About United States of America

United States of America is located in the continent of North America in the Western Hemisphere. The vast expanse of land is divided into fifty-two states and five territories namely Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa Islands, Guam Islands and Northern Mariana Islands. All the people born in any of the states or the territories are regarded as American citizens and are duly protected by the Constitution of the United States. Because of the large size and wide range of geographical features, nearly all types of climate are represented here. The coastal areas and the west coast have tropical climate while the interiors and the east cost faces a cold climate with snow during winters. The abundant natural resources have enabled various industries to prosper in this land of opportunities. United States is also considered a leader of the world in research and technological innovations. Being a member of the United Nations and having veto power in the same gives US a lot of political power and leverage over many other nations of this world.
The following links gives detailed information about the history, politics and culture of the United States

History
Politics
Culture and People

History
The indigenous people of the US mainland are thought to have migrated from Asia almost forty thousand years ago. These people are called the ‘Native Americans’ or the ‘Native Indians’. After that, in 1942, Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to establish contact with these native people. Christopher Columbus was sponsored by the Spanish King and thus Spain took over some of the land and established their rule. Later on, even French traders came and claimed most of the land in North America. However, once the English people came, they took over all of the land by engaging in wars with French and Dutch, and England began to rule almost all of the North America. As the rule of British government expanded, tension grew between the American colonials and the British. This led to the revolutionary era where the American colonials fought their battle for Independence. The Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Till date, ‘fourth-of-July’ is celebrated as the ‘Independence Day’ in USA and is a national holiday. In 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted thus uniting the states under a weak federal government. In the next year, a proper US Constitution was ratified by the nine-states and the first President of the US, George Washington, took office in New York City which was the official capital of US then. Later the capital was moved to Philadelphia and was finally moved to the current capital Washington DC in 1800. The initial nine-states expanded and gained other territories such as Louisiana, Texas, etc. through various annexations and treaties. However, gaining freedom and expanding did not end the problems faced by the government. There was an immense problem between the states which wanted to legalize ‘slavery’ and states which did not support slavery. These tensions grew and intensified leading to disagreements over relationships between the federal and state governments and violent conflicts over the ‘slavery’ issue. However, with the efforts of people like Martin Luther King, an American Civil War was waged and three amendments were made to the Constitution giving African Americans freedom from slavery and also legalizing them as the citizens of the US. Later, the US was involved in the two World Wars. During World War I, US entered the battle pretty late and sided the Allies comprised of the British and French forces against the Axis powers. The war did end in the favor of the allies and Britain thanked the US for their help. However, soon after the First World War, a rise in national debt and inflated stock market culminated in a 1929 and the stock market crash triggered the Great Depression. Great Depression was a period when the economy was low, there were limited jobs and national calamities worsened the conditions of the people. The only ray of hope was the industrial mobilization spurred by the World War II. US entered World War II after the Japanese forces attacked Pear Harbor. The war grew more intense and ended when the atom bomb designed by leading scientists of US was dropped on Japan. The death-toll due to the bombs was a lot and the effects were unspeakable. However, the war ended and so did the rule of Adolf Hitler. After World War II, the next war that was wagged by the US was the ‘War on Iraq’. The war was a response to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center by Al-Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden. The war has not yet ended and is an important factor in the upcoming US Presidential elections.

Politics
The United States is one of the oldest know federation. It is a democracy where people elect governmental officials who in-turn elect the President of the United States. There are two major parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. There are many other small parties such as the Green party, the Independent Party etc. However, the major players in the game of elections are the Democrats and the Republicans. Democrats are often called liberals and they believe in expanding the powers of the federal government, enforcing more regulations for businesses, protecting abortion rights of women, raising taxes of the rich, etc. On the other hand, Republicans believe in increasing powers of state government, reducing regulations thus favoring business, passing anti-abortion acts and legalizing carrying hand guns as personal freedom. States can also be recognized as Democratic (blue) or Republican (red) states. Kansas is a red state which means that the majority people believe in Republican idealogy. California, on the other hand, is a blue state where most of the people side with the Democrats. In the Presidential elections, all the states have Electoral College representatives who vote for the candidates keeping in regard various issues. In this Presidential election (November 2008), the Senator Barack Obama is a Democratic candidate while the Republican candidate is Senator John McCain. It is definitely going to be one of the most crucial elections which will decide United States’ stand on the Iraq war, healthcare reforms and immigration related resolutions to name a few.

Culture and People
The United States is a multi-cultural nation, home to various ethnic groups and traditions. The main-stream culture is largely derived from the Western European culture with a tinge of American Dream added to it. The American Dream put in simple words is nothing other than a dream of every American citizen of achieving a perfect family and society. This culture teaches to be independent and have your own life. A typical American family is small with husband, wife and children. After marriage, the children prefer living their independent lives. The main food of common man has bread products, pizza, tacos, sandwiches and salads. Although majority of the population believe in Christianity, all religions co-exit here. The most important festivals celebrated are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, Patriots day, Halloween etc. Majority of the people speak English and Spanish. On causal occasions, people are dressed in shorts/jeans and tee-shirts while on formal occasions people choose to dress in pant and shirt or gowns. Overall, the society is pretty free where what you think matters the most.

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About Kansas

Kansas is one of the fifty-two states of the United States and is located in the center of the map. The name Kansas comes from the native tribe named Kansa which resided here. Kansa means ‘people of the wind’ in par with the huge amounts of wind which blows through this state. It is predominantly a Republican state with a few democratic counties. Most of the people in this mid-western environment have a very hospitable attitude. The climate here is divided into four seasons namely summer, fall, winter and spring. Summers are characterized by temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit and occasional rainfalls. During fall, the temperature is a little lower and varies between 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are cold with moderate to heavy snow during January-February. Spring is one of the most beautiful times in Kansas. The temperatures are perfect within 80 degrees Fahrenheit and beautiful flowers bloom everywhere and it is a time to change your wardrobes from the heavy winter clothes to the light and colorful spring clothes. Kansas is mainly known for its wheat and sunflower production. As its name suggests, it is a state with a lot of wind. For more information, please visit the following links:

History
Major Cities

History

Most of the modern Kansas was added to the United States mainland through the Louisiana Purchase. Southwest Kansas was still under the Spanish rule until the Mexican-American Wars of 1848 when colonies such as S. Kansas, Texas, etc. were added to mainland US. During that period of time, a trail named Santa Fe was formed to transport goods from Missouri while silver and fur from New Mexico. The name of this trail is still visible in the city of Overland Park/Shawnee Mission by the name of Santa Fe road. In 1827, Fort Leavenworth became the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the land which was later recognized as a state. Soon settlers from Missouri and Arkansas came to sway votes in favor of slavery. On the other hand, settlers from Massachusetts came to convince the settlers on the land, which later become a state, to vote against slavery. Later, these two forces collided in violent clashes which earned the name Bleeding Kansas. These clashes subsided only when Kansas was added to the Union as the 34th State and was declared a free state with no slavery. Though legally Kansas was a free states, people tried to prove the other wise. During the Civil War, William Quantrill led forces in the city of Lawrence killing hundreds of people and destroying the city. However, nothing has changed and Kansas still remains a free state.

Major Cities

Overland Park (OP):
This is a young city incorporated in 1960 which has the largest population and largest land area in the county. This city has leading Indian restaurants and also one the best schools in Kansas. OP is also the home to Johnson County Community College, one of the biggest and best community colleges in the entire state and headquarters of Sprint Nextel, the largest private employer in the metro area. Additionally, the medical center of KU is also located in Overland Park along with another small campus of KU, the Edwards Campus. With its beautiful landscape, grand houses and best schools, Overland Park has been ranked the 6th best city to live in US in 2006.

Lawrence:
Lawrence is just an hour drive from Overland Park, a small and friendly college-town. Lawrence is the home to University of Kansas, the largest public university in the state and also Haskell Indian Nations University. (For more information visit:About Lawrence).

Kansas City:
This is the second largest city in Kansas with diverse ethnic neighborhoods and attractions such as Kansas Speedway and Kansas City T-Bones. There is another Kansas City which is located in the state of Missouri and this is where Kansas City downtown is located. This place has numerous shops, eating joints and is also home to UMKC (University of Missouri, Kansas city).

Topeka:
This is the capital of the state of Kansas. University of Washburn, another state university, is also located in Topeka. This city is also known for its several nationally registered historic places.

Manhattan:
Another college-city of Kansas, Manhattan is only few hours drive from Topeka. This city is the home to Kansas State University, the second biggest public university in the state of Kansas.

Wichita:
This is another huge city in Kansas with almost 600,000 residents. It is also home to Wichita State University. Wichita is also called the ‘Air Capital’. With a number of nationally registered historic places, museums, and other entertainment destinations, it has a desire to become a cultural mecca in the Midwest.

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