Discover America: Fact Book

Discover America: Fact Book — page 1
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