9 fun facts about the United States of America

The United States of America is a diverse and fascinating country with a rich history and unique characteristics.

Contents

1. Vast Size 2. Diversity 3. The American Flag 4. The United States National Anthem 5. Dates format in United States of America 6. Unique Holidays 7. The Legal Age For Alcohol Consumption 8. The largest State in the United States 9. American Federal Holidays

From its vast size to the diversity that characterise the country, there’s more to the United States than meets the eye. In this article, there are some fun and interesting facts about the United States that you might not have known.

1. Vast Size

The United States of America is the fourth-largest country by area and the third most populous country in the world.

It has a variety of landscapes, including mountains, forests, deserts, and coastlines. This vast size contributes to an incredible diversity of cultures, languages, and traditions in the country.

2. Diversity

The United States can be metaphorically referred to as a “salad bowl” due to its multicultural society. It is home to people from various ethnic backgrounds, making its cultural landscape incredibly rich. This metaphor suggests that different cultures in the United States coexist while retaining their unique identities, much like the individual ingredients in a salad.

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3. The American Flag

The American flag of the United States is a symbol of freedom.

The flag’s 13 red and white stripes represent the 13 original colonies while the 50 white stars on the blue background represent the 50 states. Each of the colours on the flag has the following meaning:

Red: Valour and Bravery

White: Purity and Innocence

Blue: Vigilance, Perseverance, and Justice

It is important to know that a star is added to the flag when a new state joins the United States.

The flag was last modified on July 4, 1960, when Hawaii was incorporated as a state.

4. The United States National Anthem

The United States of America national anthem is referred to as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

This name came about when the United States’ soldiers in order to celebrate their victory over the British forces during the War of 1812, raised a large American flag at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 14, 1814.

The Poet, Francis Scott Key, was inspired by seeing the flag after witnessing the fort’s bombardment. He wrote a poem called “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” This eventually became the Star-Spangled Banner and the United States national anthem.

5. Dates format in United States of America

Americans write the date format as Month/Day/Year instead of Day/Month/Year as used in most countries of the world.

It is believed that the United States borrowed this format from the United Kingdom who used it before the 20th century and then later changed to match the format used in Europe (Day/Month/Year).

6. Unique Holidays

Americans celebrate a variety of unique holidays, such as Thanksgiving Day which is held on the Fourth Thursday in November, and Martin Luther King Day which is held on the third Monday of January in each year. Although not a holiday, Halloween is also celebrated on October 31st (the evening before All Saints or All Hallows Day) in the United States.

7. The Legal Age For Alcohol Consumption

The minimum legal drinking age for alcohol in the United States is 21 years. This means that alcohol is not legal to drink in the United States until age 21.

8. The largest State in the United States

The largest state in the United States is Alaska.

Alaska contains 586,000 square miles of land and is one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states, 488 times larger than Rhode Island, two and a half times larger than Texas, and larger than the next three largest states in the United States combined.