Exchange Student Program United States

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico, the United States of America is a vast, sprawling kaleidoscope of a country, with an enormous diversity of cultures, geography, ethnic groups, and languages. Technically speaking, the U.S. is a federal republic on the continent of North America consisting of 48 contiguous states and the noncontiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii. Outlying associated areas include Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But this description only hints at the tremendous variety facing a student in this country.

There is a staggering wealth of natural wonders and the western third of the country—roughly from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular parks such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon National Park are located in this region, along with uncountable mountain ranges, deserts, lakes, rivers, forests, and a great variety of wildlife. The Northeast is also blessed with lovely scenery, particularly in autumn when the leaves of deciduous trees ignite with color. The eastern seaboard and the deep South have their own brand of natural beauty—rolling hills, pasturelands, and idyllic coastal havens.

The major cities of America are centers of culture that range from theater to opera to literary readings. For innovation and creativity on the cultural scene, New York on the East Coast and Los Angeles on the West Coast are two of the most important cities. But smaller cities such as Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Seattle are also cultural hot spots where new voices can be heard.

Students may visit the middle section of the U.S. for a taste of bedrock values, homespun traditions, and what some consider the "heart" of America. The landscape of the Midwest is in many places an endless ocean of grain fields, interspersed with lakes, hills, and rivers.