Geography Basics and Population of the USA

The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world based on both
population and land area. It has a relatively short history compared to other world nations
and has one of the world's largest economies and one of the world's most diverse
populations. As such, the United States is highly influential internationally.

Fast Facts:

 Official Name: United States of America

 Capital: Washington, D.C.
 Population: 329,256,465 (2018)
 Official Language: None; the most common language is English
 Currency: US dollar (USD)
 Form of Government: Constitutional federal republic
 Total Area: 9,833,517 square kilometres
 Highest Point: Denali (Alaska) at 6,190 meters
 Lowest Point: Death Valley (California) at -86 meters

The US Flag:
The Flag of the USA has thirteen white stripes that
represent the 13 colonies, and fifty stars to represent
50 states.

The States of the USA:

The smallest state is Rhode Island with an area of just 4,002 sq km. By contrast, the largest
state by area is Alaska with 1,717,854 sq km.
Population of the USA
The USA is home to many people from different race and ethnic groups.
Hispanics (people from Spanish-speaking countries) are the fastest
growing ethnic group (est. 18% of the population). The reason is the
most immigrants come to the USA from Mexico. 14% of people are
African-Americans. The ‘mixed-race’ ethnic group is another one to
grow fast in the USA.

There are more than three hundred million Americans, but only around
two million are Native Americans. They share 310 reservations on only
2% of the total land of the USA. The largest tribes include the Navajo
(308,000), Cherokee (258,000) and Sioux (131,000).

Christianity is the most popular religion with 70%. Over 20% of the population claims to be
atheistic. Muslims are among the fastest growing religious group, due to the heavy
immigration from Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Although there is no official language in the USA, English remains to be the ‘national’
language. However, there are 35 million people who speak Spanish at home.

The amount of money people earn differs from state to state. In 2018, people in
Washington, D.C. earned most with $85,000 per year, while people in West Virginia got as
little as $44,000 per annum. Poverty is the issue in many states, which often leads to violent
crimes. The number of the US people killed by guns in 2019 is 39,773 (more than 100 per
day).

Given the suburban nature of the US life-style, cars are

absolutely crucial for an American family. Over 6
million cars are sold every year, with over 270,000
vehicles registered in total. Legal driving age varies
between 14 years of age (South Dakota) to 17 years
(New Jersey).

A majority of the US population lives in city (urban) areas (77%), with 23% of people living
rural territories.

Answer the following 10 questions:

1. Why is it important for Americans to have cars?

2. What is the difference between Washington and Washington, D.C.?
3. What do the stripes and stars on the US flag represent?
4. Why are Hispanics the largest ethnic group in the USA?
5. How many people per day were killed by guns in 2019?
6. What is the official language of the USA?
7. How many reservations for Native Americans are there in the USA?
8. What is the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA?
9. What is the smallest state of the USA?
10. What is the form of government in the USA?