Location map of the USA
Flag of the United States
The United States in brief
Destination USA, a Nations Online Project country profile of the United States of America, a nation of 50 states, covering the central part of North America.
The Continental United States is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west. Alaska, the largest US state, occupies a huge peninsula in the extreme northwest of North America. The US state of Hawaii is an island group located in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States.
The USA borders Canada in the north; its southern 3,155 km long border to Mexico is partly furnished with a great wall (or fence). The United States also shares maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, and Russia.
With an area of 9,833,516 km², the USA is the third-largest country in the world. The country is more than twice the size of the European Union or about slightly more than half the size of Russia.
The United States has a population of 337 million people, (in 2024); it is the most populous country in all of the Americas. Its capital is Washington D.C., formally the District of Columbia. The largest US city is New York. Spoken languages are English 80%, and Spanish 13%.
What is the United States famous for?
The United States is famous for many things but especially best known famous American icons are
The American Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America. It is The American symbol.
Image: Lewis Hulbert
jeans, hamburger, Bourbon whiskey, Ford, Tesla, Edison, Harley-Davidson, the dollar ($)
cowboys and indians, mustangs, country music, Johnny Cash, Elvis and rock and roll, Blues, Jazz,
New Orleans, the Statue of Liberty, New York City, the Empire State Building, Broadway theatre, Hollywood,
Niagara Falls, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Napa Valley, Aspen, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Florida, California, the Golden Gate Bridge, Marilyn Monroe, Walt Disney, Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, Batman, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Google, hot dogs and donuts, diners, Television, soap operas, baseball, football and other college sports, yellow school buses, Star Trek, NASA and the Moon landing, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., BLM, the FBI and CIA,
John Wayne, rednecks, orthodox evangelicals, everybody has a gun, freemason symbols, creationism,
the American president, the Peanuts, barbie dolls, Kodak film, Miami and San Francisco, Indian Summer, bald eagles, the Hard Rock Cafe, The Blues Brothers, cornflakes and popcorn, Campbell soups, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Pepsi and Coca Cola.
United States News
US newspapers frontpages
List of online news from the US
Boston Globe
American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Chicago Tribune
A daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois.
The Hill
US website based in Washington, D.C., and a political journalism newspaper (only when congress is in session) covering congress, politics, political campaigns, and events on Capitol Hill.
Houston Chronicle
The largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas. is owned by the Hearst Corporation
Los Angeles Times
Daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881.
Newsday
A center-left American daily newspaper sold on Long Island and throughout New York's metropolitan area.
New York Daily News
Stylized "Daily News," a newspaper based in New York City.
New York Post
Daily tabloid, primarily distributed in New York City.
New York Times
The New York Times online.
Mother Jones
MoJo is an left-leaning American magazine that focuses on news, commentary, and investigative reporting
Roll Call
The newspaper of Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill.
San Jose Mercury News
The Merc is a daily newspaper published in San Jose, California.
Star Tribune
The largest newspaper in Minnesota.
Tampa Bay Times
Pulitzer prized newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida.
USA Today
American daily newspaper.
U.S.News
USN&WR publishes web-based news, opinions, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis.
The Wall Street Journal
Business-focused international daily newspaper.
Washington Post
The Washington Post is the most widely circulated newspaper published in Washington, D.C., founded in 1877.
More American Newspapers
News Magazines
Newsweek
American weekly news magazine published in New York City, founded in 1933.
Time Magazine
TIME is a well-known weekly news magazine published in New York City.
Business News
The Economist
Business and finance.
Financial Times US
World business, finance, and political news.
The Wall Street Journal
All the news from Wall Street.
Salon Magazine
Original reporting and commentary on politics, news, culture, and more.
Truthdig
Drilling beneath the headlines.
Project Censored
Media democracy in action. The media research group out of Sonoma State University compiles an annual list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked, under-reported, or self-censored by the country's major national news media.
Science and Fiction
Discovery Online
Mind games, real-world tales, adventures and expeditions, science live!
National Geographic
The official magazine of the National Geographic Society.
Quanta Magazine
Sheldon Cooper's favorite magazine covers mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science, and basic life sciences.
TV News Stations online
ABCNews
ABC News online.
CBS News
Website of CBS News.
CNN
News and advertising!
Fox News
Fox News Channel is an ultra-conservative news and political commentary television channel based in New York City.
MSNBC
Breaking News, Top Stories, and Show Clips.
Business & Economy in the US
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
The Central Bank of the United States, founded by Congress in 1913.
United States Chamber of Commerce
The business-oriented American lobbying group plans to become less aligned with the Republican Party than it has been for decades. [1]
Bank of America
An American multinational investment bank and financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Chase
Chase Bank is a national bank headquartered in Manhattan, New York City.
New York Stock Exchange
Number one among the American stock exchanges.
Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market is number two among the American stock exchanges.
Opensecrets.org
Political money culture, Campaign finance: Who's Giving - Who's Getting. The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks the effects of money and lobbying on elections and public policy.
Famous American Brands from A-Z
American Express
Financial services.
Apple
America's better computer.
AT&T
The world's largest telecommunications company.
Boeing
American airplanes, rockets, and satellites.
Brooks Brothers
Wrinkle-free dress shirts.
Campbell
Well known canned soup.
Colgate
Protect against bad breath.
Coca-Cola
American soft drink.
Cowboys at Cheyenne Frontier Days
The world’s largest outdoor rodeo.
Disney
The Web Site for Families, with a tremendous amount of "Terms and Conditions of Use."
Dow Jones
The American stock market index. Dow Jones launched its first stock indicator in 1884.
Eastman Kodak
American Films.
Exxon Mobil
American oil and gas.
Fender
The sounds that create legends.
Football
American ball game.
Ford
The world's first assembly lined car.
General Motors
American vehicles and vehicle parts, its luxury vehicles are known as Cadillac.
Gillette
American razor blades.
Harley-Davidson
American Motor Cycles.
HERSHEY'S
American Chocolate.
IBM
International Business Machines.
Intel
Microprocessors
Jim Beam
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.
Kellogg's
American cereals.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Traditional American food since 1939.
Levi's
American trousers.
McDonald's
American Food.
Microsoft
The most hated computer system of all time.
Nike
American Sportswear.
Pepsi
American soft drink.
Playboy
Home of the bunnies.
Ray Ban
Sunglasses
Reader's Digest
The inventor of lean reading.
Star Trek
Paramount Pictures Star Trek Universe.
Tiffany
Jewelry retailer.
UPS
United Parcel Service.
Volkswagen
Against all rumors, Volkswagen isn't an American car.
Walmart
Largest American retailer.
Warner Bros.
Hollywood
Wells Fargo
The American dream, from Pony Express to a multinational financial services provider.
Xerox
The Document Company.
Consumer Reports
Not-for-profit website for today's consumer.
Transportation
Airlines
American Airlines
The world's largest airline.
Delta Air Lines
Number two of the world's largest airlines, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Southwest Airlines
Large US American airline, headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
United Airlines
Major American airline headquartered at Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
...more American Airlines Major US Airports
Bus
Greyhound
The intercity bus company serves over 3,800 destinations throughout North America.
Railroad
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway and Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
Image: Jim Peaco, National Park Service
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States
There are 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States, 11 cultural, 12 natural, and one mixed site. Additionally, there are 19 properties listed in UNESCO's Tentative List for the US (see the List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States).
Most famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the USA
Independence Hall
The Independence Hall in Philadelphia is the former Pennsylvania State Parliament building where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the Constitution of the United States in 1787.
Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a 446km (277 mi) long and up to 29km (18 mi) wide gorge carved out by the Colorado River. The walls of the canyon show the geological history of the past 2 billion years.
Yellowstone National Park
The Yellowstone National Park is a 9,000 km² large natural forest in Wyoming. Grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and wapitis share the park with more than 4 million visitors (in 2018). Apart from the animals, the park offers a number of attractions, more than 10,000 geothermal features like geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. The absolute highlight of Yellowstone is a supervolcano, the Yellowstone Caldera, with a massive plume of molten rock underneath.
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. The biosphere reserve and wetland in southern Florida protects about twenty percent of the original Everglades. The park is a sanctuary for a large number of birds and reptiles. In 2010 Everglades National Park was again included on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem. [2]
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
The park contains the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes - Kīlauea (1,250 m) and Mauna Loa (4,170 m). Volcanic eruptions create a constantly changing landscape, an example of island-building through volcanic processes.
Lava, the semi-liquid rock that erupted from a volcano, has reached the waters off Hawaii Island. The Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: National Park Service
Environment & Nature
“No Plan, no Planet” by artist Dan Perjovschi.
Image: David C. Sampson, onEarth
National Park Service
Americas National Parks and Monuments. The agency of the United States federal government was formed in 1916.
Grist Magazine
American non-profit online magazine that publishes environmental news and opinion articles.
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace provides research, education, and initiatives for outdoor recreation decision making.
Yellowstone National Park
America's first and foremost National Park, founded in 1872.
Major Environmental Organizations in the USA
American Bird Conservancy
Conserving native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
Association of Environmental Professionals
California-based association of public and private sector environmental professionals.
Audubon
The National Audubon Society is a non-profit environmental organization in the United States. Its purpose is the conservation of birds and other wildlife and healthy ecosystems.
Earth First!
The action division of the American conservationists.
Friends of the Earth
The environmental organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco; it became an international network of environmental groups in 1971.
Green America
Green America promotes environmentally informed ethical consumerism. It publishes the National Green Pages, a directory that helps consumers to find earth-friendly products and services.
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization committed to exploring and protecting the planet.
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is one of the most significant nonprofit conservation, education, and advocacy organizations in the US.
The Nature Conservancy
The environmental organization, The Nature Conservancy, was founded in 1951; its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based non-profit international environmental advocacy group.
1% for the Planet
An internationally active association of companies that have committed themselves to donate one percent of their turnover to environmental protection.
Rainforest Action Network
The environmental organization Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is based in San Francisco, California. Its motto:Environmentalism with teeth.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is a US environmental organization founded in 1892 in San Francisco, California. Its motto is: "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet."
Wildlife Conservation Society
WCS is a New York City-based organization that saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, and education.
Worldwatch Institute
WWI is a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C.that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues.
Other Major Ecology Groups active in the US
Greenpeace
International environmental organization.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature is the leading organization in wildlife conservation and endangered species.
Devil's Bridge Trail in the Coconino National Forest, Sedona, Arizona, USA.
Image: @ clay.banks
