Culture Wise America
David Hampshire & Anthony Poulton-Smith
Travellers often underestimate the depth of cultural isolation they can face abroad, particularly in a country with a different language. America is seen by many people as an ‘easy’ option, with its English language, movie and TV ‘familiarity’, long history of immigration and millions of annual visitors. However, sooner or later, most newcomers find certain aspects of American life alien – holidays, patriotism and tipping – and some come unstuck as a result. Culture Wise America will help you understand America and its people, and adapt to the American way of life. Most importantly, it will enable you to quickly feel at home.
Download the first 25 pages FREE now (including the Table of Contents), and see for yourself the wealth of priceless information this book contains! It's packed with comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information, facts and figures, and 'insider’ tips, all written and presented in the ‘easy to read and understand’ style for which Survival Books are famous. Our books will save you weeks or months of research, answer hundreds of questions – including many you hadn’t even thought of – and help you avoid problems and save money!
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Extracts from the book…
Road Rules
Like many aspects of American law, these vary from state to state – the speed limit may change by as much as 10 mph as you cross a state border. However, there are many rules which apply more or less across the nation and which may differ from what you’re used to in your home country.
These include the following:
- Americans drive on the right-hand side of the road.
- It’s legal to pass in the inside (right) lane. This means you can pass if the road is clear, or traffic is moving faster, but not that you can use the inside lane to deliberately overtake another driver.
- ‘Stop’ means stop, especially at junctions. If you carry on rolling, you may incur a fine.
- Flashing your headlights usually means, ‘I have right of way!’ Drivers also flash their lights to warn others of radar traps ahead.
- Some traffic lights flash from green to red and vice versa, with no amber in between.
- It’s legal to turn right on a red light, unless the action is expressly forbidden (shown by a sign). You must stop first.
- School buses rule the road, and you must stop at least 25ft (7.6m) away from one with a red flashing light, as this means children will be crossing the road. Approach any school bus with extreme caution, flashing light or not. Passing one at the wrong time can result in a $1,000 fine.
All states publish road rules. Ask for information at your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The Digest of Motor Laws, published by the American Automobile Association (AAA), contains all state traffic regulations, including vehicle registration, taxes, driving licence, traffic rules, motorcycle and moped rules, and lots more. It’s available from any AAA office, and is free to AAA members (1-888-859 5161, www.aaa.com).
Geography
The 50 United States of America make up the world’s third-largest country, both in terms of area and population. Its largest landmass straddles the North American continent, bordered by the Atlantic to the east, the Pacific to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the south.
Its southern land border is shared with Mexico and its northern border with Canada, which separates the US from its 49th and largest state, Alaska. The 50th state is the island group of Hawaii, 1,988mi (3,200km) southwest of the mainland.
In such an immense country, Americans can sample virtually every geographical feature on the planet, from Alaska’s Arctic glaciers to Florida’s sub-tropical Everglades, with vast forests, arid deserts, soaring mountains and endless rolling plains filling the space in between.
The main geographical features include the Great Lakes, which divide the US from Canada in the country’s northeast, and the Appalachian Mountains which divide the states along the Atlantic coast from the Mississippi River basin and the Midwest’s agricultural heartland. In the west, the Rocky Mountains rise to over 14,440ft (4,400m) in height, beyond which are the deserts of the west and southwest, home to the spectacular Grand Canyon.
The US is divided into four main areas: east, south, midwest and west. These, in turn, are sub-divided into eight regions:
America is about the same size as China, and two and a half times larger than Western Europe. The UK would fit into its landmass about 39 times.
- the Northeast – this is the largest region, stretching from New England (often regarded as a region in its own right) around the Great Lakes to the coastal plain of Pennsylvania and Washington DC. As far as people in the west are concerned, it also includes many of the Midwest states from the Dakotas down to Kansas and across to Ohio and Tennessee.
- New England – this area is made up of several small states along the north-eastern seaboard, including Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts;
- the Deep South – a region comprising many of the south-eastern states, including Alabama, Louisiana and northern Florida (the Panhandle);
- the Plains or Great Plains – the heart of the US, this area includes the wide flat central corridor of prairie which sweeps from the Canadian border down to Oklahoma;
- the Rockies or Mountain West – this is the region around the Rocky Mountains, which includes such states as Colorado, Montana and Utah;
- the Southwest – the home of the dry desert states, including Arizona, New Mexico and much of Texas;
- the Northwest – the most temperate region of the US, which includes Oregon, Washington and northern California;
- the West Coast or Far West – this region is dominated by the sunshine state of California, and includes Oregon and Washington state.
Many states can theoretically fit into one or more of these regions and not even Americans can agree on which ones belong where.
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PRICE: £10.95
PUBLICATION: May 2009
EDITION: 1st
PAGES: 272
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: 200 x 130mm
COLOUR PHOTOS: over 100
