Destination Guides & Maps - the United States of America

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Capital City: Washington DC

Currency: US Dollar (USD)

Area: 3,618,000 sq miles

Population: 278,058,881

Language: There is no "official" language as such in the United States, although English is spoken through the country, albeit in "American style" with its own quirks and phrases - each state has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary.

British English is usually spoken more quickly than American English, and the latter has flattened vowels. Aside from the different usage (sidewalk for pavement etc), you may find that you will have more trouble being understood than you anticipate, although the message will get across in the end.

Along with English, Spanish is also widely spoken in some areas, along with minority languages such as Chinese, Yiddish, French, Italian and Pennsylvania "Dutch" (a German dialect).

Geography: Hills and low mountains in the east, including the Appalachian Mountains which run parallel to the east coast from Canada to Alabama. Low coastal plains in Florida, extending west of the state, include the wetlands of the Mississippi delta.

To the west of the Appalachians is a vast central interior plain, which includes the prairies or Great Plains with increasing elevation as you move west to the Rocky Mountains, part of the North American Cordillera, running from Alaska, through western Canada and the USA and down to Mexico.

The coastal mountain range runs along the West Coast, joining the Baja California peninsula in the south and the coastal range of Canada and Alaska in the north.

Between the Rockies and Sierra Nevada lies high desert, including the Mexican Plateau, Mojave Desert, Utah's immense Salt Lake and the Columbia Plateau in Oregon and Washington State.

In the Southwest are the Californian and southern Arizona deserts. Rugged mountains and broad river valleys are characteristic of Alaska, while volcanic topology defines Hawaii. The lowest point in the USA is Death Valley at -86m; the highest point is Mount McKinley at 6,194m.

Religion: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%

Time: The continental USA has four time zones. Eastern Time is GMT minus five hours, Central Time is GMT minus 6 hours, Mountain Time is GMT minus seven hours and Pacific Time is GMT minus eight hours.

Alaska and Hawaii cover two more time zones - Alaska Time is GMT minus nine hours and Hawaii-Aleutian Time is GMT minus 10 hours. The time difference is three hours from coast to coast through the time zones (followed by Alaska and then Hawaii) - take off one hour per time zone.

Daylight saving time when the clocks go forward runs from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October in the majority of states.

Electricity: US voltage is 110V and plugs come in two varieties - two flat pins or two flat pins and a third round one. British appliances will need an adaptor.

Emergencies: The number for all the emergency services is 911 across the USA. In a few rural areas phones may not have this connection, in which case dial 0 for the operator and make your request.

Telephone: The international country code for the US when dialling from abroad is 00 1. For local directory assistance dial 411, for directory assistance outside your area dial 1 plus the three-digit area code of the location you want information, and then 555-1212 (calls charged at distance call rates).

To reach the operator dial 0, for the international operator dial 00. US phone numbers comprise of a three-digit area code plus a seven-digit number.

Local calls are free from domestic phones, and charged at a flat fee, usually 35 cents, from public ones - you only need to dial the seven-digit number. To call within the same area code but outside the local calling zone, or to call long distance within the US, you will be charged per minute - the first three minutes charged at $1. US pay phones do not give change.

To call long distance, dial 1 and then the area code and seven-digit number. 0800 is the toll-free number, and 0900 is the premium rate number. Calling internationally from phone boxes is expensive and you will end up piling coins through the slot in an attempt to keep the pips at bay.

The best options are a phone credit card which allows you to bill calls to your home phone number or a phonecard - some of which offer very competitive prices - available from vending machines in bus stations, airports, hotels and other outlets.

The card credit is accessed through a 0800 number and a PIN, after which you are told the remaining credit on your card before your call is connected.

Post: Post offices in major towns and cities are generally open between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 3pm on Saturday for services including stamps, mail weighing, poste restante and international air mail. Times can vary in smaller towns.

There are also sub-post offices in many supermarkets and drugstores with variable opening hours. To find your nearest post office, call the USPS helpline on 800-275-8777 or log on to www.usps.com.

Business hours: The bulk of businesses in the US open between 9am and 10am and close between 5pm and 6pm. However, customer service is king here, and opening hours can vary to offer the most convenience to the shopper - some shops will stay open late, until 9 or 10pm and 24-hour restaurants and grocery shops are commonplace.

Banks are typically open from 9am until 5-6pm, Monday to Friday. Some banks in major cities are also open between 9am and 2-4pm on Saturdays.

Internet: You can access the internet at most public libraries, photocopy centres and at one of the many internet cafés for a reasonable price (generally between $5 and $10 per hour, depending on where you are). Most hotels will have business centres with internet access for guests, and sometimes non-guests, and some hostels will also run a similar service.

Tipping: Tipping is big in the USA, and you'll do well to keep a handy stack of $1 bills in your purse or wallet to avoid embarrassment. The tipping culture here is not based on personal whim as it is in Europe.

If you don't leave anything, you will at best be castigated behind your back for being a hopeless foreigner and at worst be chased down the street by your 'server'.

All of which is not to say that you are held to ransom by tipping, it is just part of the cultural make-up you should be aware of.

The rules are to tip 15 per cent in restaurants, 20 per cent if the service is excellent. If the service is terrible and you are loathe to part with your money then make a complaint to the manager - America is the world's leading service industry and the customer is nearly always right.

Taxi drivers expect 10 per cent on top of the fare; hairdressers and beauticians expect 15 per cent. Baggage handlers should be given $1 for the first bag and 50 cents for each additional one.

In hotels tipping reaches its zenith (or nadir!) - doormen, maids and parking attendants will all expect to be tipped for each duty performed.

BBC World Service: BBC World Service is broadcast on several short wave frequencies throughout the USA. The strength and clarity of the signal depends on where you are in the country, prevailing atmospheric conditions and the strength and position of your ariel.

To check the frequency for your area log on to www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice

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