Facts about America
The European colonization of the Americas began after Christopher Columbus (re)discovered them in 1492.
The twentieth century has been termed "the American Century," despite the hardships of the Great Depression (1929–1939).
The aboriginal population of Native Americans, known as American Indians and Inuit, make up about 1.5 percent of the population.
Much of the American South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers.
The country flexed its naval muscle in the Spanish-American War (1898), which led to the acquisition of overseas territories in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
Progressives and leftists saw the hubris in such a position, and pointed to America's warts and foibles, epitomized in the expression "ugly American."
Many foreign students study in the United States, both bringing their culture with them, and taking American culture back to their home nations.
Baseball is extremely popular in Latin American nations and Southeast Asia, and football has had some success in expanding to Europe (NFL Europe).
The idea of America transcending ethnicity made it a successful multi-ethnic society.
Shortly thereafter the U.S. began to exercise its muscle in "gunboat diplomacy," taking Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War (1898).
America's identity is thus rooted in the power of these two universal ideas – the exemplary society and the land of freedom and opportunity.
In 1754, at the Albany Congress, Benjamin Franklin made the first serious proposal for a union of British colonies in North America.
Some parts of the American West, particularly Southern California, have a Mediterranean climate.
Apparent clarity about America's role in the world, however, was undone in the late twentieth century by a "culture war" between the conservative right and the liberal left.
Nearly 44 percent of Americans attend a religious service at least once a week.
A county-by-county map of plurality ethnic groups reveals that the areas with the largest "American" ancestry populations were mostly settled by English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh (the percentages of whom should consequently be slightly larger).
Overcoming this challenge will require Americans to harness their idealism to the service of humanity recognizing the diversity of global cultures, while resisting the temptation to simplistic military "solutions."
New states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent, obtaining territories held by Spain, France, Mexico, Britain, and Russia.
Conservatives held to a vision of America's moral superiority, and its duty to remake the world in its image.
A third significant minority is the Asian American population (4.2 percent), most of whom are concentrated on the West Coast and Hawaii.
The "Historic Areas of Istanbul" were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
About 45 percent identify by their ethnic background only ("Mexican," "Salvadoran"); they are usually mestizos or even American Indians of unmixed ancestry.
Meanwhile, the moral idealism of Protestantism continued to leaven American society.
Some thought of it as God's new Israel and set out to build the Kingdom of God in America.
Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the American Southwest from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada.
About 40 percent identify as white with more European (especially Spanish) ancestry; however, on average, they tend to have more American Indian or African blood than non-Hispanic whites.
Americans are renowned for their "car-crazy" lifestyle and the sprawling car-oriented design of their cities.
Foreign countries imposed tariffs on Southern agricultural products like cotton in retaliation for American tariffs.
Strengthened by waves of Christian revivals in the 1840s, Americans in the North and West flocked to the cause of Abolitionism, generating the moral fervor that helped fuel the Civil War.
Several autonomous territories, or reservations, have been set aside for Native Americans by treaty.
About 12.9 percent (2000 Census) of the American people are African Americans, most of whom are descendants of the enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. from the 1620s into the nineteenth century.
The United States of America—also referred to as the United States, the USA, the U.S., America, or (archaically) Columbia–is a federal republic of 50 states and the District of Columbia.
At the end of the nineteenth century, many Americans began to support international institutions for world peace.
The twentieth century saw America's idealism channeled into safeguarding democracy abroad, through participation in World War I and World War II, as well as the Cold War.
After the Civil War, American industrialists gained increasing influence on the U.S. economy.
Some examples of these are the Civil Rights Acts, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and hate crime legislation.
Nevertheless, ideas of social mobility figure prominently in the American Dream, which holds that someone born into a poor family can, through hard work, ultimately rise into the upper classes.
Except for expansion within North America, the United States adhered to this policy until the 1890s.
Benjamin Franklin's own philosophy paralleled that of the American founding.
North America, the planet's 3rd largest continent, includes (23) countries and dozens of possessions and territories. It contains all Caribbean and Central America countries, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, the United States of America, as well as Greenland - the world's largest island.Sep 19, 2016
Three countries (Canada, the United States, and Mexico) make up most of North America's land mass; they share the continent with 34 other island countries in the Caribbean and south of Mexico.
During the Proterozoic a series of terranes were accreted onto the North American craton, forming the Piedmont of the central Appalachians. ... The bedrock of the plateau formed about 470 million years ago during the Taconic orogeny, when a volcanic island arc collided with the ancestral North American Continent.
Norse captain Leif Ericson is believed to have reached the Island of Newfoundland circa 1000 AD. They named their new discovery Vinland. The only Norse site yet discovered in North America is at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and Labrador.
We know now that Columbus was among the last explorers to reach the Americas, not the first. Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.Oct 8, 2007
For one thing, it could shed new light on the early Norse experience in North America, first substantiated by Helge Ingstad, an explorer, and his wife, Anne Stine Ingstad, an archaeologist. In 1960, they discovered the remains of a Viking encampment in Newfoundland dating to the year 1000.
Half a millennium before Columbus “discovered” America, those Viking feet may have been the first European ones to ever have touched North American soil. Exploration was a family business for the expedition's leader, Leif Eriksson (variations of his last name include Erickson, Ericson, Erikson, Ericsson and Eiriksson).Oct 8, 2013
Why aren't the continents of North and South America called “Columbusia” after Christopher Columbus? The word America comes from a lesser-known navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Who made the decision? A cartographer.
Please click on the state you are interested in to view that state's information:Alabama. Alaska. Arizona. Arkansas. California. Colorado. Connecticut. ... Indiana. Iowa. Kansas. Kentucky. Louisiana. Maine. ... Nebraska. Nevada. New Hampshire. New Jersey. New Mexico. New York. ... Rhode Island. South Carolina. South Dakota. Tennessee. Texas. Utah.
The United States of America. The District of Columbia is a federal district, not a state. Many lists include DC and Puerto Rico, which makes for 52 "states and other jurisdictions". ... The flag has 50 stars, one for each state.
In 1775, a war between the thirteen colonies and Britain began, when the colonists were upset over changes in British policies. On July 4, 1776, rebel leaders made the United States Declaration of Independence. They won the Revolutionary War and started a new country.
The meaning of the word American in the English language varies according to the historical, geographical, and political context in which it is used. American is derived from America, a term originally denoting all of the New World (also called the Americas).
Why aren't the continents of North and South America called “Columbusia” after Christopher Columbus? The word America comes from a lesser-known navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Who made the decision? ... Like Columbus, Vespucci traveled to the New World (first in 1499 and again in 1502).
America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the then revolutionary concept that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a separate continent.
Half a millennium before Columbus “discovered” America, those Viking feet may have been the first European ones to ever have touched North American soil. Exploration was a family business for the expedition's leader, Leif Eriksson (variations of his last name include Erickson, Ericson, Erikson, Ericsson and Eiriksson).Oct 8, 2013
America's Founding Fathers including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe and Benjamin Franklin, together with several other key players of their time, structured the democratic government of the United States and left a legacy that has shaped the world.
This is 24/7 Wall St.'s list of the richest U.S. presidents.George Washington. > Net worth: $525 million. > In office: 1789 to 1797. ... Thomas Jefferson. > Net worth: $212 million. ... Theodore Roosevelt. > Net worth: $125 million. ... Andrew Jackson. > Net worth: $119 million. ... James Madison. > Net worth: $101 million.
The Darien Gap, a roadless region of swamps and rainforests that stretches 90 miles to the tip of Colombia, makes it impossible to drive the entire distance to South America. So we shipped the car from Panama to Colombia and flew there to pick it up, then drove south, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to Argentina.Mar 16, 2010
These include the native cultures of the peoples that inhabited the continents prior to the arrival of the Europeans; European cultures, brought mainly by the Spanish, the Portuguese and the French; African cultures, whose presence derives from a long history of New World slavery; and the United States, particularly ...
The Spanish first arrived in Latin America in 1492, when Christopher Columbus, who was bankrolled by Queen Isabella of Spain to find a new route to Asia's spice islands, accidentally bumped into the Caribbean islands. Meanwhile, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama founded the new sea route to Asia.
Geographical FactsAngel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. ... The Atacama Desert in Chile is considered the driest place in the world. ... The Amazon River has the largest water volume of any river in the world. ... The Andes Mountains is the longest mountain range in the world.More items...
Midday meals vary, from lighter foods such as rice and beans with or without coconut milk, tamales, panades, (fried maize shells with beans or fish) and meat pies, escabeche (onion soup), chirmole (soup), stew chicken and garnaches (fried tortillas with beans, cheese, and sauce) to various constituted dinners featuring ...
Portuguese is the majority language of South America, by a small margin. Spanish, with slightly fewer speakers than Portuguese, is the second most spoken language on the continent. Other official and majority languages in specific countries are: Dutch in Suriname.
South America is one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world with 37 language families, 448 languages of which over 70 are unclassified. Indigenous languages are used throughout the entire continent. They are spoken by over 11 million people alongside Spanish and Portuguese.Apr 1, 2013
Brazil
Largest Cities In South America By PopulationRankLargest Cities In South AmericaEstimated Metro Population1Sao Paulo, Brazil20.9 million people2Buenos Aires, Argentina14.1 million people3Rio de Janeiro, Brazil12.1 million people4Lima, Peru9.8 million people11 more rows
Peru
1619
In percentage, Honduras has the largest cheap labor in Central America, its economy is mainly agricultural, the main export products are rice, coffee, bananas, vegetables, and other products. Nicaragua: Is the least stable country in the region, and the second poorest in the hemisphere after Haiti.
The region consists of people who speak Spanish, Portuguese and French. These languages (together with Italian and Romanian) developed from Latin during the days of the Roman Empire and the Europeans who speak them are sometimes called 'Latin' people. Hence the term Latin America.Jul 15, 2007
Belize.Costa Rica.El Salvador.Guatemala.Honduras.Mexico.Nicaragua.Panama.
Latin America encompasses such other countries and territories as Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy.
Latin America generally refers to territories in the Americas where the Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail: Mexico, most of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Latin America encompasses 22 nations across Central and South America that share many cultural and economic commonalities. Geographically and organizationally, Brazil is considered part of Latin America. ... Its rapid advancement in recent years has led to the way for other Latin American countries' middle classes.Sep 23, 2014
South America is a geographical entity: the subcontinent or continent south of Central America. Latin America is a cultural entity: countries in the Americas where a Latin language is spoken (Spanish, Portuguese, French). The geographical notion is very clear: South America ranges from the Panama Isthmus to Cape Horn.
President Pro Tempore of the Union of South American NationsIncumbent Mauricio Macri since 21 April 2017Term length1 yearInaugural holderMichelle BacheletFormation20082 more rows
First of all, Argentina is a Latin American country due to the fact that is located in the Americas and is a Spanish speaking country, which are the two conditions needed to qualify. ... While Argentina has less visible African ancestry than other Latin American nations, it's hardly "White", especially in the North.
The first colony was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620. In both Virginia and Massachusetts, the colonists flourished with some assistance from Native Americans.
Christopher Columbus
Amerigo Vespucci
Women's suffrage has had a profound impact on the USA. ... The prohibition movement has been called "the first mass women's movement in US history" and prohibition was spurred by women getting the vote in many states before the national amendment took effect in 1920. And women backed prohibition more strongly than men.May 29, 2013
Because of Constitution Error, North Dakota is Not a State (and Never Has Been) A constitutional error recently discovered shows that North Dakota has never technically fit the requirements for statehood. ... North Dakota became a state in 1889.Jul 14, 2011
The physical aspect of transforming Steve Rogers into Captain America is one of the movie's stellar effects. In fact, the effect involved creating a skinny Steve from the buff Captain America body that actor Chris Evans attained from months in the gym.
In World War II patriotic solider Steve Rogers recipient of the "Super Soldier Serum" became the living symbol of freedom, Captain America. Left for dead while frozen in ice, the star-spangled hero with an indestructible shield awoke years later to continue his never-ending battle for liberty.
In the aftermath of Civil War, Captain America is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody where he is assassinated per the order of the Red Skull. Crossbones snipes at him while Sharon Carter (Agent 13; Cap's girlfriend), who has been brainwashed by Doctor Faustus, posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D.
seventy years
Myron MacLain
America is a continent. ... America is a country, at least to its citizens, and that's the most important part. It is the shortened name of the United States of America. It is pretty standard that when people talk about “Americans”, they refer to the citizens of the country United States of America.
America is the geographical name of a continent, divided into North, Central, and South, and comprises many nations ('countries') including Canada, Mexico, Panama and Brazil. The United States of America ('USA') is the name of one of those nations, a political and administrative area on the continent.
The first colony was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620. In both Virginia and Massachusetts, the colonists flourished with some assistance from Native Americans.
In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed. After years of fighting for equality, women were guaranteed the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone were important figures in the women's rights movement.
1621
Christopher Columbus Discovers America, 1492. Columbus led his three ships - the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria - out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited.
For a long time, most people believed that Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to "discover" America—the first to make a successful round-trip voyage across the Atlantic. But in recent years, as new evidence came to light, our understanding of history has changed.Oct 8, 2007