The United States / USA is not the America of television and movies. It is large, complex, and diverse, with distinct cultural and regional identities.

One of the world’s greatest cities, New York (known as “The Big Apple”, “NYC,” and often called “New York City”) is a global center for media, entertainment, art, fashion, research, finance, and trade. The city’s neighbourhood and streets are so iconic they have become ingrained into the American consciousness.

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Immigrants (and their descendants) from over 180 countries live here, making it one of, if not the most cosmopolitan city in the world. The diverse population runs the gamut from some of America’s wealthiest celebrities and socialites to homeless people.

Grand Canyon (+ visitarizona.com) — the world’s longest and most visited canyon. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (map) — national park in the southern Appalachians. Walt Disney World (map) — the most popular vacation resort destination in the world. Yellowstone National Park (map) — the first national park in the U.S., and home of the *Old Faithful (map) geyser. Yosemite National Park (map) — home of El Capitan (map), Half Dome (map), and famous Giant Sequoia trees.

As of 2018, New York City is the most visited destination in the United States, followed by Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Chicago.

The U.S. also administers a collection of non-state territories around the world, principally in the *Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the *U.S. Virgin Islands) and *Oceania (Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and various uninhabited islands and island groups).

The size of the U.S. and the distance separating major cities make air the dominant mode of long-distance travel for short-term travellers. If you have time, or are travelling a short distance, travel by car, bus, or rail can be interesting.

Intercity bus travel is widespread, but not available everywhere. Service between nearby major cities is frequent, and often connects many smaller towns with regional cities. Coast-to-coast travel takes about 6 hours from east to west, and 5 hours from west to east (varying due to winds), compared to the days necessary for land transportation.

+ *United States Bicycle Route System (wikivoyage)

⇒ Guide to traveling to and getting around in the USA (visittheusa.com)