USA Student Guide
Geography and climate
- The United States is the world’s third or fourth largest nation by total area.
- The continental United States stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Alaska is the largest state in area. Separated by Canada, it touches the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Hawaii occupies an archipelago in the Pacific, southwest of North America.
- Because of the United States' large size and wide range of geographic features, nearly every type of climate is represented.
- The climate is temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, polar in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the meridian, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and arid in the Great Basin.
- Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the continental United States.
- However, the predominantly temperate climate, infrequent severe drought in the major arable regions, and infrequent severe flooding has helped make the nation a world leader in agriculture.
Time and Weather
The continental United States (the 48 contiguous states) is divided into 4 time zones:
- Eastern Standard Time ( EST ), the time zone New York is in, which is 5 hours behind Greenwich mean Time (GMT)
- Central Standard Time ( CST ), the time zone Chicago is in, which is 6 hours behind Greenwich Meantime (GMT)
- Mountain Standard Time ( MST ), which is 7 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
- Pacific Standard Time ( PST ), the time zone Los Angeles is in, which is 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
- Alaska and Hawaii have their own time zones: Alaska Standard Time ( AKST ) and Hawaii Standard Time ( HST ) respectively.
Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. Time reverts to standard time at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.
| State | Standard Time | Daylight-Saving Time | |
| AL | Alabama | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| AK | Alaska | GMT-9 | GMT-8 |
| AK | Alaska (Aleutian) | GMT-10 | n/a |
| AZ | Arizona | GMT-7 | n/a |
| AZ | Arizona (Navajo) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| AR | Arkansas | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| CA | California | GMT-8 | GMT-7 |
| CO | Colorado | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| CT | Connecticut | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| DC | District of Columbia | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| DE | Delaware | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| FL | Florida | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| FL | Florida (W) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| GA | Georgia | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| HI | Hawaii | GMT-10 | n/a |
| ID | Idaho (N) | GMT-8 | GMT-7 |
| ID | Idaho (S) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| IL | Illinois | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| IN | Indiana | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| IN | Indiana (E) | GMT-5 | n/a |
| IN | Indiana (SW/NW) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| IA | Iowa | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| KS | Kansas | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| KS | Kansas (W) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| KY | Kentucky (E) | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| KY | Kentucky (W) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| LA | Louisiana | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| ME | Maine | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| MD | Maryland | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| MA | Massachusetts | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| MI | Michigan | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| MI | Michigan (W) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| MN | Minnesota | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| MS | Mississippi | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| MO | Missouri | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| MT | Montana | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| NE | Nebraska | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| NE | Nebraska (W) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| NV | Nevada | GMT-8 | GMT-7 |
| NH | New Hampshire | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| NJ | New Jersey | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| NM | New mexico | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| NY | New York | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| NC | North Carolina | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| ND | North Dakota | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| ND | North Dakota (W) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| OH | Ohio | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| OK | Oklahoma | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| OR | Oregon | GMT-8 | GMT-7 |
| OR | Oregon (E) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| PA | Pennsylvania | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| RI | Rhode Island | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| SC | South Carolina | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| SD | South Dakota (E) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| SD | South Dakota (W) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| TN | Tennessee (E) | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| TN | Tennessee (W) | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| TX | Texas | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| TX | Texas (W) | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| UT | Utah | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
| VT | Vermont | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| VA | Virginia | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| WA | Washington | GMT-8 | GMT-7 |
| WV | West Virginia | GMT-5 | GMT-4 |
| WI | Wisconsin | GMT-6 | GMT-5 |
| WY | Wyoming | GMT-7 | GMT-6 |
New England
Winter—0 to 30°F (-18 to -1°C)
Spring—35 to 50°F (2 to 11°C)
Summer—60 to 90°F (16 to 30°C)
Fall—45 to 75°F (7 to 22°C)
The Southwest
Winter—20 to 60°F (-6 to 16°C)
Spring—40 to 70°F (4 to 22°C)
Summer—60 to 100°F (16 to 37°C)
Fall—45 to 75°F (7 to 24°C)
The Middle Atlantic
Winter—15 to 30°F (-9 to -1°C)
Spring—40 to 60°F (4 to 16°C)
Summer—65 to 80°F (18 to 27°C)
Fall—50 to 75°F (11 to 24°C)
The West
Winter—15 to 65°F (-9 to 18°C)
Spring—40 to 75°F (4 to 24°C)
Summer—60 to 90°F (16 to 32°C)
Fall—45 to 75°F (7 to 24°C)
The South
Winter—30 to 60°F (-1 to 16°C)
Spring— 60 to 75°F (16 to 24°C)
Summer—75 to 90°F (24 to 32°C)
Fall—50 to 75°F (11 to 24°C)
Alaska
Winter— -15 to 15°F (-26 to -9°C)
Spring— 20 to 55°F (-6 to 14°C)
Summer—45 to 60°F (7 to 16°C)
Fall—35 to 50°F (2 to 11°C)
The Midwest
Winter— -5 to 30°F (-18 to -1°C)
Spring— 40 to 55°F (4 to 14°C)
Summer—60 to 90°F (16 to 32°C)
Fall—40 to 60°F (4 to 16°C)
Hawaii
Winter—60 to 75°F (16 to 24°C)
Spring— 70 to 80°F (22 to 27°C)
Summer—75 to 90°F (24 to 32°C)
Fall—70 to 80°F (22 to 27°C)
Languages
English 82.1%
Spanish 10.7%
other Indo-European 3.8%
Asian and Pacific island languages 2.7%
other languages 0.7%
American Coins (also known as "change")
Currency
penny (one-cent)=1¢ ($.01)
nickel(five cents)
=5¢ ($.05)
dime(ten cents)
=10¢ ($.10) quarter
(twenty-five cents)
=25¢ ($.25)
half dollar(fifty cents)
=50¢ ($.50)
Pennies cannot be used for:
- parking meters
- stamp machines
Quarters are normally used for:
- washers and dryers in a commer cial laundromat
- parking meters
Debit Card ("ATM Card")
When you open a bank account, often you will receive a debit card free or for a nominal fee. You can use this card to withdraw money from ATM (automatic teller) machines and make purchases at many stores. The money is withdrawn directly from your account. No interest is charged on the purchase.
If your debit card contains a Visa or MC symbol, you may also use it to make a purchase even if the business doesn't use ATM. No interest will be charged.
Credit Card (also see the Credit page on this site)
Owning a credit card is important both for making airline, car and hotel reservations and for building a credit history so you can obtain financing for larger purchases, like a car or a home. However, credit cards can be dangerous if you rely on them for making impulse buys and extra cash. It is easy to max out your cards and be stuck paying interest for many years. Buying on credit is encouraged in the U.S. to the point where credit card debt is higher than ever.
Shop around for the lowest possible interest rate. Many cards offer a low introductory interest rate with a very low transfer rate (as low as 2%) for transferring your existing balances from other cards. Check out CardWeb to browse through current offers. Some cards offer "points" good towards making purchases, hotel or airline credits.
If you obtain a card, keep in mind these points:
- Pay your balance in full every month if possible to avoid interest
- Check to see that your card has a "grace period" so that you do not get stuck paying interest between monthly payments.
- Use the card only for large purchases, reservations and emergencies
- Consolidate balances into one or two low rate cards if possible, Take advantage of balance transfer rates
When you receive a checking account from the bank, you will be given a supply of checks and a checkbook to put them in. You can use checks to pay for items as you would in cash. Most businesses, like grocery stores and retailers, take local checks as long as you have proof of photo identification like a driver's license or a passport, and sometimes a credit card as well. Checks are also a good method of payment to individuals when you need to buy an item in cash, like a used car or an item at a garage sale.
! Note: Restaurants do NOT normally accept checks.
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