USATheUnited States of Americais a large country inNorth 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 ofRussiaand about the same size asChina). 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 ofManhattanandChicago, to the natural wonders ofYellowstoneandAlaska, to the warm, sunny beaches ofFlorida,HawaiiandSouthern 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 AntonioTHINGS 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 FromLAto San Fran to wine country, California is like a mini-country. 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. TheFreedom Trailis 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 CostsAccommodation: 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 Vegasin 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. TheCedar Point Amusement Park Resortis 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 theSan Juan Mountains,Tellurideis 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.

Sportsare an important part of theculture of the United States. The nation's four most popularteam sportsall developed in North America:American football,baseball,basketballandice hockey. The four Major leagues in the United States are theNational Football League(NFL),Major League Baseball(MLB), theNational Basketball Association(NBA) and theNational Hockey League(NHL); all enjoy massive media exposure and are considered the preeminent competitions in their respective sports in the world. 2Individual sports 2.1Motor sports 2.2Track & field 2.3Outdoor sports 2.4Other popular individual sports 3Team sports 3.1American football 3.2Baseball 3.3Basketball 3.4Ice hockey 3.5Soccer 3.6Lacrosse 3.7Australian rules football 3.8Rugby Union 3.9Volleyball 3.10Cricket 3.11Curling 3.12Gaelic gamesParticipation among the general populationIn 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 sportsSee also:College athleticsandNational Federation of State High School AssociationsAmong 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]

Thecinemaof theUnited States, often generally referred to asHollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: thesilent film era,classical Hollywood cinema,New Hollywood, and the contemporary period. While the FrenchLumire 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.

Themusic of the United Statesreflectsthe country's multi-ethnic populationthrough a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renownedgenresarehip hop,blues,country,rhythm and blues,jazz,barbershop,pop,techno, androck and roll. After Japan, the United States has the world'ssecond largest music marketwith 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 ofAmerican popular musichave gained a near global audience

3Folk music 3.1Blues and spirituals 3.2Other immigrant communities 4Classical music 4.1Early classical music 4.220th century 5Popular music 5.1Early popular song 5.2Blues and gospel 5.3Jazz 5.4Country music 5.5R&B and soul 5.6Rock, metal and punk 5.7Hip hopist 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 inWikipedia, 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)B 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)