3. 50 STATES OF AMERICA
The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of
50 states, one federal district (Washington, D.C.), and one incorporated territory
(Palmyra Atoll). States are the primary subdivisions of the United States, and
possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, such
as regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments,
and ratifying Constitutional amendments. Under the tenth amendment to the
Constitution, the states can exercise all powers that are not delegated to the
federal government. Each state has its own government, consisting of an executive
branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. They are all represented in the
federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate (the upper
house) and the House of Representatives (the lower house). Each state is
represented by two Senators, while Representatives are awarded to each state in
proportion to their total population. The federal district does not have
representatives in the Senate, but has a non-voting delegate in the House. Each
state, as well as the federal district, is entitled to electors in the Electoral College,
the body that elects the President of the United States, equal to the combined
number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress. Congress can
admit more states, but it cannot create a new state from territory of an existing
state or merge two or more states into one without the consent of all states
involved.
4. NEW YORK- NEW YORK
New York is a state in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
New York is the 27th-most extensive, the fourth-most populous, and the seventh-most
densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New
Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to
the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well
as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the north
and Ontario to the west and north. The state of New York is often referred to as New
York State or the State of New York to distinguish it from New York City, the state's most
populous city and its economic hub.
5. STATUE OF LIBERTY
"The Statue of Liberty Enlightening
the World" was a gift of friendship
from the people of France to the
United States and is recognized
as a universal symbol of freedom
and democracy. The Statue of Liberty
was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
It was designated as a National Monument
in 1924. Employees of the National
Park Service have been caring for the
colossal copper statue since 1933.
6. TIMES SQUARE
Times Square is a major commercial
intersection and a neighborhood in Midtown
Manhattan, New York City. It is located at
the junction of Broadway (now converted into
a pedestrian plaza) and Seventh Avenue, and
stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.
Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements,
Times Square is sometimes referred to as
"The Crossroads of the World", "The Center of the Universe",
and the heart of "The Great White Way".
In addition to being one of the world's busiest
pedestrian intersections, it is also the hub of
the Broadway Theater District and a major center
of the world's entertainment industry. Times Square
is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions,
drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually.
Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times
Square daily, many of whom are either tourists or
people working in the area.
7. WHITE HOUSE
The White House
in Washington DC is the
official residence and
office of the President of
the United States. It was
built between 1792 and
1800 and first used by
President John Adams.
After the 9/11 attacks it
has become more
difficult to visit the White
House and today tours
are available only for
groups of 10 or more
and must be requested
up to six months in
advance through your
member of Congress or
your country’s US
Ambassador.
8. DENALI NATIONAL PARK
The Denali National Park and Preserve is
located in Interior Alaska and contains
Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in
North America. The word “Denali” means
“the high one” in the native Athabasca
language and refers to Mount McKinley. In
addition, the park protects an incredible
wilderness area that contains grizzly bears,
caribou, moose, wolves, and numerous
other creatures.
9. LAS VEGAS STRIP
The gambling Mecca of the world, Las
Vegas is situated in the midst of the
southern Nevada desert landscape.
Casinos can be found throughout Las
Vegas, but the strip, a stretch of Las Vegas
Boulevard South, contains the most of
them. It features giant mega-casino hotels,
decorated with lavish
care and attention to detail to create a
fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos often
have names and themes that
evoke romance, mystery, and far-away
destination.
10. CASINOS IN LAS VEGAS
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, located downtown along the Fremont
Street Experience, is the oldest continuously operating hotel and casino
in Las Vegas; it opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada.
The year 1931 marked the opening of the Northern Club (now the La
Bayou). The most notable of the early casinos may have been Binion's
Horseshoe (now Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel) while it was run by
Benny Binion.
Boyd Gaming has a major presence downtown operating the California
Hotel & Casino, Fremont Hotel & Casino and the Main Street Casino.
Other casinos operations include the Four Queens Hotel & Casino, Las
Vegas Club and Mermaid's Casino, which are also located downtown
along the Fremont Street Experience.
Downtown casinos that have undergone major renovations and
revitalization in recent years include the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino,
The D Las Vegas Hotel Casino (formerly Fitzgerald's), Downtown Grand
(formerly Lady Luck), El Cortez Hotel & Casino and The Plaza Hotel &
Casino.
11. «FOUR CORNERS»
The Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting
of the southwestern corner of Colorado, northwestern corner
of New Mexico, northeastern corner of Arizona, and
southeastern corner of Utah. The Four Corners area is named
after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states
meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the
only location in the United States where four states meet.
Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous
Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo
Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute, and Zuni tribal reserves and
nations. The Four Corners region is part of a larger region
known as the Colorado Plateau and is mostly rural, rugged,
and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas
within Four Corners include Monument Valley, Mesa Verde
National Park, Chaco Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly National
Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region
is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.
12. MOUNT RUSHMORE
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a
sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount
Rushmore (Lakota Sioux name: Six Grandfathers)
near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States.
Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and
his son, Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore
features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of
four United States presidents: George Washington
(1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826),
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham
Lincoln (1809–1865). The entire memorial covers
1,278.45 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km2) and is 5,725
feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
14. BROOKLYN BRIDGE
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-
stayed/suspension bridge in New York City and is one of
the oldest bridges of either type in the United States.
Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of
Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It
has a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), and was the
first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. It was
originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn
Bridge and as the East River Bridge, but it was later
dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name coming from an
earlier January 25, 1867, letter to the editor of the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city
government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become
an icon of New York City, and was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil
Engineering Landmark in 1972.
15. BROADWAY THEATRE
Broadway theatre, commonly known as Broadway, refers to the
theatrical performances presented in the 40 professional theatres with
500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center
along Broadway, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Along
with London's West End theatres, Broadway theatres are widely
considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the
English-speaking world.
The Broadway Theater District is a popular tourist attraction in New
York City. According to The Broadway League, Broadway shows sold
a record US$1.36 billion worth of tickets in 2014, an increase of 14%
over the previous year. Attendance in 2014 stood at 13.13 million, a
13% increase over 2013.
The great majority of Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin
Shefter argues, "'Broadway musicals,' culminating in the productions
of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, became enormously
influential forms of American popular culture" and helped make New
York City the cultural capital of the nation.