United States & Canada

The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. The United States contains a highly diverse population. Unlike a country such as China that largely incorporated indigenous peoples, the United States has a diversity that to a great degree has come from an immense and sustained global immigration.

Canada is a country in North America. Canada’s capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Canada is officially bilingual in English and French, reflecting the country’s history as ground once contested by two of Europe’s great powers. Because of its great latitudinal extent, Canada has a wide variety of climates.