Famous landmarks in the United States

125 landmarks · 18 animals · 25 places to discover

The United States on My Earth Toy, the free 3D toy globe for kids: 125 landmarks, 18 animals, 25 places to discover. Here you can see its flag, capital and size, then fly to every place on the globe.

Flag of the United States

Thirteen horizontal stripes of red and white, with a dark blue rectangle in the top left corner holding 50 small white stars in nine rows.

Read about this flag →

the United States at a glance

Capital: Washington
Continent: North America
Area: 9,833,520 km²
Population: 345.4 million

The United States of America is a large country in North America, made up of 50 states. Most states lie between Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific to the west; Alaska is in the far north-west and Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city is New York.

The United States is known for its national parks, giant cities, space exploration, movies and music. On the globe you can find the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, the Empire State Building, the White House, Yellowstone and many more, plus bald eagles, bison, grizzly bears and alligators.

Geography and nature

The country has almost every kind of landscape. The Appalachian Mountains run along the east, the Great Plains stretch across the middle, and the Rocky Mountains rise in the west. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers form one of the longest river systems in the world, and the Great Lakes sit on the Canadian border. Denali in Alaska, about 6,190 metres, is the highest peak in North America, while Death Valley is the lowest and hottest place on the continent. Yellowstone, founded in 1872, was the world's first national park.

People, languages and culture

The United States is a nation of immigrants, with people whose families came from every part of the world, as well as Native American peoples who were here first. English is the most widely spoken language, and Spanish is second. Christianity is the largest religion, and many other faiths are practised. American music styles such as jazz, blues, rock and roll and hip hop spread worldwide, and Hollywood films are watched everywhere. Basketball was invented here, and baseball and American football are hugely popular.

History in a nutshell

Native American peoples lived across the land for many thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Britain set up thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast, and on 4 July 1776 they declared independence. The young nation grew westward across the continent. The Civil War from 1861 to 1865 ended slavery. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, welcomed millions of immigrants from 1886. In 1969 the Apollo 11 mission landed the first people on the Moon, and the civil rights movement worked for equal rights for all.

Fun facts

The faces carved on Mount Rushmore are each about 18 metres tall.
Hyperion, a coast redwood in California, is the tallest known living tree, at about 116 metres.
Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, using peach baskets as hoops.
The Golden Gate Bridge is painted a colour called 'International Orange', chosen so it stands out in the fog.