US a place to explore cultural diversity

The American culture has variety of customs and traditions, including food, arts, religion and language. The US is a country of immigrants being influenced by every region of the world. Mostly English are those who colonized the country in the beginning of early 1600’s and followed by the Africans, the Asians, Latin Americans & Native Americans. The United States is being also referred to as the “melting pot”, in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct “flavors” and added to American culture.

Language

It is strange to know that there is no official language for the United States, however around 50% have made English as their official language and around 90% of people speak and understand English. Also, every language in the world is spoken in the United States be it English, German, Spanish, Chinese or French. Particularly in the South part of the US, the English and other languages are spoken with unique pronunciations & phrases.

Religion

Almost every religion is being practiced in the United States; however, more than 75% of the Americans identify themselves as Christians and follow Christianity. Next to Christianity, Judaism is being practiced largely and about 1.4% population believes in it. More than 20% of the population has no religious affiliation.

Clothing

Clothing differs by region & culture, but the American style of dressing is mostly casual. Denims, cowboy hats, boots & sneakers are some of the clothing items closely related to the American culture. Some of the known American clothing brands are Calvin Kevin, Ralph Lauren, Polo, US Polo, Michael Kors & Victoria Secret. The American clothing is greatly influenced by celebrities.

Food

American cuisine is being greatly influenced by Native Americans & Europeans. Some of the common foods which people enjoy are hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, cheese and meat loaf and macaroni. The Apple Pie is one of the famous desserts being served. The Southern-style cooking includes dishes like collard green, fried chicken, corn bread & black-eyed peas. Mexican style cooking has shredded cheese and beans, pastas, chili and burritos.

Sports

The United States is a country full of sports. The known and most practiced sports include football, basketball, baseball & hockey. Americans developed their own form of playing football which is popularly known as American football. The favorite pastime sport is baseball; it is a very organized sport.

Holidays

The Americans celebrate their independence day on July 4^th as they got independent from the British on that very day. Other holidays are Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and birthdays of the American Presidents George Washington & Abraham Lincoln.