Pass The Passport

Places / North & Central America

United States

Visited

At a glance

Region
North America
Capital
Washington D.C.
Population
341.8 million (2025)
Area
9,372,610 km²
Languages
English
Currency
United States dollar (USD)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+1
Visited: United States

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Before you go

Overview

The United States is a federal republic of 50 states, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with Alaska and Hawaii beyond. Its landscapes range from deserts and canyons to Arctic tundra and tropical islands.

History

The first European settlement in North America was in 1565.

Slavery was introduced in the country to work on cotton and tobacco plantations between the 17th and 18th centuries.

George Washington established the American Revolution leading the Continental Army to fight against British rule in 1775.

Food & culture

American has their own Western culture formed from other different cultures such as African, Asian and Native American and, has managed to influence the whole world.

The major crops grown in the country are corn, fruits, cotton, soybeans, sugar and sweeteners, tree nuts, soybean, oil crops, vegetables and rice.

The most popular dishes are apple, hamburger, clam chowder, deep-dish pizza, Texas Barbeque, bagel and lox and, hominy grits.

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.

Wildlife

Common wildlife animals found in the country include raccoon, American bison, eastern cottontail, plains coyote, black-tailed jackrabbit, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, swift foxes, pronghorn antelope and Franklin’s ground squirrels.

Festivals & events

The events held in the country are New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Ultra Miami, Coachella, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day and Easter.

Things to see

Grand Canyon National Park is in Arizona is the home to the Grand Canyon.

Yellowstone National Park is a wilderness recreation centre above a volcanic hot spot.

Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Other must-visit places are Central Park, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Park.

Interesting facts

The USA has the leading economy and military power in the world.

It is the third or fourth-largest country by area in the world.

It is the world’s third most populous country.

The fourth-longest River system in the world is in the US.

The US is the home to most of the musical artists of all time such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.

The first black president to be elected in the US was Barack Obama in 2008.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

Famous hikes in United States

Angels Landing

Distance
About 9 km return
Time
4 hours
Best time
Spring and autumn

How to do it: A narrow ridge with chains to hold, and a big drop either side. You need a permit from the online lottery.

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

Distance
About 38 km
Time
1 to 3 days
Best time
May to October (North Rim season)

How to do it: Cross the canyon from rim to rim. Doing it in a day is extremely tough. Camping overnight at the bottom needs a backcountry permit.

Run a marathon in United States

Boston Marathon

Boston · usually April

The world's oldest annual marathon, run since 1897. You need a qualifying time or a charity place. New York (November) and Chicago (October) are the other US World Marathon Majors.

I ran Chicago in October 2026

Dates move from year to year, so check the race website before you book.

Races I've run in United States

  • Oct 2015 OCR World Championships · Ohio, USA 4:18:00
  • Oct 2015 OCR World Team Championships · Ohio, USA 1:20:00
  • Mar 2017 Little Rock 5k · Little Rock, USA 19:45
  • Mar 2017 Little Rock Marathon · Little Rock, USA 3:34:53
  • Nov 2025 Turkey Trot · Las Vegas, USA 44:06
  • Dec 2025 AWS 5K · Las Vegas, USA 20:27
  • Dec 2025 Hoover Dam Half Marathon · Las Vegas, USA 1:39:15
  • Oct 2026 Chicago Marathon · Chicago, USA 3:36:24

All my races

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in United States

3 of 27 visited. See every site I've been to.

My videos from United States

  • The Las Vegas Strip at night
    Las Vegas, USA

My photos from United States

From 10 trips, newest first, so you can see which places each set of photos came from.

October 2026 Chicago Marathon via Washington

Chicago, Lynchburg, Harpers Ferry, Washington, Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, Fort Payne, Shepherdsville and 1 more

Whole trip gallery
  • Chicago's skyscrapers rising above the trees on a sunny morning
  • A vintage Jack Daniel's truck loaded with whiskey barrels at the distillery in Lynchburg
  • The bright red Lookout Mountain Incline Railway car climbing through autumn trees
  • A waterfall tumbling into a rocky pool in the autumn woods on Lookout Mountain
  • Little River Canyon's forested walls stretching into the distance in Alabama
  • Chicago's skyline lit up at dawn across the water in Grant Park, on Chicago Marathon morning.
  • A man standing by a trail sign above a river with wooded hills and a bridge.
  • A man and a woman in sunglasses taking a selfie reflected in Cloud Gate.
  • A man and a woman smiling with tasting glasses in front of stacked bourbon barrels.
  • A man standing beside a bronze statue of Jack Daniel in front of a rocky cave.
  • A man standing beside a giant painted Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 label on a wall.
  • A wide rocky river valley seen from a forested viewpoint with early autumn colours.

November 2025 Las Vegas & Arizona

Page, Boulder City, LeChee, Las Vegas, Paradise

Whole trip gallery
  • A man pointing at the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign under a blue sky.
  • Three men standing in a narrow canyon of swirling orange sandstone walls.
  • Three men taking a selfie among glowing waves of orange sandstone in a slot canyon.
  • A man in sunglasses taking a selfie above the huge curve of Horseshoe Bend.
  • Man posing with arms outstretched beneath the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, palm trees around him.
  • The curved Bellagio hotel tower behind its lake and balustrade under a blue sky streaked with contrails.
  • Ornate Roman-style fountain with marble statues in front of a grand columned facade in Las Vegas.
  • Wide desert landscape of scrub and red rock plateaus under a pale morning sky near Page, Arizona.
  • Layered, wave-like orange sandstone rock at the edge of a deep canyon with a river below.
  • Horseshoe Bend, where the green Colorado River loops around a huge sandstone outcrop in a deep red canyon.
  • Looking up through a narrow slot canyon with smooth, glowing orange sandstone walls framing the sky.
  • Smiling man in orange-lensed sunglasses taking a selfie in front of the Hoover Dam's concrete face.

January 2025 United States: Southwest Ranches

Southwest Ranches

Whole trip gallery
  • An airboat with large caged fans moored at a reedy waterway.
  • Waterway lined with lily pads and tall grasses under a blue sky with clouds.

December 2023 Winter Chills

Ashford, Seattle

Whole trip gallery
  • A man standing on a road beneath the wooden entrance arch of Mount Rainier National Park.
  • The red neon Public Market Center sign above Pike Place Market at night with festive lights.
  • A wide riverbed of rounded stones with evergreen forest and a mountain peak behind.
  • A man in a beanie standing arms outstretched in front of a giant cut tree trunk in a forest.

March 2017 USA Little Rock Marathon

Little Rock, Little Rock Marathon

Whole trip gallery
  • Two smiling runners taking a selfie in a crowd at the start of the Little Rock Marathon.
  • Colourful oversized Little Rock Marathon medals with my race bibs.
  • An orange sunset with power lines in Little Rock, Arkansas.

October 2015 USA OCR World Championships

Dayton

Whole trip gallery
  • A man draped in a Union flag on a stage in front of an OCR World Championships backdrop.
  • A man in a green top swinging across hanging rings on an obstacle course in a forest.
  • United States
  • Racers swinging across hanging rings over water at the OCR World Championships.
  • United States

2014–2015 United States: New York and Statue of Liberty

New York, Statue of Liberty, Statue of Liberty National Monument

Whole trip gallery
  • The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree above the ice rink at dusk.
  • Dan in a beanie on the Top of the Rock at night, with the Manhattan skyline lit up behind
  • Dan taking a selfie beneath the Statue of Liberty on a clear blue day
  • A man in a beanie posing beside a fountain full of giant red Christmas baubles in New York.
  • The Statue of Liberty against a deep blue sky.

August 2014 United States: Santa Barbara and Mendenhall Glacier

Santa Barbara, Mendenhall Glacier, Skydiving Los Angeles California, Juneau, Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge, Yakutat

Whole trip gallery
  • A man in a dark jacket in front of the Golden Gate Bridge on a hazy day.
  • A man in sunglasses driving a convertible with dry hills behind.
  • A man in goggles and a tandem harness grinning in the open door of a small plane, his instructor behind.
  • A man in goggles shouting in freefall during a tandem skydive over patchwork fields.
  • A man kneeling in the snow cuddling a husky at a dog-sledding camp on a glacier.
  • A man standing in front of the Mendenhall Glacier flowing down between forested mountains.
  • A man taking a selfie beside a large carved black bear figure.
  • A man in a jacket on a ship's deck in front of the vast ice face of Hubbard Glacier.
  • A sea lion lying under the Pier 39 sign in San Francisco.
  • The wooden Welcome to Juneau sign.
  • United States
  • United States

December 2010 USA Winter Explore

Hooters Of St Thomas

Whole trip gallery
  • A large iguana sitting among green leaves on St Thomas.
  • A view over turquoise bays and green islands from St Thomas.

November 2010 Las Vegas

Grand Canyon National Park, Las Vegas

Whole trip gallery
  • The Colorado River winding through the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
  • The Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower and balloon sign lit up at night.
  • United States

Plan your trip to United States

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Neighbours

Also part of United States

Bucket List goals in United States