Introduction
USA: a global brand, a cluster of seductions, a wealth of surprises. The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.
The US was fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive and most powerful country on earth.
Geography:
The continental US stretches across North America 'from sea to shining sea'. There are three major mountain ranges: the Appalachians in the east, the titanic Rocky Mountains in the west and the Sierra Nevada along the border of Nevada and California. The country has abundant natural resources and vast swathes of fertile soil. The Atlantic Coast is the most heavily populated area and retains strong traces of its European heritage. This is where the oldest American cities such as Boston, New York, Washington and Philadelphia are located, and where most of the major events in early American history took place. The central northeast is marked by the humongous Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), which occupy an area larger than most European countries. The rivers and canals linking the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean made virtual seaports out of midwestern cities like Chicago and Detroit. The central area drained by the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers is the grain basket of the country. Farther west, on the Great Plains, are the country's chief grazing areas. This is cowboy country, though today the trusty steeds tend to be battered pickup trucks rather than hi-ho Silvers. Desert predominates in the southwest, where the climate and degraded soils keep population density to a minimum, and where you really don't need much of a wind to see tumbleweed bouncing across the highway. Cross the Sierra Nevada and you're on the West Coast, which was settled by Americans only 150 years ago but has been on a headlong rush into the future ever since. The USA borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Alaska juts out from northwestern Canada; Hawaii lies 2500 miles (4000km) off the country's western coast, in the middle of the Pacific.
Getting there
The US is most popular with travellers during the summer, but this is when American families pack everything up and head out to visit Aunt Tilly. To avoid mobs (especially throughout the national park system), it's better to go during autumn or early spring.
Getting there and away
Your main option for getting to the US is either by air or, from the closer countries, by road or train. The main international airports are in Boston, New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with hundreds of smaller airports dotted all over the country. For those travelling into the US from Canada and Mexico, you have the option of driving, catching a bus or an Amtrak train. The choices for traversing this massive country are myriad, be it via subway, bus, rail, bike or your own two feet.
Visa:
Canadians need proof of Canadian citizenship or a passport to enter the USA. All other visitors must have a valid passport, which should be valid for at least six months longer than their intended stay in the USA. Travellers from countries such as Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can enter the USA for up to 90 days under a visa-waiver program if they have a round-trip ticket that is nonrefundable in the US, and have a passport valid for at least six months past their scheduled departure date. All other travellers will need a visitor's visa. Visas can be obtained at most US consulate offices overseas; however, it is generally easier to obtain a visa from an office in one's home country. The USA is regularly adjusting entry requirements in an effort to reduce the threat of terrorism. It is imperative that travellers double- and triple-check current regulations before coming to the USA, as changes will occur for several years. A procedure introduced in 2004 requires most visitors travelling on visas to the United States to have two fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph taken by immigration officials upon entry at US air and seaports. Under new regulations to be phased in toward the end of 2005, travellers from VWP-eligible countries will need to present a biometric passport or US visa to enter the country. You don't need a visa if: your passport was issued before October 26, 2005, but is 'machine readable'; if it was issued on or after October 26, 2005, and includes a digital photo as well as being machine readable; or if it was issued on or after October 26, 2006, and contains a digital photo and 'biometric data,' such as digital iris scans and fingerprints. Further details and information on the changes to the visa system can be found at www.travel.state.gov/visa.
Destination facts
Capital: Washington DC
President: Barack Obama
Government: constitution-based federal republic
Time zone: GMT -5 GMT -6 GMT -7 GMT -8
Area: 9630000
Population: 290000000
People: Caucasian (65%), African American (12%), Latino (14%), Asian (4.2%), Native American (0.9%)
Languages: Spanish has effective dual-language status in parts of southern California, New Mexico, Texas and Miami.There are 400,000 speakers of Native American dialects.
Protestant (50%), Roman Catholic (25%), Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%)
Currency: US Dollar (US$)
GDP: Approx. US$10450000000000
Major industries: Oil, electronics, computers, automobile manufacturing, aerospace industries, agriculture, telecommunications, chemicals, mining, processing and packaging
Major Trading Partners: Canada, Japan, Mexico, the EU
Daylight Saving: From early April to late October
Weight System: Imperial
Country Dialing Code: 1
Weather
The climate is temperate in most of the US. Generally, it gets hotter the further south you go and seasonally more extreme the further you are north and inland from the coasts. Winters in the northeast and upper Midwest can bring long periods below freezing even though it's still warm enough to swim at the beaches in Florida and southern California.
Places of Interest
The USA is all about choice, diversity and glut, and its attractions run the gamut from cities divided between glitz and gloom to every kind of awe-swelling landscape imaginable. Its wealth and population of immigrants has brought it an unparellelled art trove, but it also excels in giddy kitsch.
The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.
The US was fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive and most powerful country on earth.
Events
Americans love parades and pageantry, so there's no shortage of events and festivities. Half the country comes to a standstill during the Super Bowl, the roving American-football finale held in late January/early February. New Orleans' Mardi Gras, in February or March, is a rowdy, touristy, bacchanalian knees-up. St Patrick's Day, in mid-March, is celebrated with parades and pitchers of green beer; it's especially fervent in New York and Chicago. The Kentucky Derby is raced in Louisville in May. Independence Day (the Fourth of July) is celebrated with lots of flag-waving patriotism, fireworks and the odd beverage. Inveterate travellers should drop into the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa, in August. Halloween (October 31) is a big deal for kids, who go trick-or-treating around their neighbourhood; in Greenwich Village, West Hollywood and San Francisco the holiday is subversively celebrated with glam parades. Americans go home to mom and pop for a big feed on Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November.
USA: a global brand, a cluster of seductions, a wealth of surprises. The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.
The US was fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive and most powerful country on earth.
Geography:
The continental US stretches across North America 'from sea to shining sea'. There are three major mountain ranges: the Appalachians in the east, the titanic Rocky Mountains in the west and the Sierra Nevada along the border of Nevada and California. The country has abundant natural resources and vast swathes of fertile soil. The Atlantic Coast is the most heavily populated area and retains strong traces of its European heritage. This is where the oldest American cities such as Boston, New York, Washington and Philadelphia are located, and where most of the major events in early American history took place. The central northeast is marked by the humongous Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), which occupy an area larger than most European countries. The rivers and canals linking the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean made virtual seaports out of midwestern cities like Chicago and Detroit. The central area drained by the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers is the grain basket of the country. Farther west, on the Great Plains, are the country's chief grazing areas. This is cowboy country, though today the trusty steeds tend to be battered pickup trucks rather than hi-ho Silvers. Desert predominates in the southwest, where the climate and degraded soils keep population density to a minimum, and where you really don't need much of a wind to see tumbleweed bouncing across the highway. Cross the Sierra Nevada and you're on the West Coast, which was settled by Americans only 150 years ago but has been on a headlong rush into the future ever since. The USA borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Alaska juts out from northwestern Canada; Hawaii lies 2500 miles (4000km) off the country's western coast, in the middle of the Pacific.
Getting there
The US is most popular with travellers during the summer, but this is when American families pack everything up and head out to visit Aunt Tilly. To avoid mobs (especially throughout the national park system), it's better to go during autumn or early spring.
Getting there and away
Your main option for getting to the US is either by air or, from the closer countries, by road or train. The main international airports are in Boston, New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with hundreds of smaller airports dotted all over the country. For those travelling into the US from Canada and Mexico, you have the option of driving, catching a bus or an Amtrak train. The choices for traversing this massive country are myriad, be it via subway, bus, rail, bike or your own two feet.
Visa:
Canadians need proof of Canadian citizenship or a passport to enter the USA. All other visitors must have a valid passport, which should be valid for at least six months longer than their intended stay in the USA. Travellers from countries such as Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can enter the USA for up to 90 days under a visa-waiver program if they have a round-trip ticket that is nonrefundable in the US, and have a passport valid for at least six months past their scheduled departure date. All other travellers will need a visitor's visa. Visas can be obtained at most US consulate offices overseas; however, it is generally easier to obtain a visa from an office in one's home country. The USA is regularly adjusting entry requirements in an effort to reduce the threat of terrorism. It is imperative that travellers double- and triple-check current regulations before coming to the USA, as changes will occur for several years. A procedure introduced in 2004 requires most visitors travelling on visas to the United States to have two fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph taken by immigration officials upon entry at US air and seaports. Under new regulations to be phased in toward the end of 2005, travellers from VWP-eligible countries will need to present a biometric passport or US visa to enter the country. You don't need a visa if: your passport was issued before October 26, 2005, but is 'machine readable'; if it was issued on or after October 26, 2005, and includes a digital photo as well as being machine readable; or if it was issued on or after October 26, 2006, and contains a digital photo and 'biometric data,' such as digital iris scans and fingerprints. Further details and information on the changes to the visa system can be found at www.travel.state.gov/visa.
Destination facts
Capital: Washington DC
President: Barack Obama
Government: constitution-based federal republic
Time zone: GMT -5 GMT -6 GMT -7 GMT -8
Area: 9630000
Population: 290000000
People: Caucasian (65%), African American (12%), Latino (14%), Asian (4.2%), Native American (0.9%)
Languages: Spanish has effective dual-language status in parts of southern California, New Mexico, Texas and Miami.There are 400,000 speakers of Native American dialects.
Protestant (50%), Roman Catholic (25%), Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%)
Currency: US Dollar (US$)
GDP: Approx. US$10450000000000
Major industries: Oil, electronics, computers, automobile manufacturing, aerospace industries, agriculture, telecommunications, chemicals, mining, processing and packaging
Major Trading Partners: Canada, Japan, Mexico, the EU
Daylight Saving: From early April to late October
Weight System: Imperial
Country Dialing Code: 1
Weather
The climate is temperate in most of the US. Generally, it gets hotter the further south you go and seasonally more extreme the further you are north and inland from the coasts. Winters in the northeast and upper Midwest can bring long periods below freezing even though it's still warm enough to swim at the beaches in Florida and southern California.
Places of Interest
The USA is all about choice, diversity and glut, and its attractions run the gamut from cities divided between glitz and gloom to every kind of awe-swelling landscape imaginable. Its wealth and population of immigrants has brought it an unparellelled art trove, but it also excels in giddy kitsch.
The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.
The US was fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive and most powerful country on earth.
Events
Americans love parades and pageantry, so there's no shortage of events and festivities. Half the country comes to a standstill during the Super Bowl, the roving American-football finale held in late January/early February. New Orleans' Mardi Gras, in February or March, is a rowdy, touristy, bacchanalian knees-up. St Patrick's Day, in mid-March, is celebrated with parades and pitchers of green beer; it's especially fervent in New York and Chicago. The Kentucky Derby is raced in Louisville in May. Independence Day (the Fourth of July) is celebrated with lots of flag-waving patriotism, fireworks and the odd beverage. Inveterate travellers should drop into the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa, in August. Halloween (October 31) is a big deal for kids, who go trick-or-treating around their neighbourhood; in Greenwich Village, West Hollywood and San Francisco the holiday is subversively celebrated with glam parades. Americans go home to mom and pop for a big feed on Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November.
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