Know your country. Love its story.

The USA has 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam.

Alaska is the largest state by area; Rhode Island is the smallest.

Canada is to the north and Mexico to the south; the Atlantic is to the east and the Pacific to the west.

The Missouri is the longest river; the Mississippi drains much of the middle of the country.

Denali in Alaska (20,310 ft) is the highest peak; Death Valley (282 ft below sea level) is the lowest point.

Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario hold about a fifth of the world’s surface fresh water.

Common regions are the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West.

About 340 million people live in the USA; California is the most populous state and Wyoming the least.

Each state has a capital city where its government meets, such as Sacramento, Austin and Albany.

New York City is the largest city; Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston follow.

50 stars for the states and 13 stripes for the original colonies.

The bald eagle became the official national bird by law in 2024; the bison is the national mammal (2016).

“The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814) became the anthem in 1931; the motto is “In God We Trust” and the Great Seal reads “E Pluribus Unum.”

A gift from France, dedicated in 1886 in New York Harbor; a symbol of freedom and welcome.

The Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore and the Gateway Arch honor people and ideas.

The Golden Gate Bridge (1937), Hoover Dam (1936) and Empire State Building (1931) were engineering marvels.

Yellowstone (1872) was the world’s first national park; the National Park Service began in 1916. There are 63 national parks.

Bison, grizzly bears, alligators and bald eagles live in protected lands across the country.

Coast redwoods are the world’s tallest trees; the General Sherman sequoia is the largest by volume.

Hundreds of Native nations live across the USA, with their own governments, languages and cultures.

People from every continent have made homes in the USA, many arriving through Ellis Island (1892–1954).

English is the most spoken language and Spanish is second; hundreds of languages are spoken at home.

The USA has the world’s largest economy measured in U.S. dollars, with services, technology, manufacturing and farming.

The USA is a top producer of corn and soybeans; the Midwest is called the Corn Belt.

Silicon Valley in California is famous for computer and internet companies.

The U.S. dollar is printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; coins are made by the U.S. Mint.

The airplane (1903), the transistor (1947) and the internet’s early network (ARPANET, 1969) were developed in the USA.

NASA (1958) landed the first people on the Moon in 1969 with Apollo 11.

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine (1955) helped protect millions of children.

Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts; baseball is called the national pastime.

The USA has won the most Olympic medals of any country; Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Games.

Jazz grew up in New Orleans; hip-hop began in the Bronx, New York, in 1973.

Hollywood is the center of American film; Broadway is famous for theater.

Barbecue styles, Tex-Mex, gumbo, clam chowder and apple pie show regional tastes.

Writers like Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Toni Morrison told American stories.