Country Guide - USA

 

Number One

In America, the rich are getting much, much richer. 20% of Americans earn 55% of the nation's annual income. The top 1% earns around 17% of all income and controls 35% of the nation's wealth.

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.

The US was fashioned from an incredibly disparate population who, with little in common apart from a desire to choose their own paths to wealth or heaven, rallied around the ennobling ideals of the Declaration of Independence to forge the richest, most inventive and most powerful country on earth.

COUNTRY FACTFILE

 

  • Full Name

    United States of America (USA)

  • Capital City

    Washington DC

  • Currency

    US Dollar

  • Timezone(s)

    GMT -5, GMT -6, GMT -7, GMT -8

  • Daylight Saving

    Early April until Late October

  • Area

    9,630,000 km2

  • Population

    290,000,000

  • People

    Caucasian (65%), African American (12%), Latino (14%), Asian (4.2%), Native American (0.9%)

  • Languages

    • Spanish (other)
    • Native American languages (other)
    • English (essential)

  • Plug Types

    • American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin
    • Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades

    Voltage: 110V
    Frequency (Hz): 60

 
 

Geography

The continental US stretches across North America 'from sea to shining sea'. There are three major mountain ranges: the Appalachians in the east, the titanic Rocky Mountains in the west and the Sierra Nevada along the border of Nevada and California. The country has abundant natural resources and vast swathes of fertile soil.

The Atlantic Coast is the most heavily populated area and retains strong traces of its European heritage. This is where the oldest American cities such as Boston, New York, Washington and Philadelphia are located, and where most of the major events in early American history took place. The central northeast is marked by the humongous Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), which occupy an area larger than most European countries. The rivers and canals linking the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean made virtual seaports out of midwestern cities like Chicago and Detroit.

The central area drained by the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers is the grain basket of the country. Farther west, on the Great Plains, are the country's chief grazing areas. This is cowboy country, though today the trusty steeds tend to be battered pickup trucks rather than hi-ho Silvers. Desert predominates in the southwest, where the climate and degraded soils keep population density to a minimum, and where you really don't need much of a wind to see tumbleweed bouncing across the highway. Cross the Sierra Nevada and you're on the West Coast, which was settled by Americans only 150 years ago but has been on a headlong rush into the future ever since.

The USA borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Alaska juts out from northwestern Canada; Hawaii lies 2500 miles (4000km) off the country's western coast, in the middle of the Pacific.

When to Go

The US is most popular with travellers during the summer, but this is when American families pack everything up and head out to visit Aunt Tilly. To avoid mobs (especially throughout the national park system), it's better to go during autumn or early spring.

Events

Americans love parades and pageantry, so there's no shortage of events and festivities. Half the country comes to a standstill during the Super Bowl, the roving American-football finale held in late January/early February. New Orleans' Mardi Gras, in February or March, is a rowdy, touristy, bacchanalian knees-up. St Patrick's Day, in mid-March, is celebrated with parades and pitchers of green beer; it's especially fervent in New York and Chicago. The Kentucky Derby is raced in Louisville in May.

Independence Day (the Fourth of July) is celebrated with lots of flag-waving patriotism, fireworks and the odd beverage. Inveterate travellers should drop into the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa, in August. Halloween (October 31) is a big deal for kids, who go trick-or-treating around their neighbourhood; in Greenwich Village, West Hollywood and San Francisco the holiday is subversively celebrated with glam parades. Americans go home to mom and pop for a big feed on Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November.

Weather

The climate is temperate in most of the US. Generally, it gets hotter the further south you go and seasonally more extreme the further you are north and inland from the coasts. Winters in the northeast and upper Midwest can bring long periods below freezing even though it's still warm enough to swim at the beaches in Florida and southern California.

Activities

No matter what you're into - nude bungee jumping, organic ballooning, power fishing - you'll find a spot to do it and folks to do it with in America. And it will be bigger, faster, harder and better than anywhere else in the world.

Places of Interest

  • Central Park

    This enormous gem of a park right in the middle of Manhattan is for many what makes New York liveable and lovable. The park's 843 acres were set aside in 1856 on the marshy northern fringe of the city. The landscaping was innovative in its naturalistic style, with forested groves, meandering paths and informal ponds.

  • Getty Center

    This sprawling campus presents triple delights: a respectable art collection (Renaissance to David Hockney), the fabulous architecture of Richard Meier and beautiful gardens. On clear days, you'll be treated to breathtaking views of city and ocean.

  • Niagara Falls

    Misty sprays and the majestic scale of this roaring cascade make it a marvellous spectacle. Split between New York and Canada, the Canadian side of the Falls has the more stunning views (as well as a strip of Vegas-like attractions including a towering casino), while the New York side has a handful of low-key, natural-park offerings.

  • Statue of Liberty

    This great statue is an American icon and New York's best-known landmark. Unfortunately, visitor experience has been significantly marred by post-September 11 concerns. You can no longer go up into the body of the statue, just glimpse it from the base, where a specially designed glass ceiling lets you look up into the striking interior.

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    Cleveland's top attraction, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum is more than a collection of memorabilia, though it does have Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche and Ray Charles' sunglasses. Interactive multimedia exhibits trace the history and social context of rock music and the performers who created it.

Carry-on Baggage Restrictions

Restrictions on airline carry-on baggage are in place throughout the US. For details check the Transport Security Administration website.

Visas

Canadians need proof of Canadian citizenship or a passport to enter the USA. All other visitors must have a valid passport, which should be valid for at least six months longer than their intended stay in the USA.

Travellers from countries such as Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can enter the USA for up to 90 days under a visa-waiver program if they have a round-trip ticket that is nonrefundable in the US, and have a passport valid for at least six months past their scheduled departure date. All other travellers will need a visitor's visa. Visas can be obtained at most US consulate offices overseas; however, it is generally easier to obtain a visa from an office in one's home country.

The USA is regularly adjusting entry requirements in an effort to reduce the threat of terrorism. It is imperative that travellers double- and triple-check current regulations before coming to the USA, as changes will occur for several years. A procedure introduced in 2004 requires most visitors travelling on visas to the United States to have two fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph taken by immigration officials upon entry at US air and seaports.

Under new regulations to be phased in toward the end of 2005, travellers from VWP-eligible countries will need to present a biometric passport or US visa to enter the country. You don't need a visa if: your passport was issued before October 26, 2005, but is 'machine readable'; if it was issued on or after October 26, 2005, and includes a digital photo as well as being machine readable; or if it was issued on or after October 26, 2006, and contains a digital photo and 'biometric data,' such as digital iris scans and fingerprints. Further details and information on the changes to the visa system can be found at www.travel.state.gov/visa.

Dangers & Annoyances

Despite its seemingly Babylon-like dangers - guns, violent crime, earthquakes, tornadoes - the USA is actually a very safe country to visit. Perhaps the single greatest danger for travellers is posed by car accidents on America's highways, and the two greatest annoyances will be auto traffic in the cities and crowds at popular sites.

Outdoor activities have their own sets of dangers and annoyances, but these vary with the terrain and the sport. The best advice is to talk to rangers about any risks posed by wildlife or the elements, and whether bugs and mosquitoes will be a particular problem when you'll be visiting.

In most major cities, pickpocketing is unfortunately par for the course, so take sensible precautions when dealing with your valuables.

Further Reading

  • Roughing It

    Mark Twain

    An entertaining account of Twain's foray into the Wild West.

  • On the Road

    Jack Kerouac

    Kerouac's roving journey through the culture of 1950s America continues to be a perennial favourite with fledgling beatniks.

  • The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

    Bill Bryson

    An expatriate American pokes fun at small-town life as he takes a roadtrip around the United States.

  • The Freighthopper's Manual for North America: Hoboing in the 1980s

    Daniel Leen

    This little-known book puts the joy back into trainspotting in its bid to revive a North American folk tradition.

  • A Turn in the South

    VS Naipaul

    A senstive, sympathetic outsider's perspective of the Dixie states.

  • America

    Jean Baudrillard

    Baudrillard's travelogue swims through the spectacle of American culture.

  • The Penguin History of the United States of America

    Hugh Brogan

    This engaging book provides a comprehensive framework for coming to grips with US history.

  • Democracy in America

    Alexis de Tocqueville

    A visitor's account of the early days of the republic.

  • A People's History of the United States

    Howard Zinn

    Zinn's view of US history, peopled by underdogs, presents the other side of the story.

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

    Dee Brown

    First published in 1970, this seminal and fascinating book tells of how the American Indians lost everything (including their lives) as white settlers enroached on their territory.

  • Black Elk Speaks

    John G Neihardt

    The powerful words and memories of Nicholas Black Elk, who participated in some of the major events of the American Indian Wars, come to life in this text.

  • Indian Country

    Peter Matthiessen

    A sad look at the state of things on America's Indian reservations.

  • If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem: The Wild Palms

    William Faulkner

    As with other books by Faulkner, this novel composed of two parallel stories transports you to the South, to Mississippi in particular.

  • Tar Baby

    Toni Morrison

    Set on a Caribbean island, this is a stunning examination of gender and racial politics by Nobel-prize winning Toni Morrison.

  • The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

    Frederick Douglass

    This is the classic slave narrative.

  • The Color Purple

    Alice Walker

    Rich in vernacular, this novel traces a struggling black woman's search for empowerment.

  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X

    Malcolm X

    This book traces the remarkable life of one of black America's most challenging leaders.

  • Native Son

    Richard Wright

    This is a gritty novel about a young black man caught in the poverty and racism of 1930s Chicago.

  • Invisible Man

    Ralph Ellison

    First published in 1952, Invisible Man follows the nameless black narrator's search for truth in a blind, racist America.

  • The Fire Next Time

    James Baldwin

    An eloquent, edgy essay on American racism.

  • Tales of the City

    Armistead Maupin

    A colourful novel about a zany cast of characters living in San Francisco circa 1976.

  • LA Confidential

    James Ellroy

    Set in the 1950s, this hardboiled crime story is about three LA cops and their involvements with gangland and sex bombs.

  • The Big Sleep

    Raymond Chandler

    Even if you've seen the film a thousand times, it's worth going back to the stylish original novel by America's greatest crime writer.

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