Introduction
The United States of America is the third largest country in the world, and it’s home to approximately 326 million people. Because our population is spread out over such a large area, it can be difficult to know what all Americans share in common. But there are some things that we all share—and these facts might surprise you!
The Americans that live in the country’s largest cities don’t actually live in the biggest cities.
- The largest cities in the U.S. are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia.
- The largest cities in the world are Tokyo (Japan), Shanghai (China), Mexico City (Mexico), São Paulo (Brazil) and Mumbai (India).
The United States actually has the highest proportion of Christians out of any country in the world.
You might think that America is a Christian country. And you’d be right! But how many Christians are there in the US? According to Pew Research Center, Christianity is the largest religion in America with over 70{a6d4e250f4dbd7c38290d51a301669b0b15c2bd58d8474132f85a8137f152abc} of Americans identifying as Christian. This makes us number one when it comes to Christians around the world!
We’ve got more Christians than any other country on earth–and we’re about 20 million short of being able to claim ourselves as “more than half.” So what does this mean for you? Well first off: Jesus loves us very much (and so do all those other religions). Second: if someone asks why they should move here from another country or state–you can say something like “because it’s better than where they live now.” Or maybe just because they’ll fit right into our melting pot culture where everyone gets along no matter who they are or what their background may be…
The last American Civil War veteran died in 1956.
- The last American Civil War veteran died in 1956.
- John Salling was 109 years old when he passed away, and was the last surviving Union soldier. There were more than 1 million Civil War veterans at the end of the war, but most died within a few decades of it ending.
- In 1864, while serving as a private with Company E of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during General Meade’s campaign into Virginia (which included Gettysburg), Salling lost his right arm due to cannon fire at Spotsylvania Court House on May 12th–his birthday!
There are more than 1,200 different Native American tribes recognized by the federal government.
There are more than 1,200 different Native American tribes recognized by the federal government. The largest is the Navajo Nation, which covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The total population of Native Americans is about 5.2 million; most live on reservations or trust lands within their respective states.
The first European contact with Natives was in 1539 when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto explored what is now Florida and Georgia. He was followed by other explorers who continued westward pushing further into Louisiana territory before turning back due to harsh weather conditions as well as hostilities with local Indians
Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of a coastline or border.
Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of a coastline or border.
The United States is a big place, so it’s not surprising that people live far apart. But even within the same city and state, there are often different reasons for choosing where you want to live: Do you want to be close to family? Are you looking for affordable housing? Is your job in one specific area? Does the neighborhood feel safe enough for children? What kind of terrain do you prefer (mountains vs. prairie)? These are just some of the many factors that go into choosing where someone might end up living their whole lives–and it’s this diversity that makes America such an interesting place!
The average American will eat around 9,600 calories per day before reaching age 65.
The average American will eat around 9,600 calories per day before reaching age 65. That’s about 2,000 more than what the average person needs to maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity.
The bulk of those extra calories come from carbohydrates and protein-rich foods like meat, eggs, nuts and seeds (a category known as “animal fats”). But there’s also an increase in fat consumption during adulthood: The percentage of total daily energy from saturated fats increases from 13{a6d4e250f4dbd7c38290d51a301669b0b15c2bd58d8474132f85a8137f152abc} at age 20-29 to 29{a6d4e250f4dbd7c38290d51a301669b0b15c2bd58d8474132f85a8137f152abc} by age 60-69.
There are more golf courses than McDonald’s restaurants in America.
Did you know that there are more golf courses in America than McDonald’s restaurants?
There are currently 13,000 golf courses across the country, compared to about 12,000 McDonald’s locations. The golf industry is worth $40 billion per year, while the fast food industry brings in $80 billion annually and employs one out of eight Americans (many of whom work at McDonald’s).
One third of all Americans are millionaires (or will become so).
One third of all Americans are millionaires (or will become so).
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t know what it means to be a millionaire. Well, let me tell you: it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Most millionaires are just normal people who work hard and save their money. They don’t live in mansions or drive fancy cars like you might think–they’re just average Joes!
Now that we’ve covered what it means to be a millionaire, let’s talk about how many Americans actually ARE millionaires…
It was illegal to drink alcohol before 1920.
Prohibition was a period in US history when the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages was outlawed. The intention was to reduce crime and corruption by removing one of the main incentives for people to break the law.
It started with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment on January 16th 1919, which prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within…the United States”. However it wasn’t until 1920 that Prohibition actually came into effect nationwide because some states took longer than others to ratify it into their local laws and regulations.
The Volstead Act followed soon after: this allowed individuals who had religious reasons not to drink alcohol (such as Muslims) an exemption from prohibition laws; however these exemptions were rarely granted due to high demand among non-Muslims who wanted one too!
Almost 75 percent of Americans believe in God, while only 2 percent say they don’t believe in God at all. Of those who don’t believe in God, 61 percent still say they feel spiritual or close to one.
Although the number of people who say they don’t believe in God is still relatively small, it’s important to note that overall belief in God is high compared to other countries. In fact, more than 75 percent of Americans believe in God with absolute certainty–higher than any other country except Nigeria and Israel!
In addition to these findings about belief in God, researchers also found that even among those who don’t believe in him or her (or whatever), 61 percent still feel spiritual or close to one anyway.
About 100 million people visit America’s national parks each year and spend more than $1 billion there every month – that’s about $4 billion per year for our most famous national treasures!
Did you know that there are over 400 national parks in the United States?
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. The NPS also oversees the National Register of Historic Places, a program to coordinate and support public heritage activities throughout the United States.
In addition to managing its own properties, it provides technical assistance to state and local governments on how to manage their parks; offers training courses for park rangers; does outreach with private partners; operates America’s Favorite Place Names website; compiles statistics about recreational visits to parks through its Visitor Use Statistics program; provides leadership in setting long-range direction for public lands management policy through its Land Protection Plan (LPP); develops stewardship plans for individual units within each park system unit; works with Congress on legislation related to preservation issues affecting public lands nationwide…
Conclusion
America is a fascinating country with a lot of history behind it. We hope these 19 facts about American culture have helped you learn more about our great nation!