – the US one is .us, although it also controls .mil, .gov and .edu
Language: The US has no official federal language, although more than half of its states have English as their official language and most Americans speak English. Spanish is another major language, particularly in the South West
Citizen: Citizens of the USA are called Americans
Location: The USA is located in the continent of North America
Code: The dialing code to call the USA internationally is 1
Independence: The USA declared independence on July 4th, 1776 from Britain. This was recognized on September 3rd, 1783.
Religion: 52% of Americans are Protestant Christians of various denominations, 24% are Catholics. Many more religions have significant followings and an increasing number of Americans don’t have a religion
Military: The US has the largest military in the world by money spent on it, dwarfing the spending of the next countries combined.
Economy: The US economy is diverse, from car manufacturing to internet technology, agriculture, and almost everything in between
Nationality: Many Americans will give a second nationality when asked despite only ever living in America as the country is made up mostly of those who immigrated within the last 200 years. Perhaps the best known group is the Irish Americans who celebrate St Patrick’s Day every year in style
Border: The USA is bordered to the North by Canada and to the South by Mexico. It has a free trade agreement with these countries called NAFTA
National Motto: The national motto of the USA is In God We Trust
National Bird: The national bird is the Bald Eagle
National Flower: The national flower is the Rose
National Anthem: The national anthem is entitled The Star-Spangled Banner

History

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
What is now the United States was initially populated by indigenous peoples who migrated from northeast Asia. Today, their descendants are known as Native Americans, or American Indians. Although Native Americans are often portrayed as having lived a singular, usually primitive lifestyle, the truth is that prior to European contact, the continent was densely populated by many sophisticated societies. The Cherokee, for example, are descended from the overarching Mississippian culture which built huge mounds and large towns that covered the landscape, while the Anasazi built elaborate cliff-side towns in the Southwest. As was the case in other nations in the Americas, the primitive existence attributed to Native Americans was generally the result of mass die-offs triggered by Old World diseases such as smallpox which spread like wildfire ahead of the early European explorers. That is, by the time most Native American tribes directly encountered Europeans, they were a post-apocalyptic people.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, multiple European nations began colonizing the North American continent. Spain, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia established colonies in various parts of what would become the USA. Of those early settlements, it was the original British colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts that formed the cultural, political, legal and economic core of what is now known as the United States of America.
Massachusetts was first settled by religious immigrants—Puritans—who later spread and founded most of the other New England colonies, creating a highly religious and idealistic region. Its neighbour to the southwest, Rhode Island, was founded by refugees from the religious fanatics of Massachusetts. Other religious groups also founded colonies, including the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Roman Catholics in Maryland.

Geography

The contiguous United States (called CONUS by US military personnel) or the "Lower 48" (the 48 states other than Alaska and Hawaii) is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, with much of the population living on the two coasts. Its land borders are shared with Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south. The US also shares maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, and the Bahamas. If counting the Insular Areas and Minor Outlying Islands, the United Kingdom, Samoa, and Haiti would also share maritime borders.
The country has three major mountain ranges. The Appalachians extend from Canada to the state of Alabama, a few hundred miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the oldest of the three mountain ranges and offer spectacular sightseeing and excellent camping spots. The Rockies are, on average, the highest in North America, extending from Alaska to New Mexico, with many areas protected as national parks. They offer hiking, camping, skiing, and sightseeing opportunities. The combined Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges are the youngest. The Sierras extend across the "backbone" of California, with sites such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park; the Sierras transition at their northern end into the even younger volcanic Cascade range, with some of the highest points in the country.
The Great Lakes define much of the border between the eastern United States and Canada. More inland seas than lakes, they were formed by the pressure of glaciers retreating north at the end of the last Ice Age. The five lakes span hundreds of miles, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and their shores vary from pristine wilderness areas to industrial "rust belt" cities. They are the second-largest bodies of freshwater in the world, after the polar ice caps.
The south western portions of the USA in eastern California, Arizona, Nevada, and much of southern New Mexico are rugged and very arid landscapes, complete with wind-shaped desert sand dunes like White Sands New Mexico. Death Valley (282 feet below sea level) is the lowest spot on the USA mainland and one of the hottest areas on Earth. Natural areas include vast areas of desert untouched by humans. Camping and hiking through the majestic landscapes of the Southwest is a big vacation draw for many Americans.
Florida is very low-lying, with long white sand beaches lining both sides of the state. The mild subtropical climate allows many exotic (both native and non-native) plants and animals to flourish. The Florida Everglades are a pristine "river of grass" that is home to 20-foot alligators among other creatures.

Climate

The overall climate is temperate in much of the northern and central regions, with the deep southern areas along the Gulf Coast and Florida being subtropical. The Great Plains are dry, flat and grassy, turning into arid desert in the far West, while much of California is Mediterranean, and arid desert in its south western areas. Hawaii is tropical, and South Florida is semi-tropical.
The least difference in climate from region to region in the USA occurs in summer - when much of the USA has warm to hot summers. Areas of the South western deserts (California, Arizona, and Nevada) often see the highest summer temperatures of 100 to 115°F (38-46°C) on many days with long periods of rainless weather. Much the rest of the USA sees high temperatures from 70 to 90°F (21-32°C). Only areas along the upper Pacific Coast (in Oregon and Washington) have summer highs below 70°F (21°C). The greatest difference in climate from region to region occurs from December through March - when temperatures can range fridge in the far northern areas (Minnesota, North Dakota etc.) to warm to hot in the deep subtropical portions (Florida, Arizona etc.). Some areas in the northern Plains (North Dakota, South Dakota) have highs only in the 20s Fahrenheit (-5°C) in January, while areas in the deep south along the Gulf Coast, the South western Deserts, and Florida have highs in the 60s and 70s °F (15-26°C).

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