click logo to return to earthdocumentary homepage United States Travel Guide
Home  |  Destinations  |  Travel Guides  |  World in Pictures  |  Travel Books  |  Accommodation  |  Mailing List  |  Contact

Bookmark and Share

United States Destinations

  1. Los Angeles
  2. New York City
  3. National Parks of the United States

United States Travel Information

Introduction to the United States

The United States of America, often written USA, US, the United States, America, or simply "the States", is such a vast country that any attempt to describe it in a couple of paragraphs does little justice to it. In the earthdocumentary of the United States, we try to provide you the information layer by layer, starting from the main entry points, and working our way down from there.

The United States covers the whole middle portion of North America, between Canada and Mexico, that comprises the forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, the state of Alaska in the northwest of the North American continent, the state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and small islands which are also US territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.

Table of Contents

Fast Facts about the United States
  • Official Name: The United States of America
  • Capital: Washington, D.C. (582,000)
  • Population of the United States: 299,114,000
  • Languages: English (82%), Spanish (11%, others
  • Currency: US dollar
  • Religions: Protestant (52%), Roman Catholic (24%), others
  • Size: 9,631,420 sq km (3,718,710 sq miles)
  • Region: North America

    • Cinderella's Castle, Walt Disney World, Florida, USA
    Cinderella's Castle, Walt Disney World, Florida, USA, Venice
    Used under terms of GNU Free Documentation License.


    The United States by region

    The 48 contiguous states can be grouped by region as follows:
  • New England
    Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
    Located on the northeastern corner of the country, New England has some of the smallest as well as oldest states of the union. The earliest English settlements in the New World started here. Boston in Massachusetts is the largest city in New England.
  • Mid-Atlantic
    Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
    This is the nation's most densely populated region. It includes New York City, the largest city in the United States, and Washington, D.C., the country's capital.
  • South
    Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
    A region famous for its cooking and dishes such as jambalaya, music such as jazz and blues.
  • Florida
    A category all its own, Florida is a state with huge resorts such as Walt Disney World, cities like Miami with its Cuban culture, and a place many choose for their retirement.
  • Mid-West
    Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin
    Within this region are the farmland as well as industrial heart of America. The population is concentrated around the Great Lakes, where we find huge cities such as Chicago and Detroit.
  • Texas
    The second largest state after Alaska, and the biggest among the 48 contiguous states, Texas is like a country in itself (and at one time, it was). Images of Texas is one of cattle ranches and oil wells.
  • Great Plains
    North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
    A sparsely populated region of grassland called the prairie, the Great Plains extend from the forests in the east to the steppes of the High Plains.
  • Rocky Mountains
    Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
    A mountainous region that lends itself to outdoor pursuits from hiking to skiing, the Rocky Mountain states has much to offer in natural beauty.
  • Southwest
    Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah
    This region is where you find fantastic landscape in the form of canyons and desert, and ancient remains of native Americans.
  • California
    This state is home to the country's entertainment capital, Hollywood, but there is more to California than that. It is also blessed with a beautiful coastline, and is a major producer of fruits and wine, as well as being a centre for information technology.
  • Pacific Northwest
    Washington, Oregon
    The region has temperate rain forest, beautiful coastline with jagged mountains and the occasional volcanic eruptions. The city of Seattle was once the home of the country's aircraft manufacturing, but is today more closely regarded as home to Microsoft.
  • Alaska
    The biggest state in the United States makes up one fifth of its land area but is sparsely populated. Clad mostly in mountainous wilderness, Alaska is rich in oil and other minerals.
  • Hawaii
    Located over two thousand miles off the west coast of the US mainland, Hawaii is regarded as a tropical vacation paradise.

    • When to visit the United States

    The United States is so vast and so diverse that any time is a good time.

    Getting into the United States

    There are flights to many cities in the United States. The main entry point on the East Coast is New York City while in the West Coast it is Los Angeles.

    Where to stay in the United States

    Click on the name of the towns listed below to view hostels and budget accommodation available for booking there.

    Click here for Budget Hostel Listing with Price and Room Availability
  • Aberdeen
  • Anaheim
  • Anchorage
  • Antioch
  • Arroyo Seco
  • Asheville
  • Aspen
  • Atlanta
  • Austin
  • Baltimore
  • Bar Harbor
  • Bennington
  • Berkeley
  • Big Bear Lake
  • Big Island
  • Bingen
  • Boston
  • Breckenridge
  • Buena Park
  • Buffalo
  • Cambridge
  • Cameron Park
  • Cape Cod
  • Charleston
  • Charlottesville
  • Chester
  • Chicago
  • Cleveland
  • Clewiston
  • Conway
  • Dallas
  • Dearborn
  • Denver
  • Detroit
  • El Paso
  • Eugene
  • Fairbanks
  • Fayetteville
  • Flagstaff
  • Florida City
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Fountain Hills
  • Fullerton
  • Gilroy
  • Glenwood Springs
  • Gonzales
  • Hamilton
  • Harpers Ferry
  • Hartford
  • Harvard
  • Hollywood
  • Homer
  • Hop Bottom
  • Houston
  • Hyder
  • Indianapolis
  • Jersey City
  • Jim Thorpe
  • Kailua Kona
  • Kauai
  • Killington
  • Kissimmee
  • Knoxville
  • Lafayette LA
  • Lake Tahoe
  • Las Vegas
  • Little Rock
  • Los Angeles
  • Ludlow
  • Malden
  • Mariposa
  • Martha's Vineyard
  • Maui
  • McCarthy
  • Miami
  • Middletown
  • Midpines
  • Milledgeville
  • Minerva
  • Minneapolis
  • Mohawk
  • Montara
  • Nampa
  • Nantucket
  • Naples
  • Nashville
  • Nashville IN
  • New Orleans
  • New York
  • Newark
  • Newport RI
  • Newport WA
  • Niagara Falls
  • Norwood
  • Oahu
  • Orlando
  • Palm Springs
  • Palo Alto
  • Panama City
  • Pescadero
  • Petersburg AK
  • Philadelphia
  • Pigeon Forge
  • Portland
  • Railroad
  • Round Rock
  • Rumney
  • Rutledge
  • Sacramento
  • Salt Lake City
  • San Antonio
  • San Diego
  • San Francisco
  • Santa Barbara
  • Santa Cruz
  • Sarasota
  • Sausalito
  • Seaside
  • Seattle
  • Seekonk
  • Silver Bay
  • Silver Springs
  • Silverton
  • Skykomish
  • South Lake Tahoe
  • St Augustine
  • St. Louis
  • Talkeetna
  • Tampa
  • Tehuacana
  • Torrey
  • Truth or Consequences
  • Tubac
  • Tucumcari
  • Washington DC
  • West Yellowstone
  • Westerly RI
  • Whitehall
  • Wildwood
  • Williams
  • Wilmington
  • Winter Park-Fraser

    To find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say about the hotels in the United States, click here

    User Feedback on Accommodation
    We compile the accommodation listing above with the good faith that it will be useful to you. If you have used any of the accommodation listed above, please write to us with your feedback, whether you enjoyed your stay there or not, and we will share it with others. Your feedback will benefit others when they choose their accommodation. We will not de-list any of the accommodation just because of a negative feedback from anybody, but will let you decide for yourself based on the feedback you read. User feedback is listed in http://www.earthdocumentary.com/hostel_feedback.htm

    Sightseeing Tours of the United States

    The following are local tours that are available for you to book:
  • ALBUQUERQUE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ANAHEIM - BUENA PARK Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ANCHORAGE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ANNAPOLIS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ATLANTA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • BALTIMORE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • BOSTON Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • BRANSON Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • BUENA VISTA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • CHICAGO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • CLEARWATER BEACH Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • CLEVELAND Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • DALLAS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • DENVER Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • FLAGSTAFF Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • FORT LAUDERDALE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • GETTYSBURG Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • HAWAII Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • HOUSTON Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • KAUAI Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • KEY WEST Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • LAKE GENEVA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • LAKE TAHOE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • LAS VEGAS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • LOS ANGELES Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MADISON Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MAUI Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MEMPHIS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MIAMI Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MINNEAPOLIS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MOAB Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • MYRTLE BEACH Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • NASHVILLE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • NEW ORLEANS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • NEW YORK Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • OAHU Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ORLANDO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • PALM SPRINGS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • PHILADELPHIA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • PHOENIX Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • PITTSBURGH Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • PORTLAND Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SACRAMENTO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SAN ANTONIO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SAN DIEGO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SAN FRANCISCO Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SANTA FE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SAVANNAH Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SEATTLE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • SEDONA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ST AUGUSTINE Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • ST PETERSBURG Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • TAMPA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • TUCSON Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • VALDOSTA Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • WASHINGTON D.C. Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
  • WILLIAMS Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator

    Money matters in United States

    At time of writing (Oct 2007), €1.00 = US$1.42. For the latest exchange go to the Oanda Currency Converter.




    • EarthDocumentary copyright © 2007-2008 Timothy Tye  All rights reserved.
    This article is researched and written by Timothy Tye. The content is available under GNU Free Documentation License. Wikipedia is cited as one of the sources. Photographs appearing on this website are governed by licenses as captioned below them and can only be used under terms of the specific licensing terms. Copyrighted photographs may not be reused unless you first obtain permission from the owner. Photographs without licensing terms captioned are owned by the author. Click here for licensing terms of the author's photographs. EarthDocumentary disclaim responsible for the use of information on this website. The author is a Christian. Click here if you are interested to know more about his Christian beliefs. To contact EarthDocumentary, use the following email address: