9,826,675 sq km (3,794,100 sq miles).
Population:318.9 million (2014).
Population density:32.4 per sq km.
Capital:Washington, DC.
Government:Federal republic.
Head of state:President Barack Obama since 2009.
Head of government:President Barack Obama since 2009.
Electricity:120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs have two flat pins with or without a third round grounding pin.
From the soaring skyscrapers of New York City to the dramatic mesas of Arizona, the United States of America is a place of staggering beauty and extraordinary diversity. Nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of Manhattan’s iconic skyline, the yawning expanses of the Grand Canyon or the neon-lit excesses of Las Vegas, just some of the country's many highlights.
You could easily spend a lifetime in the US and still feel like you’ve just scratched the surface. It’s epic on every scale. After all, this is a place where you can watch the thunderous spectacle of Niagara Falls, trek through the soaring Black Hills of South Dakota and cruise along California’s glorious Pacific Coast; where you can ski at Lake Tahoe, go cattle ranching in the Midwest and imbibe live jazz in New Orleans. The options, it seems, are endless.
The USA’s manmade landscapes are nearly as spectacular as the natural ones. New York boasts some of the most impressive skyscrapers on the planet (think Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Centre), although the skylines of Seattle, Chicago, LA and Vegas are no less recognisable.
The American people are similarly diverse; from the colourful Cubans of the southeast to the gun-slinging wranglers of Texas and hardy Inuits of Alaska, the country is a melting pot of cultures. Generations of immigrants have shaped the national identity in everything from food and language to music and manners.
Once derided for being boring, the resurgent capital, Washington D.C, boasts hip new bars, chic boutiques and a burgeoning culinary scene, which are welcome diversions in this theatre of politics. In spring, the city turns pink with cherry blossom – the legacy of a peace offering sent by Japan.
The glorious East Coast retreat of Cape Cod is also not to be missed. Looking around this exquisite peninsula it’s easy to see why the founding fathers, who stepped off the Mayflower here, chose to make this extraordinary land their home. "God bless America," they sang. And God blessed her indeed.
