Pictures USA

The United States of America was founded by the “Thirteen Colonies” formed by Britain between 1608 and 1732. In 1775, they rebelled against British rule and proclaimed independence on 4 July 1776. They then constituted the first 13 states of the USA.

Today, the United States of America is a federal constitutional republic with a government elected by the people. The USA is made up of 50 states, 48 of which are geographically connected and lie in central North America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Alaska, the largest state, is in the northwest of the American continent with Canada to its east. The state of Hawaii is in the mid-Pacific. Other US territories are scattered around the Caribbean and western Pacific. The US capital is Washington, D.C. and its largest city New York with a population of over 8 million.

The United States covers an area of over 10.50 million km2 and has a population of around 300 million. It is one of the world's most ethnically and socially diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from almost every corner of the world. Its vast size and wide-ranging geographical features mean that almost every type of climate is encountered. Though temperate in most regions, the climate ranges from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to Mediterranean in coastal California, arid in the deserts in the southwest and arctic in Alaska. The USA landscape is as diverse as its climate. From coastal plains to the relatively flat, fertile farmlands of the interior and the great plains, to the rolling hills of Piedmont and the vast range of the Appalachian Mountains, to the Rocky Mountains where peaks reach altitudes of well over 4000 metres. Amongst all this, the country has room for some 50 national parks. Founded in 1872, Yellowstone was the world’s first national park.

The country is so vast and varied that it would take a number of lifetimes to explore it completely. It certainly has something for everyone. It’s just a question of knowing where to start and what you want to see. What better way than to take a virtual tour of the USA on Internet. You’ll find that each state lists its own special attractions.