UNITED STATES

The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.

Main Destinations
New York City, San Francisco, The Grand Canyon, Houston, Las Vegas, Waikiki, Miami, New Orleans, Utah’s National Park, Orlando

The Location
The United States of America is the world's third-largest country in size and nearly the third-largest in terms of population. Located in North America, the country is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Along the northern border is Canada and the southern border is Mexico. There are 50 states and the District of Columbia.

More than twice the size of the European Union, the United States has high mountains in the West and a vast central plain. The lowest point in the country is in Death Valley which is at -282 feet (-86 meters) and the highest peak is Denali (Mt. McKinley) at 20,320 feet (6,198 meters)

Main Airport
Birmingham BHM, Dothan DHN, Huntsville HSV

Capital City
Washington, DC, the U.S. capital, is a compact city on the Potomac River, bordering the states of Maryland and Virginia. It’s defined by imposing neoclassical monuments and buildings – including the iconic ones that house the federal government’s 3 branches: the Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court. It's also home to iconic museums and performing arts venues such as the Kennedy Center.

Language Spoken
English – 245 million (78.4%) Spanish – 41.3 million (13.2%) Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hocken, and all other varieties) – 3.40 million (1.1%) Tagalog (including Filipino) – 1.72 million (0.5%)

Currency
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it into 100 cents, and authorized the minting of coins denominated in dollars and cents. U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green color.

Emergency Calls
The official emergency number in the United States and Canada is 911. Although the first 911 call was placed in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968, it was not until 1999 that the United States Congress directed the FCC to make 911 the universal emergency number in the United States for all telephone services.

Peak Season
The USA has varied seasons in each of its regions, but in general, the best time to visit the USA is during Spring and Fall, however, summer months from May to September are considered the peak time for tourists to visit the country.

low season

The off-season is the time when a place receives the least number of tourists. In the USA, this is generally during the winter months of December to February when it receives bone-chilling weather in a few parts.

Temperature

Based on preliminary analysis, the average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 53.4°F, 1.4°F above the 20th-century average, ranking in the warmest third in the 128-year record. Most of the contiguous U.S. experienced above-average temperatures during 2022.