USA · 2019-05-14 · North America United States of America 329,256,465 English WASHINGTON, D.C....

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USA

North America

United States of America

329,256,465

English

WASHINGTON, D.C. 702,445

American Dollar (USD)

9,826,675 km2

Location

Official Name

Population (2018 est.)

Official language

Capital (2018 est.)

Currency

Area (km2)



Federal Constitutional Republic

New York 8,175,133, Los Angeles 3,999,759, Chicago 2,716,450, Houston 2,312,717

Highly diversified, world leading, high-technology innovator, second-largest industrial output in the world; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2008 est.)

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 made less cold occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

19,924 km

Tunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

White 72.4%, black 12.6%, Asian 4.8%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.9%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2%, other 6.2%, two or more races 2.9% (2010 est.)

Buddhist 53%, Muslim 3%, Shamanist 2.9%, Christian 2.2%, other 0.4%, none 38.6%

The average life expectancy of the total population is 80.1 years. The average life expectancy of males is 77.8 years and for females the average is 82.3 years.

The total amount of mobile phone subscriptions is 395.881 million. There are 121 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

At a Glance

Political System

Largest Cities

Main industries

Main exports

Climate

Coastline (km)

Natural Hazards

Ethnic Background

Religions (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth (2018 est.)

Mobile Phones Subscriptions (2017 est.)



Key Moments in History

What’s it like?

Officially, there are no social classes in the United States. The country is built on the foundation of the American

Dream, which means that anyone can make it big in the US. An equal playing field, with equal opportunity for all.

However, this is more theory than reality. Upward mobility is incredibly difficult to achieve. If a person is born into

the working class, it is very likely that they will stay working class the rest of their life. Additionally, there is systemic

racism that makes upward mobility even more impossible for anyone who is not Caucasian. Meanwhile the top one

percent continually grows their wealth. This results in an increasing gap between rich and poor.

Just as the American Dream, gender equality only exists in theory. Women are still responsible for most household

work and taking care of the children. The increase of women in the workforce has not meant that the household

responsibilities have level out; it just means that women have less time to spend on cooking, cleaning, and taking

care of the kids. Women are paid 70 cents to a male dollar for comparable jobs. This difference varies depending

on the racial background of the woman in question. Legally women are equal to men, however they do not receive

the same social and economic benefits. Females are extremely underrepresented in the government and are more

likely to live in poverty.

13,000 BCE

Long before Christopher Columbus “discovered” the Americas, Paleo-

Indians migrated to what is now North-America. They arrived across a land

bridge

• This eventually resulted in different tribes spreading all across the

Americas.

1492

Christopher Columbus

• This Italian went on several voyages that were financed by Spain.

Eventually he happens upon the Americas and lands in the Bahamas.

1513 Jean Ponce de León

• He arrives to the Americas, landing on the coast of Florida.

1565

Saint Augustine settlement

• The Spanish settle in Saint Augustine, Florida. This become the first

permanent European colony in North America.

1607

Jamestown

• The London Company establishes the English first permanent settlement

in southeast Virginia.

1616

Smallpox epidemic

• Many Native Americans perished because of European diseases. When

the Europeans settled in the Americas, they brought bacteria and viruses

that Native Americans had never encountered before. Therefore they did

not have the immune system to fight these diseases, and many of them

died.



1619

First representative assembly

• This assembly was held in Virginia. In the same year the first African

slaves were brought to Jamestown.

1620 Mayflower arrived in Massachusetts

17th-18th century

Slave import

• During these centuries, hundreds of thousands of Africans are sold into

slavery to work on cotton and tobacco plantations.

1652 Rhode Island declares slavery illegal

1664 New Amsterdam becomes New York

• The English seized the city from the Dutch and renamed it New York.

1754-1763

French and Indian War

• This was a battle for control over the land that we now know as Canada.

Eventually the English won the war. With the Treaty of Paris, they formally

gain control of all the land that was in France’s possession.

1770

Boston Massacre

• This was a pre-Revolutionary incident. British troops sent to Boston to

keep order fired into a crowd and killed five men. This was one of many

incidents that created resentment against the British rule.

1773

Boston Tea Party

• This was a protest against the British Tea Tax by colonial patriots. They

boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and dumped over 300 crates

of tea in the ocean.

1774 First continental congress

1775-1783

American Revolution

• This was the battle between Britain and the colonies, which eventually

led to independence of the Americas.

1776 Declaration of Independence

1783 Britain accepts loss of colonies

1787-1788

Constitutional Convention

• This convention is held in 1787. Delegates meet to create the first draft of

the U.S. Constitution. The constitution is eventually finalized and comes

into effect in 1788.

1789 George Washington is elected as the first United States president

1791 Bill of Rights

• This is the bill that guarantees individual freedom.

1808 Atlantic slave trade is abolished

19th century

Expansion of the states

• During this century the amount of states rises from 17 to 45. This

expansion is met with resistance from the Native Americans, but this is

eventually futile.

1860 Abraham Lincoln elected as president

Key Moments in History(cont)




1861-1865

Civil War

• In the years prior, many southern states seceded from the Union and

formed the Confederate States of America. The root of the conflict is

the abolishment of slavery. The war ends in 1865. In that year Lincoln

is assassinated and the Thirteenth Amendment is written into the

1870 Fifteenth Amendment

• This giving black people the right to vote.

1890 National American Woman Suffrage is founded

1898 U.S. annexes Hawaii

1914-1918

World War I

• The United States declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary three

years after the start of the war.

1925 Tennessee passes a law against the teaching of evolution

1929

Herbert Hoover is elected as president and the start of the Great

Depression

• Hattie Wyatt Caraway is the first woman to the U.S. Senate.

Amelia Earhart is the first women to complete a solo nonstop transatlantic

flight.

1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt

• Roosevelt is elected for his first term as president.

1933 New Deal

1941 FDR is elected for a third term

• This makes him the first and only president elected to serve a third term

1941 U.S. declares War on Japan, Germany and Italy

1945 FDR is elected for a fourth term

1945 United Nations is established

1948

Marshall Plan

• This was a plan set up by the United States to help Europe with post-war

recovery. The United States donated money to Europe, which could be

used to rebuilt all that had been lost. The money did have to be spent

on American supplies, which would help America in their post-war

economy.

1946-1991

Cold War

• This was a war between the USSR and the United States (the east and the

west). During this time the space race took place.

1950-1975 Vietnam War

• This was a war that was highly controversial amongst many.

1951 Twenty-Second Amendment

• Limiting the president to two terms.

1960 John F. Kennedy is elected as president




1963

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.

• MLK is the front man of the civil rights movement. They were fighting

against the oppression, discrimination, and violence African Americans

1963 JFK is assassinated

• Lyndon B Johnson, the Vice President succeeds JFK.

1964 Civil Right Act is signed

1968 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated during a speech in Tennessee

1973

Watergate scandal

• Five burglars broke into Democratic National Committee which was at

the Watergate office in DC. In the aftermath of this break-in it came to

light the President Nixon and his administration were involved.

1974

Nixon resigns

• Nixon resigned as president to avoid impeachment and his VP Gerald

Ford succeeds him. However, his precedency is short lived because

he grants Nixon unconditional pardon of his crimes. Because of this

America turns against him.

1987 Ronald Reagans “Tear down this wall” speech in Berlin

1991 End of Cold War

2000

George W. Bush wins presidential election

• After the vote there is no clear winner of the elections. This leads to a

month of uncertainty and recounting. However, before the recounting

is finished the Supreme Court rules George W. Bush as president

over Al Gore. This set off a lot of people in the US, claiming it to be

undemocratic.

2001

9/11 happens

• Two hijacked airplanes fly into the twin towers, a third flies into the

Pentagon and a fourth crashes in Pennsylvania.

2003 Start of the war in Iraq

2008

Barack Obama elected

• Barack Obama is elected as president. He becomes the first African

American president.



People

Officially, there are no social classes in the United States. The country is built on the foundation of the American

Dream, which means that anyone can make it big in the US. An equal playing field, with equal opportunity for all.

However, this is more theory than reality. Upward mobility is incredibly difficult to achieve. If a person is born into

the working class, it is very likely that they will stay working class the rest of their life. Additionally, there is systemic

racism that makes upward mobility even more impossible for anyone who is not Caucasian. Meanwhile the top one

percent continually grows their wealth. This results in an increasing gap between rich and poor.

Just as the American Dream, gender equality only exists in theory. Women are still responsible for most household

work and taking care of the children. The increase of women in the workforce has not meant that the household

responsibilities have level out; it just means that women have less time to spend on cooking, cleaning, and taking

care of the kids. Women are paid 70 cents to a male dollar for comparable jobs. This difference varies depending

on the racial background of the woman in question. Legally women are equal to men, however they do not receive

the same social and economic benefits. Females are extremely underrepresented in the government and are more

likely to live in poverty.

Customs & Traditions

Americans celebrate Christmas, Easter and other religious festivals.

Celebrations particular to USA are:

Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following

Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends. The

holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their

dissenting religion without interference.

After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighbouring Indians, who taught

them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall’s bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by

holding a feast. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans

have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims’ sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.

To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey,



This is a handcrafted harp like instrument. It was developed in the 1960s by

Bill Wesley. The instrument has 30 octave groups, created by groups of metal

tines.

Music (Instruments)

Array mbira

cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for

their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, honours the nation’s birthday -- the signing of the Declaration of

Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The

flying of the American flag (which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays) is widespread. On July 4, 1976,

the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was marked by grand festivals across the nation.

Martin Luther King Day: The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., an African-American clergyman, is considered a great

American because of his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means. Since his

assassination in 1968, memorial services have marked his birthday on January 15. In 1986, that day was replaced by

the third Monday of January, which was declared a national holiday.

Presidents’ Day: Until the mid-1970s, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary

War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham

Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, was a holiday in most states. The two days have been joined, and the

holiday has been expanded to embrace all past presidents. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Labour Day: The first Monday of September, this holiday honors the nation’s working people, typically with parades.

For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season, and for many students the opening of the

school year.

Columbus Day: On October 12, 1492, Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. Although

most other nations of the Americas observe this holiday on October 12, in the United States it takes place on the

second Monday in October.



American Football is the most popular sport in America. Both the NFL and

college football play a huge role within American culture. Being a football

player ties into this image of the “all-America” guy. The sport is not really

popular anywhere else in the world, which is what makes it so uniquely

American.

Besides American Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey are

incredibly popular. Outsides of professional sports, Americans also love

college sports. Most big universities will have Division 1 sports teams. D1 college athletes are highly esteemed and it

is possible to gain a full athletic scholarship. College Football is also the most popular sport amongst the university

sports teams. However, there are loads of other highly competitive sports like rowing, gymnastics, baseball, soccer,

track and field, swimming, and many more.

Activities (dance, sport, other)

Dos & Don’ts

The US has a tip culture, so make sure you give a good tip to your waiters in a restaurant.

Be courteous and kind, a smile and quick “How are you?” goes a long way when you are first meeting someone.

Don’t just smoke anywhere. Cigarettes are a lot less accepted in US culture compared other places, and there

are a lot of place where you are not allowed to smoke.

Don’t use the metric system. Instead of using the normal measures like Celsius degrees, kilometres, and

kilograms, they use Fahrenheit, miles, and pounds.

Do

Don’t



Yellow Stone National Park

Empire State Building

Grand Canyon

Central Park

The Grand Canyon, is a steep-sided

canyon carved by the Colorado River in

the United States in the state of Arizona.

Central Park is an urban park in the New

York City borough of Manhattan. It was

initially opened in 1857, on 778 acres (315

ha) of city-owned land.

Yellowstone National Park is a national

park in the United States. It was the first

national park in the world. It was created

on March 1, 1872.

The Empire State Building is a world-

famous 102-story skyscraper located in

New York City.

Special Places



Food

Most people think “hamburger”, when asked what traditional American cuisine consist off. And although this is not

exactly wrong, there are a lot of dishes that, unlike a hamburger, can only be found in the United States.

This is essentially a hotdog fried into cornbread on a stick. Often enjoyed at

sports games or carnivals

This sandwich is made up of corned beef, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island

dressing, and sauerkraut.

As you can tell by the name, this is a sandwich that originated in Philadelphia.

The main ingredients are steak and cheese, and it is dressed up with onions.

Outside of that you can often customize the sandwich any way you desire.

These treats are a campfire staple. To make the perfect s’more you’ll need

marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. You are supposed to roast

the marshmallow above a campfire. When the marshmallow has melted

you make a sandwich with the graham crackers serving as a “bun” and the

chocolate and marshmallow as the topping.

Corn dog

Rueben sandwich

Philly cheesesteaks

S’mores



Although English is the most commonly spoken language, it is not the official language of the USA. In fact, the USA

doesn’t have an official language.

There are some pretty weird State laws in effect, here are some of the craziest:

Connecticut: A pickle cannot be legally considered a pickle unless it bounces.

Georgia: It is illegal to keep an ice cream cone in your back pocket on Sundays.

Iowa: One armed piano players must, by law, perform for free.

Kentucky: One may not dye a duckling blue and offer it for sale unless more than six are for sale at once.

Missouri: It is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear.

New Jersey: It is against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season.

North Dakota: It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Ohio: It is illegal to get a fish drunk.

South Dakota: It is illegal to sleep in a cheese factory.

Wyoming: You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit.

Interesting Facts

USA · 2019-05-14 · North America United States of America 329,256,465 English WASHINGTON, D.C....

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