By being such a large country and with so much history, it is not surprising that there are some curiosities about the United States that many people do not know, although we are talking about the third most visited country in the world, thanks to its many places and attractions to visit.
But what we can assure you is that the United States of America, as it is also commonly known, is a country as unique as it is diverse, so you will find many reasons to travel to the United States, from epic cities, a mixture of cultures and impressive landscapes. It has, undoubtedly, a lot to offer.
If you have chosen this country as your next destination, there are some interesting facts that you might want to know before you travel. So we invite you to discover some curiosities about the United States that surely you do not know.
12. Curiosities about the United States
1. The United States has no official language
Although many multilingual countries have an official language, this is not the case of the United States. Although English is the most widely spoken language in this country since about 80% of the population speaks it, it is not the official language. In fact, neither the constitution nor any of its federal laws establish it.
Another curiosity in this regard is that hundreds of languages and dialects are spoken, but the second most common language is Spanish, which is spoken by 13% of the population.
2. The United States is the third most populous country in the world
After China and India, which occupy the first and second place respectively with 1,439 and 1,380 million inhabitants, we find the United States, which is also the most populated country in the Americas with 329 million inhabitants. New York being its most populated city with 8.6 million inhabitants, while the most populous state in the United States is California with almost 40 million inhabitants.
3. Its current flag was designed by a student
The flag of the United States is one of its most popular symbols internationally, so we cannot talk about several curiosities about the United States without mentioning some interesting facts about it. Although its first flag was created during the war of independence, the surprising thing is that the design of the American flag that we all know today is attributed to a student.
In 1958 and as part of a school project for history class, high school freshman Robert G. Heft was responsible. The funny thing is that the student who was 17 at the time did not get a very high grade, but his teacher told him he would reconsider his grade if his design was accepted by the United States Congress, which it was.
4. Alaska was once Russian
Although Alaska is currently a state of the United States, it was not always so. In fact, at the beginning of the 19th century it was part of Russia, until it was sold to the Americans. The U.S. government paid $7.2 million for the territory in 1867. Although it was not until almost a hundred years later, in 1959, that Alaska became a state.
The state now has numerous national parks and even the highest mountain in this country. Mount Denali, formerly called Mount McKinley which is 6,190 meters. Another curious fact about Alaska is that on a global scale it is approximately the size of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France combined.
5. The size of the United States almost matches that of Europe
The United States is the fourth largest country with 9.8 million square kilometers, making it as large as the entire European continent.
6. Its climatic diversity is unique
The United States is the only country that has all five climate zones on Earth: tropical, dry, temperate, continental, and polar.
7. A lot of fast food is consumed in the country
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on any given day in the United States, approximately 84.8 million adults consume fast food. This represents 37% of the adult population.
8. Home of billionaires
According to CNBC, the United States is home to many more billionaires than any other country in the world, with 705 billionaires. This is more than the next four countries put together that follow in this line. It should also be noted that seven of the ten richest people in the world are Americans.
9. The Statue of Liberty was a gift
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic and famous monuments of the United States around the world, but it also hides one of the curiosities about the United States that very few know since this iconic statue located in New York and formally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World”, was a gift from France.
The statue was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, while the frame was designed by a French engineer, Gustave Eiffel. Surely this name sounds familiar to you because he was the one who also designed the Eiffel Tower.
10. The U.S. economy is huge
This country is home to just under 5% of the world’s population, but when it comes to economy, it represents approximately 25% of the world’s economic production, in fact, since 1871 it has maintained its position as the world’s largest economy.
The U.S. economy is linked to the country’s huge population, technological innovation, high consumer spending, high average incomes, and a moderate unemployment rate.
11. Why is its currency green?
The U.S. government chose to color its currency green as an anti-counterfeiting strategy since, in the 19th century, when color was adopted, cameras could only take black and white photographs, making it difficult to produce imitation banknotes.
12. Basketball is a uniquely American sport
Sports are an important part of American culture and one of its most important sports is baseball, which is recognized as the national pastime of the United States, but it is based largely on the British game of cricket.
Likewise, American football or football, as they called it, is largely based on rugby which is a British sport. However, basketball invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, is the single most popular uniquely American game.
Without a doubt, there are many amazing things this country has to offer that we may not have covered in our list. So we invite you to share other curiosities about the United States that you know and find interesting.
ALFA