The United States of America is probably the best-known state on the American continent. The country, which is also often referred to as America for short, extends over an area similar to Canada and China and shares borders only with Canada and Mexico.
The United States consists of 50 states, the largest in terms of area is Alaska, the smallest is Rhode Island. In 1959 the last new federal state was added, Hawaii is also the only state not located on the North American mainland.
Other inhabited territories of the United States are American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Island.
American cuisine reflects its status as an immigrant country. In the course of time, many immigrants have brought their recipes from their homeland. The hamburger, probably one of the dishes most often associated with the United States, comes from Europe. The hot dog and the pizza also have their origins on the old continent.
The traditional US home cooking is often hearty and fat, so it is not surprising that Americans have the food energy intake per day worldwide, closely followed by Austria.
With more than 2.3 million people, the most popular last name in the United States is Smith. The name has its origins in the United Kingdom, as well as many other popular surnames. The name Johnson (2nd place) is for example derived from the Swedish Johansson and the name Miller from the German Müller. The most popular last name from the growing Hispanic community is Garcia, closely followed by Rodriguez.
