If you have family or friends who live in the USA or if you’re looking to move here, take a look at these 26 fun facts about the USA and impress the locals with your quiz-busting knowledge!
1. The USA is MASSIVE
The USA is a large country consisting of 50 states in North America.
2. Seriously, the USA is quite impressive size wise
The total land area of USA is 3,794,083 square miles (9,826,630 square kilometres)…
…that’s around half the size of Russia, or around 40 times the size of the UK!
3. The USA has fewer neighbours than you think
It is bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
4. It’s easy to find ‘The Land Of Opportunity’
Whether you’re planning on becoming a cowboy in the mid-west or a New York urbanite, head for the coordinates 38.8833° N, 77.0167° W to find yourself in ‘The Land of Opportunity’.
5. Interestingly, the US flag has nicknames
The US Flag is nicknamed the ‘Stars and Stripes’. It’s also known as ‘Old Glory’.
6. A STAR for a country
The flag features fifty stars – one star for each of the fifty states.
7. The USA has a varied topography
The terrain varies wildly throughout this huge country, with a vast central plain, mountains in the west, hills and low mountains in the east, rugged mountains and valleys in Alaska and volcanic topography in Hawaii.
8. Many people inhabit the USA
USA’s population was 333.3 million in 2022…
…that’s around 5 times the UK population!
9. The US capital takes pride in its size
The US capital is Washington D.C.; it covers an area of 68 square miles (177 square kilometres) and had a population of 705,749 in 2019.
10. The USA has a moderate climate…with slight variations
Americans enjoy a mostly temperate climate, although Alaska is arctic, whilst Hawaii and Florida are tropical.
11. Alaska beats them all in coastline length
Incredibly, Alaska has a larger coastline than all the other 49 states combined…
12. What a bargain!
…The state was bought from the Russians in 1867 – for just $7.2 million!
13. The busiest passenger hive in the USA
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the busiest passenger airport in the world every year since 2000, and last year processed around 20 million more passengers than London Heathrow!
14. Be sure to check the map before visiting The Statue of Liberty
Erected in 1886, the iconic monument, the Statue of Liberty is technically located in New Jersey, not New York.
15. Official and known by many
The official language of USA is of course, English!
16. The US currency is also quite famous
As you may know, the official currency of the USA is the US Dollar.
17. This official state animal is pretty rare
Interestingly, the official state animal of California is the Grizzly Bear, although no Grizzlies have been spotted in California since 1922!
18. The USA proudly presents its oldest university
Founded in 1636, Harvard University was the first university in the U.S.
19. Americans LOVE pizza!
Apparently, 100 acres of pizza are served in the USA every day! That’s a lot of pizza…
20. Americans have long lifespan
Americans live for an average of 78.54 years (2018).
21. The employer of the year!
Did you know, 1 in 8 American workers has been employed by McDonald’s?
22. Trying to find a ‘tweet’ – visit the Library Of Congress
Amazingly, the Library of Congress is archiving every Twitter ‘tweet’ ever posted.
23. Americans spend too much time in front of a screen
Are you tired of staring at your computer? Well, the average American probably is because on average they spend more than 10 hours a day using an electronic device!
24. The USA has an impressive production portfolio
USA grows fruits, wheat, corn and other grains; they also rear cattle, catch fish and produce forest products.
Its industry consists of steel, car manufacturing, petroleum, telecommunications, aerospace, chemicals and electronics.
USA exports cars, capital goods (products which are used to create other products), industrial supplies, consumer goods and agricultural products.
25. The biggest companies, both In The USA and in the world!
The grocery store Walmart is the largest company in the world by revenue, raking in an incredible $100 million a day!
In fact, of the top 50 largest companies in the world by revenue, 22 of them are based in the USA.
26. Easily call your friends in the USA.
Want to call your friends in the USA? You’ll need to use the international dialling code +1. Easy!
FAQs About The USA
Is Canada bigger than the USA?
Canada is actually just smaller than the USA in terms of land, however, add on water area, and Canada is just larger.
What’s the safest part of the USA?
Maine has generally been named and recognised as the safest state in the USA - road safety and crime rates are taken into account.
What’s the best city to live in when heading to the USA?
The cities best-rated to live in include Boulder in Colourado, Austin in Texas, and Naples in Florida.
Do you know any fun facts about the USA? Share them in the comments below!
