United States
Fifty states and one motto minted at the founding, out of many, one.
In the summer of 1776, a committee of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams sat down to design a seal for a country that did not yet fully exist, thirteen separate colonies still fighting for the right to become one nation. Onto that seal they placed a Latin phrase drawn from centuries of earlier use, "E Pluribus Unum," out of many, one, formally adopted by Congress in 1782.
Congress named "In God We Trust" the country's official motto in 1956, but "E Pluribus Unum" still rides in every American's pocket, stamped on coins as a quiet daily reminder of the founding idea, that a country built from many different states, and later many different peoples, holds together as one. Borders and states stay distinct, common ground holds the whole together, the same principle this whole project stands on.
Get to Know the United States
Capital: Washington, D.C. Language: English (no official federal language; widely spoken alongside Spanish and hundreds of others). Currency: United States dollar. Founding: Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
Fun Facts
- The United States is the fourth largest country in the world by both land area and population.
- It is home to 63 national parks, from the Everglades to Denali, protecting some of the most varied landscapes on earth.
- The Mississippi River system drains all or part of 32 states, one of the largest river networks in the world.
- All fifty states joined the union at different points across more than 160 years, the most recent being Hawaii in 1959.
- The United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico, two of its closest neighbors in the Strong Americas story.
Why Visit
The national parks, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and dozens more, protect some of the most dramatic landscapes on the continent. Cities like New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco each carry a distinct culture and history worth a trip on their own. The coastline alone stretches from Maine's rocky shores to Florida's beaches to California's cliffs, three entirely different Americas within one country.
Peak travel season varies widely by region; summer suits the national parks, while spring and fall favor most cities.
Made in the United States
The United States exports everything from aerospace technology and automobiles to soybeans, beef, and bourbon, alongside a services and technology sector that reaches nearly every country in the hemisphere.
This space is reserved for a future Local Marketplace Spotlight, featuring Trust Standard certified businesses once that pillar of the Americas Ecosystem exists. Soon.