USA - "The New World"
General information
The United States of America is a federal country in North America made up of 50 states. It borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, and has coastlines on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Alaska and Hawaii, which lie outside the mainland, are also part of the country.
The capital, Washington, is the political centre of the country, but New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami are among the cities that attract tourists most often. The distances between them are huge, so a trip to the USA is usually planned around a particular region.
It is hard to speak of a single "American landscape", because the country includes almost everything - from skyscrapers and ocean beaches to deserts, canyons, mountains and glaciers. This diversity is one of the reasons the USA offers so many different kinds of trips.
Climate
The climate differs across the country. New York and the north-eastern states have four seasons and cold winters, while Florida is warm almost all year round. California has a milder climate on the coast, but inland temperatures can be considerably higher.
In the south-west there are desert regions where summer temperatures are very high. In the mountain states winter brings snow and is ideal for winter sports, while in the national parks the most popular season is usually spring or autumn.
Hawaii has a tropical climate, and Alaska offers a completely different experience - long winters, glaciers and a short but very bright summer.
Culture and history
The history of the USA is linked both to the native peoples of North America and to European colonisation, immigration and the creation of the modern American state. The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, and over the following centuries the country gradually expanded westwards.
Washington is a natural starting point for getting to know American history. The city is home to the White House, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and many museums. The Smithsonian museums offer collections devoted to history, nature, aviation, space and art.
New York shows another side of the country. Manhattan is one of the most recognisable cityscapes in the world - with its skyscrapers, Times Square, Central Park, Fifth Avenue and the Statue of Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France and was unveiled in 1886. It gradually became one of the most recognisable symbols of the United States and of the idea of freedom. For decades Ellis Island and the harbour area were among the places through which millions of immigrants arriving in the country passed.
New York also holds a special place in the history of art. After the Second World War the centre of gravity of the art world gradually shifted from Europe to the United States, and by the 1950s New York was the leading stage for modern art.
This was when the so-called New York School took hold, associated above all with Abstract Expressionism. The artists of this generation abandoned the traditional depiction of reality and sought to convey emotion, movement and individual experience through colour, form and the very gesture of painting.
One of the best-known names is Jackson Pollock. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he began working with a technique in which he poured, dripped and flung paint onto a large canvas laid on the floor. Instead of building the composition in advance in the traditional way, Pollock made the artist's movement itself part of the painting. This approach became known as "drip painting".
Other important artists of the period include Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and Barnett Newman. They worked in different ways - de Kooning combined aggressive gesture with figurative elements, while Rothko created large fields of colour intended to evoke a strong emotional and contemplative response.
This development changed the international art scene. New York gradually became a city where new artistic ideas were born, and in the following decade Pop Art emerged from this milieu, with names such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Today New York remains one of the great centres of art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and other galleries show both classic works and contemporary art. Broadway, meanwhile, is one of the best-known theatre districts in the world and is especially famous for its musicals.
Chicago has a different architectural history. In the 19th and 20th centuries the city was one of the centres where new ideas about tall buildings and urban planning developed. Today its skyline is among the most impressive in the USA, and architecture cruises on the Chicago River are a popular way to see the buildings.
In the west lies San Francisco, best known for the Golden Gate Bridge, its steep streets and historic cable cars. The city has a distinctive atmosphere and is linked to many cultural movements of the 20th century.
Not far away is Silicon Valley - the area around San Jose that became one of the world's centres of the technology industry. Companies and ideas that changed the way people work, communicate and use technology grew up here.
Los Angeles is the centre of the American film industry. Hollywood, the Walk of Fame, the film studios and the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica districts are among the best-known places. But the city is also a major cultural and culinary centre, and its coastline has a completely different atmosphere from downtown.
In the south-east, Miami is one of Florida's great tourist centres. The city combines beaches, Latin American influence, modern architecture and lively nightlife. South Beach and the Art Deco district are among its most recognisable places.
American culture, however, is not defined only by its cities. The country has a huge musical history. Jazz developed strongly in New Orleans, the blues is associated with the American South, and rock and roll, country music and hip-hop later became global phenomena.
New Orleans is especially interesting for its African, French, Spanish and Caribbean influences. The French Quarter, the jazz clubs and the local cuisine are among the reasons the city is included in travel itineraries.
The USA is also famous for its national parks. Yellowstone was established in 1872 and is the first national park in the world. It is known for its geysers, hot springs and rich wildlife.
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of the country's most recognisable natural wonders. The Colorado River carved the huge canyon over millions of years, and the various viewpoints along the rim let you feel its scale.
Yosemite in California offers a completely different landscape - granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoias and mountain valleys. In Utah, the Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches national parks are known for their unusual red rock formations.
Florida has another natural symbol - the Everglades, a vast wetland ecosystem home to alligators, birds and many other species.
American cuisine also differs by region. New York is known for its pizza and steaks, the southern states for barbecue, New Orleans for Creole and Cajun cooking, and California has strong Mexican and Asian influences.
Why and when to visit?
The USA is suitable both for a short city break and for a long road trip between national parks and cities. For a first visit, New York and Washington are often chosen, and on a longer route Boston, Niagara Falls or other East Coast cities can be added.
Spring and autumn are convenient for many city routes, while the summer months are popular for the national parks and West Coast road trips. Florida and Hawaii suit those looking for a warmer climate and a beach holiday.
One of the classic routes is along the West Coast - Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, combined with the Grand Canyon and the national parks of Utah and Arizona. Another option is the East Coast with New York, Washington and Boston.
With the USA there is no single type of travel. The country is interesting precisely because it offers different experiences on a huge scale - museums and skyscrapers, beaches and deserts, national parks and cities that have left their mark on music, film and contemporary art.
That is why the USA is one of those destinations that is hard to exhaust in a single trip. After the first route there is almost always a next one - another city, another park or a completely different part of the country.
