By European standards, the United States is considered a young state, which was formed at the end of the 18th century. Now this country influences the politics of most other states of the world. Tourists there will see huge cities and natural attractions of amazing beauty (for example, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and the Kilauea volcano). In addition, tourists in the United States are waiting for ski resorts with developed infrastructure, as well as luxurious beach resorts.
US geography
According to simplyyellowpages.com, USA is located in North America. The United States borders Canada to the north, Mexico to the south, and Russia to the east across the Bering Strait. In the north, the country is washed by the Arctic Ocean, in the west by the Pacific Ocean, and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The United States also includes several islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean (American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.), as well as Alaska and the Hawaiian archipelago. Total area – 9,826,675 sq. km., and the total length of the state border is 12,034 km.
In the east of the country along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean is the Appalachian mountain system, behind which stretches the Central Plain with large rivers. To the west is the Cordillera mountain system, in front of which lie the Great Plains. The highest local peak is Mount McKinley in Alaska, whose height reaches 6,194 meters.
A huge number of rivers flow through the United States, the largest of which are the Missouri (4,127 km), Mississippi (3,757 km), Yukon (3,700 km), Arkansas (2,364 km) and Columbia (2,250 km).
In the north, near the border with Canada, are the famous freshwater Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Michigan.
In the United States, tornadoes and hurricanes often occur, bringing a lot of destruction. Tornadoes are typical for the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian mountain system (this is Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri). As for hurricanes, they most often occur in the southern states, on the east coast and in Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
Capital
Washington is the capital of the USA. More than 700 thousand people now live in the city. Washington was founded in 1791.
US official language
In the US, one official language is English.
Religion
More than 78% of the population are Christians (51% of them are Protestants, 23% are Catholics). There are also many Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.
State structure of the USA
According to diseaseslearning.com, the United States is a parliamentary constitutional federal republic, the head of which is the President, who is elected indirectly for a term of 4 years.
The local bicameral parliament is called the Congress, it consists of the Senate (100 senators, two from each state) and the House of Representatives (435 deputies).
Despite the fact that there are many different parties in the United States, the political system in this country is actually a two-party one. The main political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In practice, representatives of only these two parties can become the President of the United States.
Administratively, the country is divided into 50 states, the federal district of Columbia with Washington, as well as island territories under the control of the United States (Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, etc.).
Climate and weather
The climate is very diverse, varies depending on the region. Hawaii, for example, and Florida have a tropical climate, while Alaska has a subarctic climate. In the south-west of the country there are many deserts and semi-deserts, in the coastal regions of California the climate is Mediterranean, and on the west coast the climate is maritime. In general, the climate in the continental part of the country is moderate.
The peak tourist season is in the summer (June, July and August). The rest of the year, tourists come to the United States for the big holidays – Christmas and Easter week. In New York, for example, tourists come all year round, regardless of the time of year.
Keep in mind that some US states are prone to tornadoes and hurricanes. So, tornadoes are typical for the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian mountain system (these are Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri), and hurricanes – for the southern states, on the east coast and for Hawaii.
Seas and oceans of the USA
In the north, the country is washed by the Arctic Ocean, in the west by the Pacific Ocean, and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The total length of the coastline is 19,924 km.
Rivers and lakes
More than 250,000 rivers flow through the United States. The largest of them are Missouri (4,127 km), Mississippi (3,757 km), Yukon (3,700 km), Arkansas (2,364 km) and Columbia (2,250 km).
In the north, near the border with Canada, there are the famous freshwater Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Michigan, in the vicinity of which many tribes of American Indians once lived.
US history
The US state was formed at the end of the 18th century from several English colonies that were able to achieve independence from Great Britain. At the very beginning, the United States consisted of 13 states, but as a result of an active policy, the Spanish, English colonies, as well as the lands of the Indians and Mexicans, were captured. As a result, now the United States of America already consists of 50 states.
After two world wars, the US has doubled its political and economic influence in the world, always being on the winning side.
The United States is now one of the main founding sponsors of the UN, as well as the leader of the NATO military bloc.
Culture
The multicultural American society also determines the diversity of American culture. For most foreigners, American culture is known from Hollywood films. Of course, these films reflect American culture to some extent, but the traditions of the locals are actually deeper – they are rooted in the culture of American Indians and immigrants from Europe.
Most Americans cannot imagine their lives without American football, hockey and basketball. At the end of each February, nearly half of Americans simply don’t go to work to watch the American Football League finals. Almost the same situation is repeated at the end of April, when the Stanley Cup hockey final matches begin.
Every March hundreds of thousands of tourists come to New Orleans to see the now legendary Mardi Gras festival. In New York and Chicago every year in March, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated – a holiday for all Irish people.
Every year on October 31, Americans celebrate Halloween, which has recently become a global holiday.
On the last Thursday of every November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day, during which every American family should have roast turkey and pumpkin pie on the table.
The biggest American holidays are Christmas and Easter. During these holidays, Americans exchange gifts and show various theatrical performances, most often, of course, of a religious nature.
US Cuisine
There is an opinion that American cuisine is the dishes that are offered in fast food restaurants. But in fact, American cuisine is not limited to fast food at all – it has a lot of delicious dishes typical of a particular American state, and which have nothing to do with fast food restaurants.
The main feature of American cuisine is its diversity. The United States as a state was formed by immigrants from around the world. Immigrants compactly settled in their new homeland, bringing with them new culinary traditions. In the southern states, the local cuisine was greatly influenced by African, Mexican and Spanish culinary traditions.
The staple foods are potatoes, corn, wheat, meat, vegetables, fish and seafood, including shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, mussels and scallops.
Typical American dishes are apple pie, barbecue, steak, fried chicken, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, burritos, tacos, blueberry pie, sandwiches.
In New Orleans, for example, we recommend tourists try pancakes and spicy, fried Creole shrimp, in New England – clam soup, in Texas – barbecue, in Boston – white beans baked with molasses, in New York – chicken wings with hot pepper sauce, in Louisiana – stew or rice with herbs and spices, in San Francisco – fish stew in tomato, in Hawaii – Haupia coconut pudding, and in the Midwest – chicken steak.
Very often, cranberry sauce, which is considered an integral part of American cuisine, is served with a variety of dishes. Guacamole (Mexican avocado sauce) is popular in the southern states.
Traditional soft drinks are lemonade, orange juice, milk, sweet carbonated soft drinks.
Traditional alcoholic drinks are beer, wine and whiskey.
sightseeings of USA
The US boasts a vast array of tourist attractions, from the skyscrapers of New York and Chicago, the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the sunny beaches of California, Florida and Hawaii. True, there are quite a few historical sights in this country compared to Europe. The top ten attractions in the United States, in our opinion, include the following:
Grand Canyon in northern Arizona
Manhattan (one of the five boroughs of New York)
Yellowstone National Park, founded in 1872
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
Niagara Falls, located between the state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario
Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii
The Florida Keys archipelago in the southeastern United States
Las Vegas
Denali National Park in Alaska
White House in Washington
Cities and resorts
The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit and Seattle.
There are many great beach resorts in the USA. The best beaches are Coopers Beach on the Atlantic coast of New York State, Siesta Beach in Florida, Hanalei Bay in Hawaii, Coast Goward Beach in Massachusetts, and Coronado Beach in San Diego.
The United States is known not only for its beach resorts, but also for its ski resorts. Among them, one should first of all name Killington, 250 km from Boston, Lake Placid in the Adirondack National Park and Whiteface near New York. The ski season in American ski resorts lasts from November to May.
There are also some excellent golf resorts in the USA – Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, Westin La Cantera and Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Texas.
Souvenirs/Shopping
Tourists from the USA bring jeans, chewing gum, cowboy hats, figurines of the Statue of Liberty, peanut butter, corn syrup, chocolate, beer as souvenirs.
Office Hours
Banks:
Mon-Fri: 08:00/09:00 – 16:00/17:00
Some banks are open on Saturdays.
Shops:
Mon-Fri: 09:00 – 17:00/21:00
Some shops are open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Visa
Ukrainians need to apply for a visa to visit the United States.
Currency in the USA
The American dollar is the official currency of the United States. Its international designation is USD. One American dollar = 100 cents. Credit cards are widely used.
Customs restrictions
Import and export of national and foreign currency is not limited, but the amount of more than 10 thousand dollars must be included in the declaration.
It is forbidden to import products made of ivory and tortoise shell, counterfeit goods, Cuban cigars, plants, fruits, vegetables, fresh and canned meat, drugs, and certain types of firearms. Also, you can not import any goods produced in Iran. Pets can be imported if they have an international veterinary certificate.
Useful phone numbers and addresses
US Embassy in Ukraine:
Kiev, st. Yu.Kotsyubinsky, 10
T: (044)
490-4000 Email: [email protected]
Embassy of Ukraine in the USA:
3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
T: 1-202-333-0606
911 Emergency Phones
– All Emergencies
Time
Behind Kyiv for 7 hours. Those. if, for example, in Kyiv it is 13:00, then in Washington it is only 06:00 in the morning.
Tips
Tipping in the US is usually 10-20% of the bill. In a restaurant, for example, 15% of the bill is left for tea, and if you have lunch or dinner in a group of 5 or more people, then 18-20% is automatically added to the bill.
In bars, it is customary to tip 15-20% of the bill, or $1 per alcoholic drink, or $0.50 per non-alcoholic drink.
It is customary for a taxi driver to tip 15% of the bill, and if he also helps with luggage, he is given an additional $1 per bag. In general, porters in hotels are also usually given $1 per bag.
Tipping in hotels is also 15-20% of the bill. Moreover, some hotels already include a service fee in the bill. The maid in the hotel is given from 1 to 5 dollars per day, depending on the level of the hotel.
The medicine
No vaccinations are required to travel to the US.
Security
American tourist offices are urging tourists who want to come to the US to forget everything they saw about this country in films. The US is actually said to be “a relatively safe country for tourists”. Especially if the tourists have an insurance policy.
In turn, we recommend that travelers to the United States take reasonable precautions, especially in metropolitan areas and in tourist areas.
