Learn About the USA

This section is aimed mainly at children from outside of the USA who are wanting to find out more about the country. We have maps, factsheets and all sorts of worksheets aimed at prompting further research.

A Little Geography...

• The USA is the 3rd largest country in the world, based on both population (321,368,864 in 2015), and land mass (9,833,517sq km).
• The United States is located in the continent of North America and borders both the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, and the countries of Canada and Mexico. 
• The USA has six time zones, and a varied climate ranging from tropical Hawaii and Florida to arctic Alaska.
• The country is divided into 50 states and the District of Columbia. Alaska, northwest of Canada, is the largest state by area.
• Hawaii is the state located the furthest south and is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
• America's large size means that it has a varied landscape, including the Great Lakes, the Grand Canyon, and the Yosemite Valley.
• The USA is home to some of the largest rivers in the world which often flow through several states. The largest river is Missouri, at 2,341 miles long, followed by the Mississippi River which stretches for 2,202 miles from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico.
• New York is the largest city with a population of around 8.623 million. The capital city is Washington, D.C.
• The lowest point in the country is in Death Valley, which sits 86m below sea level, and the highest peak is Mount McKinley, which is 6,198m tall. 
• Wildlife in the USA is also diverse and includes large carnivores such as black bears, grizzlies and even polar bears, which live in the northernmost state of Alaska.

A Little History...

• The history of the USA can be traced back to the settlement of Indigenous people before 15,000 BC, where many cultures were formed. Early Native Americans were nomads who moved from place to place in search of food.
• In 1606, King James I of England gave the Virginia Company of London the charter to establish a new colony in North America. By 1607, English Settlers had begun growing tobacco at Jamestown, Virginia, and a settlement grew. 
• Hundreds of thousands of Africans were brought over to America during the 17th-18th centuries and sold into slavery to work on cotton and tobacco plantations.
• In 1775, a war between the thirteen colonies and Britain broke out over British policies, which led to Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1976.
• The Founding Fathers drew up a new constitution for the United States of America in 1787, which came into effect in 1788. George Washington was elected the first president of the USA in 1789.
• The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 between southern and northern states of the United States.  The Southern states were worried that they would lose power and the ability to make their own laws (including the right to have slaves) and wanted to leave the United States to make their own country. The US president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, was against slavery which was becoming outlawed in many Northern states. The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history resulting in the deaths of 600,000 soldiers. 
• Between the wars, the USA enjoyed prosperous times known as the Roaring Twenties, but this was followed by the Great Depression when 13 million people become unemployed after the Wall Street stock market crash of 1929. The Great Depression ended as World War II began.
• During the Second World War, Japanese warplanes attacked the US fleet at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii in 1941. In 1945 the US dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and the Japanese surrendered.
• In 1969 US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
• On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain to become the first African American elected President.

The Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon

And Some Interesting Facts...

• Americans love pizza! 100 acres of pizza are served in the United States every day! That's around 3 billion pizzas sold every year in the USA.
• The current US flag features 50 stars and was designed by Robert G. Heft, who was a high school student at the time.
• The United States uses 18% of the world's energy.
• The seven rays on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven continents. Each ray measures up to 9 feet in length and weighs at least 150 pounds.
• Over 9 million people visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum every year, making it the most-visited museum in the USA.
• There are 182 places in the U.S. that have the word “Christmas” in their names!
• The first ever Ferris wheel was debuted in Chicago in 1863, standing at 264-feet tall. It was demolished in1906.
• Kingda Ka, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, is the world’s highest roller coaster. It stands a mighty 45 stories tall and can reach speeds of up to 126 mph.
• Women got the right to vote in the United States in 1920, following the 19th amendment.