USA
Information
Capital:
Washington, DC
Language: English
Currency: US Dollar - 1$ = 100 cents
Size: 3,720,000 square miles (9,634,755sq
km)
Area - 3.6 million sq miles
Population - 300 Million
Religions -Christianity 87% Islam 2%
Judaism 2%
U.S.A Time Zones
The
U.S. is divided into four time zones: Pacific, Mountain,
Central and Eastern. When it is 9:00am Pacific Standard
Time, it is 10:00am Mountain Time, 11:00am Central Time
and 12:00pm Eastern Time.
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.
Daylight Saving Time is not observed in Hawaii, American
Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and by
most of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian
Reservation).
Alaska (AK) 90% of Alaska is (1 hour) behind the Pacific
Time Zone, while the far reaches of the Aleutian Islands
and St. Lawrence Island enter Hawaii-Aleutian time.
Arizona (AZ) (in summer) is on Pacific Time, (in winter)
on Mountain Time Exceptions Parts of Florida, Idaho,
Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas are
in two time zones.
Important Telephone Numbers
·
Dial 911 for emergencies (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
· To call outside of the USA dial - 011 + Country
code + Area code + Local Number
· Call 1+800+555-1212 for info on toll-free
numbers in the USA
International
Time Zones
Please
note that the USA is behind European time, when it is
12:00pm in London, it is 6:00am in New York.
Costs
The
US is relativley cheap compared to Western Europe. Grab
a thick slice of pizza at a food stall, a bagel for
breakfast or even visit a fast food outlet and you shouldn't
be spending any more than $3. Hostel prices vary, but
are usually around $20. Sample air fare prices depend
on the time of year. Sample flights from New York to
Chicago $120, Las Vegas $130, Miami $100.
Main
Tourist Attractions
·
Grand Canyon - It'll blow you away.
·
Niagra Falls - One of the premier tourist attractions
·
New York City - A 24 hour city full of life.
·
Las Vegas - Surreal, must be seen to be believed.
·
New Orleans - Music, Mardi Gras and being redeveloped.
·
Death Valley - Second hottest place on Earth.
·
Badlands - Dakota and Nebraska stunning landscape
Recommendations
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking! Hitchiking around
the USA is not recommended, it is considered especially
unwise.
"Use
your time after camp wisely, I went and stayed with
some of our American staff in Texas, then worked my
way back up to New York, have a flexible timeline and
leave your options open." Julie, Counselor, PA.
"I
encorporated summer camp as the start of my Gap Year,
you can get cheap flights from the USA South then West
before going back to Europe!" Ben, Sweden, 2006.
America
is the land of theme parks, the most awe-inspiring park
has got to be Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles,
California. This is not a theme park so much as it's
an extreme park, and it's home to one jaw dropping rollercoaster
- The Viper, otherwise known as the largest looping
rollercoaster in the world.
But
wait, the Viper is set to lose this title to an even
taller and faster opponent with the planned unveiling
of The KingDa Ka. Towering at 456 feet and launching
you screaming at over 127 MPH, America's theme parks
just keep getting bigger, faster and meaner....almost
out of control. So make sure your camp is based around
the Los Angeles area if you decide to take the plunge.
For
more advice and travel information visit our summer
camp forum.
Why not encorprate working
at a summer camp as part of a gap
year? Visit our partner gap
year or gap
year directory website for more information.
Tax
Sales
taxes in the USA: Sales taxes are levied by state and
local governments, not by the federal government. They
therefore vary considerably not only from state to state
but among local jurisdictions within a state.
Taxable
items also variy from state to state. Different taxes
(often called a visitor's and convention tax) may apply
to hotel rooms and restaurant meals and sometimes to
auto rentals, and these items may be taxed even in states
with no sales tax. The tax is not included in the sales
price but is added at the cash register. There are no
refunds of sales taxes for visitors, except in Lousiana.
Delaware is a tax free state.
US
State Abbreviation Codes:
·
Alabama AL
· Alaska AK
· Arizona AZ
· Arkansas AR
· California CA
· Colorado CO
· Connecticut CT
· Delaware DE
· Florida FL
· Georgia GA
· Hawaii HI
· Idaho ID
· Illinois IL
· Indiana IN
· Iowa IA
· Kansas KS
· Kentucky KY
· Louisiana LA
· Maine ME
· Maryland MD
· Massachusetts MA
· Michigan MI
· Minnesota MN
· Mississippi MS
· Missouri MO
· Montana MT
· Nebraska NE
· Nevada NV
· New Hampshire NH
· New Jersey NJ
· New Mexico NM
· New York NY
· North Carolina NC
· North Dakota ND
· Ohio OH
· Oklahoma OK
· Oregon OR
· Pennsylvania PA
· Rhode Island RI
· South Carolina SC
· South Dakota SD
· Tennessee TN
· Texas TX
· Utah UT
· Vermont VT
· Virginia VA
· Washington WA
· West Virginia WV
· Wisconsin WI
· Wyoming WY
For
more information and advice visit our summer
camp forum.
