United States of America Travel Guide

The United States of America, "The States", "The US" or "The USA" as it is variously known is a nation taking up a large part of the continent of North America as well as the Hawaiian Islands. It covers an area of almost 10 million square kilomtres making it about half the size of Russia or around the same size as China. There are just over 300 million people in the USA which makes it the worlds third largest country. The land mass of the United States covers a large area and so is very diverse. Large mountain ranges, deserts, forests, sandy beaches, vast plains, rural areas and highly populated urban areas can all be found in various places across the country.

What is today known as the United States was once inhabited by an indigenous population that today are known as "American Indians" or Native Americans. This population is thought to have it's roots in Asia. This population was made up of various groups many of which were hunter gatherers. In the 16th and 17th centuries colonisation from Europe started to occur and by the early 18th century there were 13 British colonies spread along the Atlantic coast. In 1776 they began what is today the United States by declaring their independence from Great Britain. The newly formed nation soon acquired further land from the French and Spanish and expanded into the mid-west. Settlers in Texas initially formed a republic and rebelled against the Mexican government and then joined with the Union and fought the Mexican-American War in 1848 resulting in the acquisition of California, New Mexico and Arizona. In 1867 The US purchased Alaska from Russia and annexed Hawaii in 1998, giving rise to the USA we know today. The United States is now a modern and thriving country with a huge mulitcultural population owing to it's long history of migration.

The USA today is arguably to most powerful nation in the world financially and militarily. It also exerts a huge influence on global culture and world politics.

In terms of travel the United States is a very large and diverse country with many potential destinations. Many visitors will opt to concentrate on a particular region or even city on a visit. Large cities are a common choice with New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas among the most popular. The USA also has some of the best know natural attractions in the world including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks and Niagra Falls on the Canadian border. There are also a number of specifically built tourism attractions with probably the best known theme park in the world - Disneyland. Additionally the states have major sporting events, music festivals and some of the best art galleries in the world. The USA is a destination that could easily take a lifetime to explore fully.

Map of United States of America.