Flag Description Thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as old glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.Currency The US dollar. Common coins include the 50, 25, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins. Astronomy Today's date is November 21, 2009. There is currently a New Moon. Location North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico. Climate Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Terrain Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii. Elevation Extremes The lowest point is at Death Valley -86 m. The highest point is at Mount McKinley 6,194 m in Denali National Park. |