USA

The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as
the "USA," the "U.S.," the "United States," "America," or simply "the States". It has a
land area of about 9.6 million sq. km. (about half the size of Russiaand about the same
size as China). It also boasts the world's third largest population, with over 310 million
people. It includes both densely-populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast,
uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas. With its history of mass immigration dating
from the 17th century, it is a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world.
The country plays a dominant role in the world's cultural landscape, and is famous for
its wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers
of Manhattanand Chicago, to the natural wonders of Yellowstone andAlaska, to the
warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii andSouthern California.

Location: The United States is located in North America, bordering both the
North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico.

Capital: Washington, DC.

Population: 293,027,571.

Language: English is the official language. Spanish is spoken by a minority.

Currency: U.S. Dollar.

Religion: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%.

Weather: Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska,
semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of
the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally
in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky
Mountains.

Independence Day: July 4, 1776

Largest State:

Alaska

Smallest State:

Rhode Island

National Bird:

Bald Eagle

National Flower:

Rose

Largest Cities:

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia,

San Diego, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

New York City The city that never sleeps is one of the most amazing cities in
the world. Theres nothing you cant do or see here. From amazing museums and art
galleries to theater to restaurants to central park, everything about New York is

amazing. Its big, crowded, and fast paced but also full of little neighborhood shops and
character.

Florida Keys These tropical islands in the southern tip of Florida are great
places to relax and enjoy the Caribbean lifestyle while still in the United States.

The Grand Canyon- Words cant accurately describe how great the Grand
Canyon is. Its breathtaking in all ways. Make sure you hike down the bottom. Most
people just look out at the canyon but its true size and beauty is best appreciated with
a hike down to the Colorado river.

National Parks - America has thousands of national parks. These parks

highlight the best of the American wilderness. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, the
Smokey Mountains, Rocky Mountain Park, the Badlands- the list goes on and on and
on. Make sure you visit as many national parks as you can to get a sense of the grand
and diverse landscape that is the United States.

Chicago One of my favorite cities in the world, Chicago is full of amazing

architecture, great parks, good food, and great nightlife. Its a tamer version of New
York and even more pretty. (The Chicago style of architecture is world famous!)

New Orleans- Finally recovering from Hurricane Katrina, this French influenced
city has great food and even better music. A must for any jazz or blues fan. If you plan
on celebrating Mardi Gras here, book early. Hotels fill up.

California From LA to San Fran to wine country, California is like a minicountry. Theres so much to see and do in this state. Some of the highlights include
Sonoma, the giant Redwoods, San Diego, San Francisco, Death Valley, and cruising
up the coastal highway.

Hawaii Closer to Asia than the United States, Hawaii is Americas piece of
south pacific paradise. White sands beaches, clear blue water, tropical jungle, and
great surf. You can often get fairly cheap packages out of California.

Boston The birthplace of the revolution, no one leaves Boston disappointed.

Its a big city but its lack of high rises, cobble stone streets and brick building, give the
city a more neighborhood feel than most others. Its often considered Americas most
European city. It has history, culture, food, and beauty. The Freedom Trail is especially
great.

Washington D.C. - Americas capital is where youll find all the museums and
institutions youd ever want to see in order to get a glimpse into the the history and
politics of America. Its a very international city too given the large number of
international embassy workers in the area.

Mt. Rushmore Visit this historic monument in South Dakota. Its a lot smaller
than you think it would be but it makes a good stop off while driving and the
surrounding mountains and parks make for good hiking opportunities.

Disney World Sure, its cheesy. Yes, its built for kids. True, its not authentic.
But despite all that, Disney World is still a fun time and they have a lot of ride for adults
too. I recently went back as an adult and theres a lot to do there, they have some good
restaurants, and Paradise Island has a good night life. If you are in Florida, take a stop
for a few days. Indulge your inner child.

Appalachian Mountains Stretching the east coast of America, these

mountains offer great hiking, camping, and trekking. If you think you can handle it, hike
the Appalachian trail which covers the whole mountain range.

The Great Lakes The great lakes are like miniature oceans. They have great
sailing, boating, fishing, and beach opportunities. Great for those traveling during the
summer.

Take a Road Trip America is a vast and beautiful country. The only good way
to see this, the landscape, and the small towns that populate most of the country is with
a roadtrip. I highly suggest renting a car and driving across the US. Its an amazing
experience.
Typical Costs
Accommodation: The US doesnt have many hostels. Outside major cities, youll just
find hotels and motels. In the cities, youll find hostels. Prices cost around $14-25 per
night for a dorm room. Cheap motels and hotels cost around $35 dollar night. Hotels in
cities start at $60 per night. Towards the center of cities, hotels start around $100 per
night and go up from there.
Food: Food in America is very cheap. Between fast food and cheap delis, you can eat
real cheap. Fast food like McDonalds will cost you $6 per meal (unless you go after the
dollar menu), restaurants like Applebees will cost around $10-15 per meal. Sandwich
shops are around $5 dollars and nice sit down restaurants begin around $15 dollars.
Transportation: The US is a big country and its size can make it difficult to travel
around. The easiest way to travel is by car. The great expanse of America is best seen
via car and the open road. The American road trip is a long held tradition and gives you
the flexibility to see all the off the beaten path places out there. On the east coast, there
is an extensive train and bus network that is very cheap, with bus fares as low as $1.
Flying is your quickest option but can be very expensive. For cheap flights, consider
JetBlue and Southwest. They offer very, very cheap flights. They are like Americas
RyanAir except better.

Each state of USA has something to offer to its

visitors. Las Vegas in USA is notorious for its
perennial party and gambling culture, but also offers
tourists the experience of a lifetime. Visit the most
filmed place in the worldthe Times Square. It is
the heart of New York City and home to many
theatres and entertainment venues.
USA has the most and some of the biggest
amusement parks in the world, attracting millions of
tourists. The Cedar Point Amusement Park
Resort is one such place which offers various rides
on the backdrop of beautiful white-sand beaches.
Soak in the sun and enjoy the benefits of a typical
beach town throughProvincetown, Cape Cod.
Any trip to the USA is incomplete without a visit to
the home of Mickey MouseDisneyland. Discover
the marvellous inventions of mankind by visiting
theNational Air and Space Museum. Located in
the San Juan Mountains,Telluride is a must visit for some exciting skiing adventures.
Rock, pop, soul, hip hop, country, blues, and jazz are among America's most internationally
renowned genres of music.
The birth and develpment of cinema largely took place in the United States. Hollywood,
California is the movie capital of the world.
The USA is a top producer of corn, soy beans, rice, and wheat, with the Great Plains
labeled as the "breadbasket of the world" for its tremendous agricultural output
The American Dream is the idea that, through hard work, courage, and self-determination,
regardless of social class, a person can gain a better life.
The U.S. was the most instrumental nation in the development of the Internet, developing its
predecessor, Arpanet. U.S. businesses control most of its infrastructure.

Sports are an important part of the culture of the United States. The nation's four most
popular team sports all developed in North America: American
football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. The four Major leagues in the United States are
the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball
Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL); all enjoy massive media exposure
and are considered the preeminent competitions in their respective sports in the world.

2 Individual sports

2.1 Motor sports

2.2 Track & field

2.3 Outdoor sports

2.4 Other popular individual sports

3 Team sports

3.1 American football

3.2 Baseball

3.3 Basketball

3.4 Ice hockey

3.5 Soccer

3.6 Lacrosse

3.7 Australian rules football

3.8 Rugby Union

3.9 Volleyball

3.10 Cricket

3.11 Curling

3.12 Gaelic games

Participation among the general population

In the broadest sense of the definition of sportsphysical recreation of all sortsthe four most
popular sports among the general population of the United States are exercise walking (90
million), exercising with equipment (53 million), swimming (52 million) and camping (47 million).
The most popular competitive sport (and fifth most popular recreational sport) is bowling (43
million). Other most popular sports are fishing (35 million), bicycling (37 million), weightlifting (33
million), aerobics (30 million), and hiking (28 million).[5]

[edit]Organized

college and high school sports

See also: College athletics and National Federation of State High School Associations
Among organized sports, football is the clear leader in number of participants at both the high
school and college level, despite being almost entirely male.
According to NCAA reporting on varsity team participation [27] after football (64 thousand), the
most popular participatory college sports are baseball/softball (47 thousand), track and field (46
thousand),[28] soccer (43 thousand), basketball (32 thousand), cross-country running (25
thousand), and swimming/diving (20 thousand). The most popular sport among female athletes
is soccer, followed closely by track and field.[7]
For both sexes, football has the most participants among organized high school sports, followed
by basketball, track & field, baseball/softball, soccer, and cross-country. Wrestling is the sixth
most popular sport for boys, while volleyball is the third most popular sport for girls. [29]

The cinema of the United States, often generally referred to as Hollywood, has had a
profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes
separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New
Hollywood, and the contemporary period. While the French Lumire Brothersare generally
credited with the birth of modern cinema, it is indisputably American cinema that soon became
the most dominant force in an emerging industry. Since the 1920s, the American film industry
has grossed more money every year than that of any other country.
Some of Hollywood's blockbuster action heroes from the 1980s and 1990s: From left: (top row) Sylvester
Stallone,Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Steven Seagal(bottom row) Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van
Damme,Wesley Snipes, Jackie Chan.

The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse
array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip
hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. After
Japan, the United States has the world's second largest music market with a total retail value of
3,635.2 million dollars in 2010[1] and its music is heard around the world. Since the beginning of
the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience

3 Folk music

3.1 Blues and spirituals

3.2 Other immigrant communities

4 Classical music

4.1 Early classical music

4.2 20th century

5 Popular music

5.1 Early popular song

5.2 Blues and gospel

5.3 Jazz

5.4 Country music

5.5 R&B and soul

5.6 Rock, metal and punk

5.7 Hip hop

ist inclusions

All acts are listed alphabetically, solo artists by last name, groups by group name
excluding "A", "An", and "The".

Each act's total of number-one hits is shown after their name.

Artists who hit number one prior to the start of the Hot 100 are included here; a song
that topped multiple pre-Hot 100 charts is counted only once towards the artist's total.

All artists who are officially namechecked in song credits (with Billboard crediting the
week's biggst selling version if multiple one are available)[1] are listed here; this includes
one-time pairings of otherwise solo artists and those appearing as "featured". Exceptions to
this rule:
1. Paul McCartney's hits with Wings are credited to "Wings" even though many of them
were released as "Paul McCartney & Wings". McCartney's total is only from hits not
attributed to Wings or the Beatles. If entries from The Beatles, Wings and McCartney
were combined, his total of number one hits would be 29, making him the most
successful artist in the history of the chart.
2. This exception also applies to Diana Ross, as number one hits credited to "Diana Ross
and the Supremes" are attributed to The Supremes only. If Ross' solo entries here were
combined with those of The Supremes, it would bring her total of number one hits to

18, tying her with Mariah Carey as most successful female artist in the history of the
chart.
3. Both Wham! and George Michael get one credit for "Careless Whisper". Technically the
song is a solo recording and was released as such in many parts of the world except
the U.S., where it charted as "Wham! featuring George Michael".

Artists associated with a group who reached number one, yet have their own solo page
in Wikipedia, are not listed here unless they hit number one as a solo artist.

Aaliyah (1)

ABBA (1)

Gregory Abbott (1)

Paula Abdul (6)

Ace of Base (1)

Bryan Adams (4)

Adele (3)

Aerosmith (1)

Afrojack (1)

Christina Aguilera (5)

a-ha (1)

Clay Aiken (1)

Air Supply (1)

Akon (2)

Ali (1)

All-4-One (1)

Herb Alpert (2)

America (2)

The Angels (1)

The Animals (1)

Paul Anka (3)

The Archies (1)

Louis Armstrong (1)

Ashanti (2)

The Association (2)

Rick Astley (2)

Atlantic Starr (1)

Patti Austin (1)

Frankie Avalon (2)

Average White Band (1)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1)

Bad English (1)

Bananarama (1)

The Bangles (2)

Barenaked Ladies (1)

Toni Basil (1)

Les Baxter (2)

Bay City Rollers (1)

The Beach Boys (4)

The Beatles (20)

Bee Gees (9)

Archie Bell & the Drells (1)

The Bellamy Brothers (1)

Regina Belle (1)

Lauren Bennett (1)

Berlin (1)

Chuck Berry (1)

Beyonc (5)

Mr. Acker Bilk (1)

The Black Eyed Peas (3)