The United States is a country of superlatives — full of surprising facts, records and curiosities worth knowing before traveling. Size and diversity. The USA is the third-largest country in the world (9.8 million km²) — after Russia and Canada. It is home to 333 million people, making it the third most populous state on the planet. Alaska alone covers 1.7 million km² — five times larger than Poland, yet only 730,000 people live there. The country consists of 50 states, the District of Columbia and five overseas territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Samoa, Northern Marianas). Geographic records. Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) in Alaska rises 6,190 m — the highest peak in North America. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado is 446 km long and 1.6 km deep. The Mississippi River flows for 3,730 km — the fourth longest in the world. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake on Earth — five times larger than Poland. The USA has 1.3 million lakes and 63 national parks, including Yellowstone — the world's first national park, established in 1872. Inventions that changed the world. Edison's electric light bulb (1879), the Wright brothers' airplane (December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk), Bell's telephone (1876), the first internet ARPANET (1969), Apple's iPhone (2007), Coca-Cola (Atlanta 1886, sold today in 200 countries), McDonald's (1940 in California, today 40,000 restaurants), Google (1998), Facebook (2004), ChatGPT (2022). Americans register 700,000 patents a year — the most in the world. Cultural phenomena. Hollywood produces 500-600 films a year — a $50 billion industry. Broadway has 41 theaters. The Statue of Liberty — a gift from France in 1886 — welcomes 4.5 million tourists a year in New York. Route 66 — the legendary road from Chicago to Santa Monica — is 3,940 km long. The four presidents' faces on Mount Rushmore were carved over 14 years. MIT has produced over 100 Nobel Prize laureates. Interesting records. Americans eat 50 billion hamburgers a year — 150 per person. The USA consumes 25% of the world's energy while making up only 4% of the population. There have been 46 presidents (from Washington to Trump in 2025). The youngest president was Theodore Roosevelt (42), the oldest Joe Biden (78). Ellis Island in New York welcomed 12 million immigrants over 62 years (1892-1954) — descendants of 40% of Americans passed through that island. Surprising facts. The USA has no official language at the federal level — English is de facto but not de jure. Alaska has 3 million lakes larger than 8 hectares. Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee. Washington D.C. — the capital — is not part of any state. The largest restaurant in the world is Bacchanal Buffet in Las Vegas (500 dishes). Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano — its eruption would change the climate of the entire planet. The US dollar is printed from a blend of cotton (75%) and linen (25%) — which is why it survives being washed.