Please email or share this article!

USA Facts For Kids

27 Interesting United States Facts

How much do you know about the fifty states of America, the grand old United States of America?

The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world. It is home to many different animals and plants, immigrants and other communities of people, and many different types of cuisines. America is also one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and it sells the most entertainment to other parts of the world in the form of television shows, movies, and music. 

Its population is huge and diverse, and its people are kind, generous, and friendly. 

In this article, we’re going to take you through a list of facts about the United States of America. 

Let’s get right into it! 

Some Interesting USA Facts For Kids

  •  The United States of America is the most populated country out of all the Americas. It is also the third-largest country in the world, with a population of more than 300 million people
  • In addition to the 50 states in America, the USA also has 14 territories and a federal district.  
  • Over the last 400 years, America has seen more than 50 million people immigrate to it.
  • When the first immigrants started to arrive in the USA, they were fleeing political and religious conflicts in their own countries. For example, many Irish people fled in the mid-1840s because of the potato famine in their country. A deadly fungus ruined potato crops and caused a famine, which resulted in the Irish leaving Ireland to travel to America in search of better opportunities. 
  • Other Europeans traveled to America in search of better lives. While the first immigrants came from England and other parts of Europe, many immigrants came from other parts of the world, such as India, Mexico, and Korea. 
  • The fourteen territories that the USA holds are: 
    1. Puerto Rico 
    2. The US Virgin Islands 
    3. Guam
    4. Northern Mariana Islands
    5. Baker Island
    6. Jarvis Island
    7. Howland Island
    8. Johnson Atoll 
    9. American Samoa 
    10. Midway Atoll 
    11. Palmyra Atoll 
    12. Kingman Reef
    13. Wake Island
    14. Navassa Island
  • You might be familiar with the stars and stripes on the American flag, but did you know that the number of stars represents each of the 50 states that make up the USA? Additionally, the 13 stripes that make up the rest of the national flag represent the 13 British colonies that gained independence from Great Britain in 1776.  
  • The three colors in the flag, which are red, white, and blue, represent different meanings. America’s founding fathers wanted the red to represent valor and resilience, the white to symbolize innocence, and the blue to represent justice, perseverance, and justice
  • It’s no secret that America is a massive country with many states. When categorizing the country into different parts, remember that there are six regions. Those six regions are: 
    1. New England: New England is made up of Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. 
    2. The Southern States are made up of Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
    3. The mid-Atlantic states are made up of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, along with Washington, D.C, Virginia, and West Virginia. 
    4. The Midwestern states include Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. 
    5. The Southwestern states, which include Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. 
    6. The Western States include California, Colorado, Alaska, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington. 
  • The United States of America is the only country in the world that is lucky enough to have all of the five climate zones on earth! Those five zones are polar, temperate, tropical, dry, and continental. 
  • In keeping with the fact mentioned above, the geography and landscape of America aren’t only of one kind. This means that in America, there are both barren and arid deserts and tropical beaches! America is also home to famous mountain ranges, like The Rocky Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains. This country is also home to the beautiful Yosemite national park, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and many Great Lakes
  • The biggest city in America is New York City, or the Big Apple as it is also popularly called! New York City is home to more than eight million people who are all spread out over five boroughs or areas. The names of the boroughs are: 
    1. The Bronx 
    2. Staten Island
    3. Brooklyn 
    4. Queens 
    5. Manhattan 
  • While New York City is the most populated city on the East Coast, Los Angeles is the most populated city on the West Coast, with more than 3.5 million people.  Other heavily populated cities include Chicago, Illinois, which has a population of about 2.7 million people, and  Houston, Texas, which has about 2.3 million people. 
  • About 15% of the American population is made up of immigrants
  • When it comes to interesting USA facts about geography, America has a lot to offer! For example, did you know that the highest mountain in America is located in Alaska? This mountain is Mount Denali, which is over 20,000 feet high, and one of the most challenging mountains to climb. 
  • Mount Denali is in Alaska, which is one of the coldest places in America. However, the hottest place in all of America is Death Valley. The name of this place is scary enough, so we’d advise you not to visit there without proceeding with extreme caution. Death Valley is located in Eastern California in the Mojave Desert. It borders the Great Basin Desert, and it is the lowest point in the North American continent. Its elevation is 86 meters or 282 feet.
  • Just like the landscape, wildlife in America is exceptionally diverse. America is home to many different types of animals, like black bears, grey wolves, bald eagles, cougars, and beavers. While animals like bison used to be found all over the country, they now live sheltered lives to remain preserved.  
  • Politics are an essential part of American life. Therefore, an American citizen can vote once they turn 18. Their decisions influence who the next president and vice president will be.   
  •  In the United States Congress, there is the house of Representatives and the Senate. Two senators are chosen from every state, making up 100 senators. Each of the senators serves for a period of six years. On the other hand, there are 435 representatives who serve for a period of two years. They are also elected every two years. 
Supreme Court
  • The President of the United States selects who the members of the Supreme Court are. He will then choose nine justices. However, Congress must also approve the justices selected by the President. 
George Washington
  • George Washington was the first president of the United States. He was also one of the founding fathers of America. 
  • Some of the other founding fathers of America are Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison.  
Alexander Hamilton
  • Alexander Hamilton was another one of the founding fathers. You might have heard about him from the popular Broadway musical called Hamilton, which was written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda!
  • In terms of official languages spoken, 78% of Americans speak fluent English. However, many Americans spread across the country speak Spanish quite fluently. While there is no official national language, the majority of Americans speak only English. 
  • American English differs from British English in many ways, but the most common way to identify the difference is to pay attention to the ways that Americans spell words. While British English uses the letter ‘U in many words, American English does not use the ‘u.’ For example, British English spells flavour with a ‘U, while American English spells flavor without a ‘U.’ 
  • The American economy is one of the world’s largest and most prosperous economies in the world, coming in only second behind China. Many major industries make their money in America, such as petrol and oil, steel, aerospace, technology.  
  • America was one of the world’s largest producers of oil and petroleum, and it has become the largest producer in the past decade. As of 2019, America has produced more than 18 million barrels of oil every day, which is more than Saudi Arabia produces daily. The oils that America produces include natural gas liquids and crude oil, biofuels, and various petroleum liquids. 
  • The US dollar is one of the world’s most recognizable currencies, but did you know that it was in 1862 that the first USA paper money was first printed? While coins started to circulate in the late 1790s, paper money came many years later.  
  • Additionally, while US dollars are available in denominations from $1 to $100, there are still a few notes that range from $500 to $10,000 in denominations! However, these notes are collector’s items and cannot be easily found. 

List of State in the USA

Browse the list of states in the USA below. You can also check out the history of US states.

By the way, did you know that the islands of Puerto Rico and Guam are US territories?

Related: US State Abbreviations & Postal Codes

united-states-facts

List of US states

US Territories:

Some more facts from United States

Now, why not browse our sections on the US Government, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments and more?

Famous Monuments

Public Figure

US Holidays

US Government

federal-government-powers

Now that we’ve taken you through a series of serious facts about the United States let’s take a look at some fun facts about America! 

  • Back in the day, New York was once called New Amsterdam because of the Dutch people who settled there!
  • The world’s largest office space is in America, in the Pentagon, which is the Department of Defense’s headquarters
  • There are more than 74 million dogs in the US. 
  • Aside from Burma and Liberia, America is the only other country globally that has not switched to the metric system.
  • Even though there are 50 states in America, most of the population lives in only nine states, which are California, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, and Illinois. 

In this article, we took you through a list of facts about the United States of America. We include facts about the wildlife, currency, and geography.

Leave a Comment