Facts About America

Geographical Facts About America

Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico 

Land Size : 9,631,418 sq km 

Weather/Climate of America : America has mostly a temperate type of a climate, but it is tropical in Florida and Hawaii, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest. The low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains 

Population of America : 293,500,000 

Capital City of America : Washington, DC 

American GDP: $10.98 trillion (2003 est.)

Main Industries : Petroleum, motor vehicles, aerospace, steel, telecommunications, electronics, food processing, chemicals, consumer goods, mining, lumbering.

American Currency : US dollar (USD) 

Agricultural products : Wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef, poultry, pork, forest products, dairy products, fish. 

Main Colors of American Flag : Red, white and blue.

Some US states have cities named the same as other US states. These are :

• Delaware, Arkansas 
  
• California, Maryland 
  
• Oregon, Wisconsin 
  
• Wyoming, Ohio 
  
• Indiana, Pennsylvania 
  
• Nevada, Missouri
  
• Louisiana, Missouri
  
• Kansas, Oklahoma
  
• Michigan, North Dakota

There are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually.

Rhode Island is the smallest US state in size. 

New Amsterdam, Indiana is the smallest city in the U.S., they have a population of 1. (6-04)

Louisiana has 2,482 islands, covering nearly 1.3 million acres.

The states with the smallest populations are: Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

US Flag Facts

US flag has 50 stars representing the 50 states, and 13 stripes representing the 13 original states.

Earlier flags had a British Union Jack or the motto "Don't Tread on Me,". The first flag approved by the Continental Congress had thirteen stars on a field of blue and thirteen stripes.

The credit for designing the first flag perhaps goes to Francis Hopkins.

The Continental Congress approved the design of the first official U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. This day later came to be celebrated as the Flag Day.

The official colors of the flag are "Old Glory Red," white, and "Old Glory Blue." 

On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted a resolution calling for a flag with thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, and with a blue canton or "union", with thirteen white stars. The resolution defined the significance of the colors: "White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; Blue, Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice."

The thirteen stripes and thirteen stars are representative of the original thirteen colonies. The five pointed stars used as a flag symbol gained popularity only after its incorporation into the American flag. Since then it has been used in many state flags and in foreign flags, including Uruguay, Puerto Rico, and the once sovereign nations of the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of Hawaii. 

Until 1818, an additional star and stripe was added as each new state was admitted to the Union. However it later became evident that it was not at all practical as the flag would inevitably become unwieldy. On April 4, 1816, a new scheme was made official. The Flag of the United States would have thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, and a blue canton on which a white star would be added for each state. Each star would be added to the flag on the July 4th following the admission of the new state to the Union.

In 1912, the government specified official patterns, proportions and colors, for the Flag we know today.

Traditionally a symbol of liberty, the American flag has carried the message of freedom to many parts of the world. Sometimes the same flag that was flying at a crucial moment in America's history has been flown again in another place to symbolize continuity in the struggles for the cause of liberty.

The American flag first flew over Fort Derne, off the shores of Tripoli in Libya.

Interesting Facts

Even though the grizzly bear is California’s official state animal, none have been seen there since 1922.

More breakfast cereal is made in Battle Creek, Michigan than in any other city worldwide.

The seven rays on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven continents. Each measures up to 9 feet in length and weighs as much as 150 pounds.

Montana has three times as many cows as it does people.

The American one-dollar bill contains several hidden images, including a spider in the upper right-hand corner.

The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

The American one-dollar bill contains several hidden images, including a spider in the upper right-hand corner.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 – 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell was last rung on George Washington’s Birthday in 1846. It received its fatal crack a few hours later.

About 35 million Americans share DNA with at least one of the 102 pilgrims who arrived aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

US Highway 550 in Colorado became known as Million Dollar Highway because its roadbed was paved with low-grade gold ore.

Although Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., it is technically 47th because Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit it to the Union until 1953.

Snake Alley, the most crooked street in the world, can be found in Burlington, Iowa.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson were all born in Virginia, making it the birthplace of more Presidents than any other state.

Venus Fly Traps can only be found natively in the Carolinas and nowhere else in the world.

The Japanese sent bombs aboard balloons to the United States during World War II. Dozens of them actually landed, causing some damage. One of them even killed an Oregon family in 1944. The scary part is that there might be more lying around undiscovered!

The British deployed the first rockets in America during their attack against Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key witnessed the attack and immortalized it in a song he titled “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That song is now the national anthem of the United States.

On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1"; encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.

One in every 4 Americans has appeared on television. 

In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are automobiles.

The United States Government keeps its supply of silver at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. 
The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used. 

52% of Americans drink coffee.

27% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

A Californian doctor has set the record of eating 17 bananas in two minutes.

Approximately 35 million Americans are linked by blood to one (or more) of the 102 pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620. 

There are five US states with no sales tax. They are: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work.

It was once illegal to take a bath in the wintertime in Indiana.
Ohio is a close runner up with 7. US Grant, RB Hayes, JA Garfield, B Harrison, W McKinley, WH Taft, WG Harding.

Virginia is the birthplace of more Presidents than any other state - eight (G Washington, T Jefferson, J Madison, J Monroe, WH Harrison, J Tyler, Z Taylor and W Wilson). Ohio is a close runner up with seven (US Grant, RB Hayes, JA Garfield, B Harrison, W McKinley, WH Taft and WG Harding).

Title of Song:
"America the Beautiful"
The Lyrics:

The words of this song came from a poem of the same title by Katharine Lee Bates (1859 -1929). She wrote the poem in 1893 and then revised it twice; first in 1904 and then in 1913. Bates was a teacher, poet and author of several books including America the Beautiful and Other Poems which was published in 1911. The Melody:

The melody of the song was written in 1882 by composer and organist Samuel Augustus Ward (1847-1903) and was originally titled "Materna." The lyrics combined with the melody was first published in 1910. This tune, which is now greatly associated with "America the Beautiful," wasn't used until 1910. Before that, the song was sung to popular folk tunes like "Auld Lang Syne." The Song Today:

Many consider "America the Beautiful" as the unofficial national anthem of the United States. In fact, it was one of the songs being considered as the U.S. national anthem before "Star Spangled Banner" was officially chosen. This song is sometimes played during formal ceremonies or at the opening of an important event. Recordings:

Many artists have recorded their own rendition of this patriotic song, including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Mariah Carey Interesting Facts:

A trek to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado is believed to have inspired Katharine Lee Bates to pen the lyrics to "America the Beautiful."

Lyrics (Excerpt):
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!