The United States of America (also referred to as simply the United States, USA, U.S. or colloquially, America) is the third largest country in the world, both by land area and population. A former British colony that declared independence in 1776, the United States remains the world’s most powerful nationstate, backed by an economy of steady growth and low unemployment and inflation.
The United States has a mostly temperate climate with the exception of tropical Hawaii and Florida, arctic Alaska, the arid Great Basin in the southwest and the semi-arid Great Plains west of the Mississippi River. The geographical features of the United States also vary greatly, with the vast central plains; mountainous regions in the west; hills and low mountains in the east; rugged, steep mountains and broad river valleys in the Alaskan state; and a rugged, volcanic topography on the islands of Hawaii. The lowest point in the United States is Death Valley at -86 meters while the highest point is Mount McKinley in Alaska at 6,194 meters.
For travelers, New England offers beaches and spectacular seafood, rugged mountains for hiking, and among the nation’s oldest cities. Mid-Atlantic, ranging from New York to Washington DC, is home to rolling mountains and traditional seaside resorts such as Long Island and the Jersey Shore. The South is characterized by grassy mountains, agricultural plantations, cypress swamps and a complex diversity of musical genres including blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and country music traditions. The tropical state of Florida offers world-class resorts and the Everglades. Texas features a contrasting topography of vast swamplands, cattle ranches, sandy beaches and mountains and deserts. The Midwest has enormous farmlands, large forests and scenic towns. It borders the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater system in the world.
Travelling westward, the Great Plains offers an enormous span of forests and steppes (shortgrass prairies) while the Rocky Mountains features breathtaking snow-capped mountains that offer outdoor quests such as hiking, rafting and skiing. The Southwest, with its rich Hispanic culture, is home to some of the United States’ largest cities and some of the nation’s most spectacular natural attractions. The Pacific Northwest also boasts of outdoor pursuits, with its spectacular rain forests, scenic mountains and volcanoes. The state of Alaska reaches well into the Arctic and has expansive mountainous wilderness while the volcanic archipelago of Hawaii located in the tropical Pacific is a vacation paradise.
As diverse as the geography, the United States has an equally diverse and multifaceted culture, mainly due to complex human history. The majority of the ethnic groups are whites, followed by blacks, Asians, Amerindians and Alaskan natives, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islanders. More than half of Americans are Protestants, followed by Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jews, Muslims and other religious sects.
As a former British colony, English is the dominant and official language—with the exception of the state of Hawaii, where Hawaiian is an official language.