USA (United States of America) are located mainly on the North American continent, stretching from east to west from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The closest land neighbors of the country are Mexico and Canada, along the Bering Strait the United States borders with Russia. In addition to the 48 continental states, America also includes Alaska and Hawaii, and it also owns some islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
The USA occupies the third place in the world in terms of population; today more than 313 million people of different races and nationalities live there. White accounts for about 84% of the population, Africans - 12%, Hispanics - 9%, Asians and Pacific Islanders - 3%, Native American Indians in the United States today are less than 1%.
Americans are considered a very religious nation, about 88% of the US population consider themselves believers. Of these, 78% are Christians (mainly Protestants and Catholics), and there are also representatives of Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism in the country.
The official language in the United States is English; more than 73% of Americans consider it native. The state currency in the country is the US dollar (USD).
USA - the capital and major cities
The capital of the United States of America is the city of Washington, named after the country's first president, George Washington. Now more than 5 600 thousand people permanently live there. The most important government agencies are located in Washington, including the residence of the US President in the White House, as well as numerous monuments and museums of national importance, access to which is free for all visitors.
Other important US cities are: New York (the economic, business and cultural center of the country), Chicago (the city of blues), Las Vegas (the city of casinos, neon lights and vibrant nightlife), Los Angeles (the city that gave the world Hollywood) , Orlando (Disneyland city), Miami (city of golden beaches), San Francisco.
USA - rest and tours
Tours in the United States are stunning with a variety of travel destinations. First of all, these are sightseeing tours that allow you to get acquainted with the ethnic characteristics and traditions of each state, visit outstanding sights that are associated with the most important events and people of world history, as well as magnificent galleries in New York and Washington.
For lovers of ecotourism, there are many unique places with landscapes of extraordinary beauty and natural monuments located in a vast area from sunny Florida to Alaska covered in ice.
Educational tours in the USA are also popular, which are chosen by those who want to learn a language or improve their knowledge using the most effective teaching methods.
In addition, a trip to the USA is also a wonderful shopping experience, an abundance of entertainment for every taste and an unforgettable experience of exploring this amazing country.
USA - Attractions
The US capital, first of all, will be interesting to those who are interested in the rich historical past of this amazing country. Here you can visit the Capitol, which has become a symbol of American statehood, the White House, see the monuments of Washington and other American presidents, visit the Arlington cemetery with the graves of John and Robert Kennedy, the National Art Gallery, the Cosmonautics Museum with a unique collection of aircraft and other exhibits. In addition, there are many diverse boutiques, beautiful parks, cafes and shops.
It is impossible to visit America and not look at its symbol - the Statue of Liberty, located in New York on the island of Ellis, where you can get from southern Manhattan by ferry. Today, Manhattan is famous for its skyscrapers and Broadway, which gave the world a huge number of vivid views.
In the other, downtown part of New York, Downtown, is the famous New York Stock Exchange. At the Lincoln Center you can visit the Metropolitan Opera, the Avery Fisher Hall Concert Hall, and other theaters and concert halls. Also in New York, visitors to the country are waiting for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where you can see the richest collection of paintings by American and European artists, as well as an exhibition of cultural monuments from the ancient world and the Ancient East.
In Chicago, there is the Sears Tower, which is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. Here you can also visit the John Hancock Observatory with unique telescopes that provide an opportunity to see 80 attractions of the city; McCormick Exhibition Center, the venue for industrial exhibitions.
America is also famous for its national parks and reserves, the largest of which are Yellowstone with its 200 geysers and gorges; The Grand Canyon is the largest river canyon in the world, where you can take a tour of the canyon by helicopter and rafting down Colorado; Meteor-Creite, on whose territory there is a grandiose funnel from a meteorite fall, and many other parks. Florida and California are known for their beaches, Great Lakes, Niagara Falls.
USA - weather (climate)
America occupies a huge area, so all climatic zones are represented on its territory. So, in the north of Alaska, you can observe the Arctic climate, in the south of Florida - tropical. Accordingly, the weather characteristic of the country as a whole is out of the question. For example, the northeast and midwest are characterized by long winters with temperatures below 0 ° C, and at the same time, it is warm and sunny in the southern part of the USA. However, California is always warm and sunny.
Hawaii and the coast of Florida are characterized by a tropical marine climate with the influence of tropical cyclones, which in May-November cause a large amount of rainfall, which, at the same time, alternate with sunny weather.
Weather in the USA now:
USA - cuisine
The stereotype in the world that the culinary traditions of the United States are limited to hamburgers and other fast food is fundamentally wrong. The cuisine of America is delightfully diverse, thanks to the multinationality of its population. It is represented by European, Asian, African and Indian dishes. Today, every large city in the United States has restaurants serving cuisine of almost any nationality.
In small private restaurants you can get the most complete picture of what characteristic features and dishes distinguish the cuisine of each state. For example, Washington will delight lovers of lobsters and crab; Louisiana will offer its guests French seafood; in Arizona and Texas, they like sharper dishes that are close to Mexican; in Minnesota, you can taste dishes of wild rice cooked according to Indian recipes; Florida will delight gourmets with lime pie, and the list of such dishes can still be very, very long. To understand what American cuisine is, you need to visit this country.
USA - interesting facts
A country that has such a vast territory and a diverse national composition is unlikely to have a single model of behavior and traditions. However, there are still general trends.
The bulk of the Americans are very friendly, and they are interested in communicating with the guests of the country. However, the right of every citizen to private life is invariably respected here, and their sociability always has boundaries. In the United States, for example, it is not customary to sit down at someone else's table without an invitation, even if there are empty seats.
Americans are very punctual. Here, no one will give you a place in public transport, will not take off your shoes at the entrance to the room, but they will even come to well-known people only after prior approval of their visit.
When communicating, Americans love to reduce the names of their interlocutors to their American counterpart, regardless of the desire of the latter.
The behavior at the table here is based on European standards, Americans love good serving and do not welcome violations of hygiene standards or etiquette at the table. Interestingly, here in restaurants and cafes do not leave anything on the table. Do not be surprised if everything that you don’t eat is packed in a bag and delivered to your hands.
In America it is allowed to drink alcohol from the age of 21, and people who have not reached this age will simply not be able to get into many cafes or bars, and if they do, no one will sell them alcohol without a document confirming their age. At the same time, beer is not classified as an alcoholic beverage and is sold everywhere. But smoking in public places is strictly prohibited.
USA - visa application
To visit the United States, citizens of Russia and the CIS countries require a visa. It can be a guest, tourist, educational, and a visa for temporary work in the country. A tourist trip can be made with a B-2 tourist visa, for which you need to contact the US Embassy and provide a valid passport, application form and an established list of documents, as well as pay a consular fee of $ 160.
USA - Embassy
The US Embassy in the Russian Federation is located in Moscow, at Bolshoy Devyatinsky Lane, Building 8. You can call there by calling (495) 787-31-67, 974-88-43, (495) 728-5588 (consular department).
