People and culture

Here’s what to expect when moving to the US

To be considered as one of the world's superpowers based on the it's economy size and political influence, United States of America.

Also known as a hub for entrepreneurialism and innovation, over the decades its entrepreneurialism has been a major driver of the country's economic growth and cultural diversity.

Population and Cities

America is home to almost 325 million people and making it the third-largest country in the world by population.

The country is made up of 50 states, as the country faces North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans and it is bordered with Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. Taking large portion of the North American continent, US extends its reach through the states of Alaska in the far northwest and Hawaii in the Pacific ocean.

It's impossible to geographically outline the U.S. with a single term given the disproportion between the  bustling city streets, mountain ranges, wide open plains ,coastal cities and quiet country towns.

Weather

The climate varies considerably from coast to coast due to the differences in latitude and varied geographical features.

The seasons in the United States are:

• Winter (December to February)
• Spring (March to May)
• Summer (June to August)
• Fall (September to November)

Much of the eastern parts has an humid continental or subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons, whereas the Southeast has mild winters and hot humid summers and the Northeast and Midwest have much colder winters with common snowfalls.

Politics and government

The Founding Fathers of this country created the Constitution, who wanted to ensure it was written to allow for a separation of powers, or three separate branches of government, that being the Legislative which makes the laws, Executive which carries out the laws and Judicial which evaluates the laws.

The U.S. Government is recognized as a representative democracy with two jurisdictive bodies, the Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 elected senators of which two senators per state who serve a six-year term, while the House of Representatives have 435 voting representatives.

The Executive Branch comprises of the President of the United States, the Vice President and Cabinet. A president can only remain in office for a maximum of four-year terms.

The Judicial Branch is prepared of the court system which includes: Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Courts, State Courts and County Courts.

Any areas that Federal Government does not directly control are ruled by the state governments which are modeled after the federal government and made up of three branches: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

Ethnicity and religion

America is known to be one the most ethnically perse countries in the world which naturally brings a wide persity of religious beliefs and practices. A lot of Americans believe that religion plays a very important role in their lives and this is unique among developed countries.

Indigenous people

The Native Americans are also known as American Indians or Indians. Native Americans are considered as the ancestors were indigenous to the lands within the nation's modern borders before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492.

Language and accents

Around 80 per cent of its people are native English speakers and with as such no national language to claim as their own.

The use of English in America is a result of the British colonization. Since the first English-speaking settlers arrived early 17th century, American English has been influenced by the languages of West Africa, Native American population, German, Dutch, Irish, Spanish and other languages of successive influences of immigrants to the U.S.

American English might be difficult for a visitor to decipher as there is a wide variety of accents and dialects can be found across the US.

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