The most interesting facts about North America

Any country, as well as any mainland, goes through a difficult period of formation. The same can be said about North America. For the first time in Europe they learned about it thanks to the great navigator Christopher Columbus. Since then, much has changed, now it is a developed continent that is flourishing. Learn the most interesting facts about North America from the article .

Facts about the USA

It is impossible, telling interesting facts about North America, not to mention the largest state on this continent - the United States of America:

• In 1938, the country's first minimum wage was set, which was equal to only 25 cents per hour.
• An incredible number of people come to New York every year. Today, more Irish live here than in Dublin itself, more Italians than in the capital of Italy - Rome, there are even more Jews here than in Tel Aviv.
• The capital of Vermont State - Montpellier is the smallest state capital with a population of approximately 9 thousand people.
• The capital of the United States has the largest black population than any other city in the country.

Money, money, money

What else is North America famous for? The most interesting about money on the continent:

• The US Treasury has a $ 100,000 bill showing a portrait of Woodrow Wilson. However, this face value is used only for state calculations, the common population does not have access to it.
• The first paper notes of North America were printed on maps. Since the Canadian government suffered from a lack of francs in 1685, it was decided to print money on the cardboard boxes of the game deck. They were used in the French part of Canada. This was supposed to be a temporary solution, but the colonists liked the money so much that it remained in circulation for another hundred years.
• Until 1857, precious metal coins were considered a means of payment here.
• Until 1933, a single dime coin (10 cents) could be used only for payments of $ 10 or more. However, the US Congress decided to make it a means of settlement in transactions for any amount.

Hard times

As in any continent, there were wars, famines, and lawlessness. Although this is not the most pleasant period in history, the facts about North America in difficult times are very informative:

• Henry Ford issued an anti-Semitic newspaper, which American Jews vehemently opposed. After Ford was sued, he stopped publishing.
• The first slaves were delivered to the territory of North America in 1619 on a Danish ship.
• The last place where slavery was abolished was Cuba (it was banned in this country already in 1886).

Opening

• The first inhabitants appeared on the continent another 2.5-3 thousand years ago, and today the mainland population is about 400 million people.
• North America was discovered on October 12, 1492, when Columbus crew members landed here. By the way, the navigator, famous for centuries, did not know that he was able to discover a new continent.
• However, Columbus was not the first to set foot on the lands of North America. First, the Vikings came here by sea, who founded settlements in Greenland and Iceland.

About all a little bit

• North America is the third largest continent of our planet. Its total area is 24.3 million km ² .
• Telling interesting facts about North America, it is impossible not to mention the local vegetation. After all, it is on this continent that you can meet the most ancient representatives of the plant world in the world - sequoia. The species growing here can reach 100-150 meters in height and 20 meters in diameter.
• The river and lake systems are especially developed here. The longest river in North America is the Mississippi. And the Great Lakes are the largest lake system in the whole world.
• The name Yucatan takes its roots from the dialect of the Indian language. When the first Europeans landed here and asked the local population what the name of this land is, they answered “Yucatan”. In literal translation, this means "We do not understand you."
• An unusual representative of the fauna - the musk ox - which lives on the continent, is an animal that resembles both a bull and a ram. The length of his body is about 2.5 meters, and the height can reach 1 meter.
• The capital of Texas, the city of Austin, is known for its bats! Here, for each person, there are two representatives of these animals. Here in the evening, people often gather on the banks of the river to watch the bats.
• The border between the USA and Canada is not guarded by the military at all. Its length is 8900 km, and partially it passes through residential buildings.
• The oceans of North America wash the continent from three sides. From the north - Arctic Arctic, from the east - Atlantic, from the west - Pacific.

Now you know the most interesting facts about North America, from vegetation to geographic features.