Few countries around the world offer the variety of landscapes and ecosystems that the United States does, representing everything from desert to mountains to seashore to wide rolling plains. Equally fascinating American cities are full of ethnic enclaves, famous neighborhoods and landmarks recognizable around the world. The national park system of the United States comprises 84 million acres of land; the country is home to more than 17,000 museums large and small. filled with striking photographs, this book presents both impressive man made sights like the Brooklyn Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge when it was completed in 1883, and natural wonders like the 277-mile long Grand Canyon. More intimate settings are explored as well, including Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum and the Live Oak Friends Meeting House in Texas with its single work of art, the meditative Skyspace. Brief text and captions provide background and history about subjects such as the great battles of the American Revolution and the inspirational activism of the civil rights era. From jazz to baseball to drive-ins, the inventive spirit of this relatively young nation never lets up, and this volume matches that energy. In this book, the 50 states have been arranged into the six commonly used, though unofficial, regions loosely grouped by geography and climate, though the individuality of each state cannot help but shine through.