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Country Fact File : United States
Animal sanctuary volunteering program in Florida, USA

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Country Fact File

United States Flag 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. So much of the country has been filmed, photographed, painted and written about that you need to peel back layers of representation to stop it from looking like a stage setting. This can make the country seem strangely familiar when you first encounter novelties like 24-hour shopping, bottomless cups of coffee, 'Have a nice day', drive-thru banks, TV evangelists, cheap gasoline and newspapers tossed onto lawns. But you'd be foolish to read too much into this surface familiarity, since you only have to watch Oprah for half an hour to realize that the rituals and currents of American life are as complex, seductive and bewildering as the most alien of cultures.

Location	North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Area	9,629,091 sq km
Border Countries	Canada, Mexico
Climate	Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain	Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Highest Point	Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Natural Hazards	Tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environmental Issues	Air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Population	290,342,554 (July 2003 est.)
Ethnic Groups	White 77.1%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.5%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.3%, other 4% (2000)
Religions	Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages	English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Type of Government	Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital	Washington, DC
Independence Day	Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Chief of State/ Head of Government	President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Currency	US dollar (USD)
Time	GMT -8 (in Washington)

Did you know?

Mount Rushmore used to be called Slaughterhouse Rock

California is home to the largest tree, the tallest tree and the oldest tree in the USA

Maine grows 98% of the nations blueberries

Useful Numbers & Web Addresses

International dialing code: +1

Police tel: 911

Ambulance tel: 911

British Embassy: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008. Tel: (1)(202) 588 6500 Embassy

Embassy in UK: 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE. Tel: (020) 7499 9000