United States Country & Tourist Information

Location
North America.

Area
9,809,155 sq km (3,787,319 sq miles).

Population
300 million (US Census Bureau estimate 2006).

Population Density
32.5 per sq km.

Capital
Washington, DC.
Population: 550,521 (official estimate 2005). 20 other cities have a population larger than that of Washington, DC. New York is the largest city, with a population of over 8 million. Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio and San Diego, had populations of over 1 million in 2000.

Government
Federal Republic since 1789. Gained independence from the UK in 1776. The USA is a Federal Republic with 50 States and the District of Columbia (as in ‘Washington, DC’), which lies between Maryland and Virginia. The Constitution (the final arbiters of which are the members of the Supreme Court) ensures that the powers of the executive, legislature, judiciary, presidency and the individual states are balanced by constitutional procedures. The president is elected by an electoral college system, based on universal adult suffrage, every four years. No president may be elected to serve more than two full terms of office. The legislature is bicameral; the Senate has two members from each state while the larger House of Representatives allocates seats on the basis of population. Collectively these two bodies are known as Congress. Each state enjoys a fairly high degree of self-government. 
Recent History:

Language
English, with significant Spanish-speaking minorities.

Religion
Protestant majority with Roman Catholic, Jewish and many ethnic minorities.

Time
The USA is divided into six time zones:
Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Central Standard Time: GMT - 6 (GMT - 5 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Mountain Standard Time: GMT - 7 (GMT - 6 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November. Arizona does not observe DST).
Pacific Standard Time: GMT - 8 (GMT - 7 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Alaska: GMT - 9 (GMT - 8 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Hawaii: GMT - 10.

Electricity
110 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are of the flat two-pin type. European electrical appliances not fitted with dual-voltage capabilities will require a plug adaptor, which is best purchased before arrival in the USA. The television system is NTSC I/II and is not compatible with the PAL and SECAM systems used in Asia and Europe, although cassettes can be converted.

Head of Government
President George W Bush since 2001.

Head of State
President George W Bush since 2001.

Information on the USA is provided in two parts: a general overview and individual State profiles, each of which has its own section.

Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 1. For emergency police, fire or medical services in major cities, dial 911. The following area codes denote toll-free (freephone) numbers: 800, 855, 866, 877 and 888. Telephone numbers with the prefix 900 are usually expensive.

Mobile Telephone
Most foreign mobile telephones, unless tri-band, do not work in the USA and charges are high. Most visitors choose to hire a mobile telephone.

Internet
There are Internet cafes in most urban areas. Many of the international airports offer Internet access too.

Media



Post
There are numerous post offices throughout the States. Stamps can also be bought at stamp machines in hotels and shops and at ATMs, at an extra cost. Airmail to Europe takes up to one week. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700 (24 hours at main offices in larger cities).

Press
The most influential papers are the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Washington Post.Owing to the high degree of self-government of each State, newspaperstend to be region specific, although recent economic pressures haveresulted in large-scale mergers. Even so, the USA publishes morenewspapers than any other country, and has perhaps the bulkiest Sundaynewspapers in the world, particularly the Sunday edition of The New York Times.

Radio
Among the national radio networks are ABC Radio Networks, American Radio Network (operated by CBS), National Public Radio and Westwood One (operated by CBS).

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
15 Jan Martin Luther King Day.
19 Feb Presidents’ Day.
28 May Memorial Day.
4 Jul Independence Day.
3 Sep Labor Day.
8 Oct Columbus Day.
12 Nov Veterans’ Day.
22 Nov Thanksgiving Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day. 
21 Jan Martin Luther King Day. 
18 Feb Presidents’ Day.
26 May Memorial Day.
4 Jul Independence Day.
1 Sep Labor Day.
13 Oct Columbus Day.
11 Nov Veterans’ Day.
27 Nov Thanksgiving Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Contact Information:

International Trade Administration, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries
US Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230, USA
Tel: (202) 482 0140.
Website: www.tinet.ita.doc.gov

Travel Industry Association of America
1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Tel: (202) 408 8422.
Website: www.tia.org

Embassy of the United States of America in the UK
24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE, UK
Tel: (020) 7499 9000.
Website: www.usembassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1730.
Consulates in: Belfast and Edinburgh.
Tel: (020) 7894 0563 ( 24 hour visa information line: UK only: identical information is available on the embassy website at no cost) or 09042 450100: calls cost £1.20 per minute ( operator-assisted visa information).


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