ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Fact Book CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 FACT BOOK Two well-known U S symbols are the national flag and the Statue of Liberty INTRODUCTION The United States of America occupies the middle section of the continent of North America The country stretches across North America from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west The United States is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and the District of Columbia Alaska and Hawaii are the only noncontiguous or nontouching states in the nation They are also the states most recently admitted to the Union both joining in 1959 In 1776 Great Britain’s 13 American colonies declared independence During the following two centuries the original 13 states were joined by 37 new states Today the United States is the third most populous country in the world trailing only China and India In terms of land area it is the fourth largest ountry in the world The population of the United States is very diverse It includes Native Americans and people from many nations and ethnic backgrounds who have come together and formed a common identity While U S citizens share many cultural similarities their varied ethnic backgrounds make for different traditions customs and languages Each year about 4 million visitors explore the wonders of the Grand Canyon
INTRODUCTION 5 The United States of America Washington Olympia Salem Oregon Boise Idaho Helena Montana Wyoming Cheyenne North Dakota Bismarck South Dakota Pierre Minnesota St Paul Nebraska Lincoln Iowa Des Moines Nevada Carson City Sacramento California Pacific Ocean Salt Lake City Utah Denver Colorado Arizona Phoenix Santa Fe New Mexico Wisconsin Madison Michigan Lansing IllinoisIndiana Springfield Indianapolis Ohio Columbus Albany Maine Augusta New Hampshire Massachusetts Providence Rhode Island Montpelier Vermont Concord Boston Hartford Connecticut Trenton New Jersey Dover Delaware Washington D C New York Pennsylvania Harrisburg West Virginia Annapolis Topeka Kansas Oklahoma Oklahoma City Texas Austin Jefferson City Missouri Arkansas Little Rock Louisiana Baton Rouge Frankfort Kentucky Nashville Tennessee Charleston Maryland Richmond Virginia Raleigh North Carolina Alabama Jackson Mississippi Montgomery Atlanta Georgia Columbia South Carolina Atlantic Ocean Tallahassee Florida Alaska Arctic Ocean Beaufort Sea Alaska Pacific Ocean Canada Hawaii Kauai Niihau Gulf of Alaska Juneau Oahu Honolulu Molokai I I A N Lanai Maui H A W A Pacific Ocean I S L A N Kohoolawe D S Hawaii
