The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as the "USA" the "US" the "United States" "America" (which is sometimes unbeknownst to it's citizens, people from South American countries sometimes become angry at the term "American") or simply "the States"
It is home to the world's third-largest population, with over 310 million people. It includes both densely populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast, uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas.
With its history of mass immigration dating from the 17th century, it is what is called in The USA as a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world and plays a dominant role in the world's cultural landscape.
It is famous for its wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago, (New York and Illinois) to the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii and Southern California.
-Tourism
The US federal government sets foreign policy, while the states deal with tourism.
As such, the federal government provides the best information about legal requirements for entry, while information about places to visit and see is best provided by state and local tourism bureaus.
At state borders, highway rest stops sometimes feature visitor centers and often offer travel and tourism information and materials, almost all of which is also available on-line or can be requested in advance by mail.
Nearly every rest stop has a posted road map with a clearly indicated "You Are Here" marker. Some also offer free paper road maps to take with you.
Note that government tourism bureaus and their Web sites tend to be rather indiscriminate in their recommendations, since for political reasons they cannot be seen as overly favorable towards any particular area within their jurisdiction. Thus is Why it's better to do research for tourism by the states you'll be visiting. each state has it's own website with information.
Government and politics
The United States is a federal republic comprising 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington DC), and several dependent areas overseas. The federal government derives its power from the Constitution of the United States, the oldest written constitution in the world in continuous use. Although federal law supersedes state law in the event of an express or implied conflict (known in legal jargon as "federal preemption"), each state is considered to be a separate sovereign, maintains its own constitution and government, and retains considerable autonomy within the federation.
State citizens enjoy the power to vote for federal representatives, federal senators, and the federal President.
By way of contrast, the District of Columbia and the overseas territories have limited federal representation, as they can only elect "delegates" to the federal House of Representatives who cannot participate in votes by the Committee of the Whole on the House floor. (D.C. does, however, get three electoral votes with respect to the election of the federal President.) Because they lack state sovereignty, the governments of D.C. and the territories exist at the mercy of the federal government, which theoretically could dissolve them at any time.
State and territorial laws can vary widely from one jurisdiction to another, meaning that the US actually consists of at least 54 separate legal systems with regard to any area of law not within the purview of federal law. State and territorial laws are quite uniform in some areas (eg, contracts for sales of goods) and extremely divergent in others (eg, "real estate," the American term for immovable property). If this was not confusing enough, sovereign Native American tribes are allowed to operate their own legal systems separate from both federal and state law.
-Geography
The contiguous United States (called CONUS by US military personnel) or the "Lower 48" (the 48 states other than Alaska and Hawaii) is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, with much of the population living on the two coasts.
Its land borders are shared with Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south. The US also shares maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
--Mountains
The country has three major mountain ranges:
-The Appalachians extend from Canada to the state of Alabama, a few hundred miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the oldest of the three mountain ranges and offer spectacular sightseeing and excellent camping spots.
-The Rockies are, on average, the highest in North America, extending from Alaska to New Mexico, with many areas protected as national parks. They offer hiking, camping, skiing, and sightseeing opportunities.
-Sierra Nevada and -Cascade (combined) ranges are the youngest. The Sierras extend across the "backbone" of California, with sites such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park; the Sierras transition at their northern end into the even younger volcanic Cascade range, with some of the highest points in the country.
-The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes define much of the border between the eastern United States and Canada. More inland seas than lakes, they were formed by the pressure of glaciers retreating north at the end of the last Ice Age. The five lakes span hundreds of miles, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and their shores vary from pristine wilderness areas to industrial "rust belt" cities. They are the second-largest bodies of freshwater in the world, after the polar ice caps.
The state of Michigan is the peninsula with the great lakes surrounding the borders of the state on 3 sides. This state is often seen on a map as a mitten looking shape.
-Climate
The overall climate is temperate, with notable exceptions. Alaska is cold and dominated by Arctic tundra, while Hawaii and South Florida are tropical.
The Great Plains are dry, flat and grassy, turning into arid desert in the far West and Mediterranean along the California coast.
--Winter
In the winter, the northern and mid-western major cities can see as much as 2 feet (61 cm) of snowfall in one day, with cold temperatures.
Southern states however barely get snow compared to northern states. When they do, states such as South Carolina close down business' and schools which is humorous to the northern and mid western states.
Desert states such as the south west Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico barely EVER see snow.
School closings are listed on local news channels and local news websites. On the local news, most places have two or more different local news channels these closings relevant are displayed at the bottom of the screen, in the morning as usually by county. Colleges rarely close down even if most or all surrounding schools close, but on occasion, college institutions do close for extreme winter conditions sometimes including below 0°F temperatures.
Most families in the south do not own a snowblower, or have snowplow companies as that business would generate too little income. They actually rarely sell snow shovels! Thus, business and school's close down.
Icy roads are dangerous and even some of the states who have heavy snowy winters will cancel school because of the dangers of the education transport system--School Busses driving on icy roads. However many residents of northern states are quite well adapted to "black ice" on roads but the accident rate every year due to icy roads is still high.
School districts who have students living on "back roads" often meaning dirt roads or unpopulated country roads do not get plowed at the [Sometimes nearest] town's expense.
Locals however often times plow these roads for their fellow citizens so that cars can more easily get out.
Many people have a detachable snow plow for their trucks.
--Summer
Summers are humid, but mild. Temperatures over 100°F (38°C) sometimes invade the Midwest and Great Plains.
Some areas in the northern plains can experience cold temperatures of -30°F (-34°C) during the winter! Temperatures below 0°F (-18°C) sometimes reach as far south as Oklahoma.
The climate of the South also varies. In the summer, it is hot and humid, but from October through April the weather can range from 60°F (15°C) to short cold spells of 20°F (-7°C) or so. Just because it's freezing cold sometimes it does not mean it will snow.
The Great Plains and Midwestern states also experience tornadoes from the Early & late spring to early fall, earlier in the south and later in the north.
States along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico, may experience hurricanes between June and November. These intense and dangerous storms frequently miss the US mainland, but evacuations are often ordered and should be heeded. If there's an evacuation issued for your area, whatever the reason-hurricanes, volcanic eruption, earthquake prediction, take the warning seriously and leave. Many shelters open up including red cross shelters within reasonable distance from the warning/evacuation site if a person or family has no where to go. Evacuations aren't exactly common, so when it's ordered, get out. Many lives can be saved.
Tornados do not call for evacuation. Actually, the opposite. Nearly all towns have "tornado sirens" when you hear these go off, or see a tornado WARNING on local channels, it means that a tornado HAS hit the ground in your area or very close surrounding area. Get to the basement--Lowest level of a house (many southern states don't even have a basement!) and wait. When the sirens turn off, or stop ringing, it's OK to come out. Be aware though that they may be going off again soon. If you do not have a basement, go to the lowest level of your house/residence, as being up higher, obviously, with the vicious winds that can exceed 100 miles per hour, the high part of a house or residence will be the first to be blown away. If possible without a basement, it's recommended you get in a bath tub on the lowest level.
If you hear sirens do NOT get in your car and drive. If you're already driving and hear sirens and spot a tornado (it will be visible before being right next to you) pull over and get into the nearest ditch. If the sirens are going off (or car radio has the emergency alert--you will know when you hear it) and you see larger sized hail, pull over and wait. You can seek shelter in any gas station, store, or even restraunt. If all else fails, find a ditch or a place of lower ground than the surrounding terrain.
A tornado watch is issued when funnel clouds have been spotted in your area or close surrounding areas. It is ideal to have a cheap battery powered radio for such emergencies as if you're outside of town, in whats known as the "country" you may not be able to hear the sirens and you'll have to rely on the local news when the weather is bad. When you're in the basement obviously most will rely on their battery powered radios as electricity may be out. (Also known as "power is out")
--The Rockies are cold and snowy. Some parts of the Rockies see over 500 inches (12 m) of snow in a season. Even during the summer, temperatures are cool in the mountains, and snow can fall nearly year-round. It is dangerous to go up in the mountains unprepared in the winter and the roads through them can get very icy.
Most common state for snow in the mountains is Colorado. Colorado is notorious for the hobbies/sports of snowboarding and skiing. Many MANY places in Colorado offer lessons, as especially snowboarding, is not the easiest thing to teach yourself. These activities are very fun for tourists, often on their "Bucket List"
--The deserts of the Southwest are hot and dry during the summer, with temperatures often exceeding 100°F (38°C). Thunderstorms can be expected in the southwest frequently from July through September. Winters are mild, and snow is unusual. Average annual precipitation is low, usually less than 10 inches (25 cm)
--Cool and damp weather is common in the coastal northwest (Oregon and Washington west of the Cascade Range, and the northern part of California west of the Coast Ranges/Cascades). Rain is most frequent in winter, snow is rare, especially along the coast, and extreme temperatures are uncommon.
Rain falls almost exclusively from late fall through early spring along the coast.
--East of the Cascades, the northwest is considerably drier. Much of the inland northwest is either semi-arid or desert, though altitude and weather patterns may result in wetter climates in some areas.
--Northeastern and cities of the Upper South are known for summers with temperatures reaching into the 90's (32°C) or more, with extremely high humidity, usually over 80%. This can be a drastic change from the Southwest.
High humidity means that the temperature can feel hotter than actual readings.
--The Northeast also experiences snow, and at least once every few years there will be a dumping of the white stuff in enormous quantities.
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