The United States is not the America of television and movies. It is large, complex, and diverse, with several distinct regional identities. Due to the vast distances involved, traveling between regions can be time-consuming and expensive.
The United States is composed of 50 states, as well as the city of Washington, D.C., a federal district and the nation's capital. The United States has over 10,000 cities, towns, and villages.
The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as the "USA," or simply "the States". It has a land area of about 9.6 million sq. km. It also boasts the world's third largest population, with over 310 million people. It includes both densely-populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast, uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas. With its history of mass immigration dating from the 17th century, it is a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world.
“Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain.” The beloved patriotic song “America the Beautiful” hints at some of the country's diverse, majestic landscape, which is certainly one of many reasons to visit the US but there are so many others.
Politically, the U.S. is a federation of states, each with its own rights and powers (hence the name).
Visa Regulations Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the USA must first obtain a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay. The visa allows you to travel to the USA port of entry and request permission of the USA immigration inspector to enter the country. Applicants for visitor visas generally should apply at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in the country where they live. As part of the visa application process, an interview at the embassy or consulate consular section is required for visa applicants from ages 14-79, with few exceptions. Persons age 13 and younger and age 80 and older do not require an interview, unless the embassy or consulate asks them to be interviewed.
US Dollar The United States dollar (sign: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$), also referred to as the U.S. dollar or American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America and its overseas territories. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents. The U.S. dollar is the currency most used in international transactions and is one of the world's dominant reserve currencies.[15] Several countries use it as their official currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. The symbol $, usually written before the numerical amount, is used for the U.S. dollar (as well as for many other currencies). The first United States dollar was minted in 1794.