ATTRACTIONS OF THE USA
The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the USA from
France. It was a symbol of friendship between the
two countries, and today it has become a symbol of
freedom and democracy.
The statue is also known as Lady Liberty. She stands
46 metres tall on Bedloe Island in New York Harbor
and weighs more than 225 tonnes. In 2011, she
celebrated her 125th birthday.
It took French workers more than nine years to
build the statue. When she arrived in the US in 1886,
she was in 350 separate pieces. It took four months
to put all the pieces together!
Between 1880 and 1930, 20 million immigrants
from all over the world came to the US through New
York Harbor. They came to America to find a better
future. For many of them, the first view of America
was the Statue of Liberty. In this way, the statue also
became a symbol of the American Dream and the
hope for happiness and freedom.
Mall of America
The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US. It is
so big that 258 Statues of Liberty could lie inside it.
Or 32 Boeing 747 airplanes!
The mall has more than 520 stores, 50 restaurants, 7
night clubs, and 14 cinemas. And more than 40
million people visit every year. You can even find an
indoor theme park with roller coasters and other
rides.
Visit the Mall of America in 60
seconds by scanning the QR-code or
go to
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSJwmpeatP8
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ATTRACTIONS OF THE USA
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz is one of the most famous prisons in the
world. Between 1934 and 1963, it was home to
some of America’s toughest criminals. The
gangster Al Capone was one of them. The prison
was closed in 1963.
Alcatraz was the most secure prison in the
country. It was built on a rocky island in the
middle of San Francisco Bay in California. It was
therefore also known as “the Rock”.
Some prisoners tried to escape, but most of them
were caught. Some of them were even shot, and
some drowned in the water.
In 1962, three prisoners disappeared. They used
spoons and coins to dig a tunnel from their cells.
They had even made dummy heads so the guards
would not discover that they were missing from
their beds. Today, no one knows if they survived
and reached the coast, or if they disappeared in
the waves of the bay. But the case was never
closed!
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is the second largest waterfall in the
world. It marks the boundary between the US and
Canada and is one of the most famous attractions
in North America. Almost three million litres of
water flow over the falls every second!
In 1901, 63-year-old school teacher Annie Taylor
became the first person to survive a trip over the
falls in a barrel.
15 people have tried to follow in Annie Taylor’s
footsteps, but only 7 have survived. In 1960, it
was made illegal to even try!
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ATTRACTIONS OF THE USA
Hollywood
Hollywood is the home of movies and celebrities.
The first movie studio opened in 1912, and the
area quickly became the centre of America’s
movie industry.
Today, most movie studios have moved out of
Hollywood, but Hollywood is still a symbol of
fame and fortune.
The famous Hollywood sign can be seen from
everywhere in Hollywood. It was put up in 1923,
and the letters are 15 metres tall. Every night,
4,000 light bulbs light up the sign.
Hollywood Boulevard is home to more than 2,000
stars. Bronze stars, that is. They are engraved in
the pavement, and so this is also called the Walk
of Fame.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is located just
outside the capital of the US, Washington D.C. It is
an official military cemetery and was first used
during the American Civil War (1861-65). The
oldest grave is from 1864!
Today, there are soldiers buried there from every
war that America has been part of.
There are more than 300,000 graves in the
cemetery. Everywhere you look, white
gravestones stand in long rows. And every day
there are about 27 new funerals.
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ATTRACTIONS OF THE USA
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is the home of the largest tree
on Earth: the General Sherman tree.
The General Sherman is a Giant Sequoia. Giant
Sequoias are not the tallest trees in the world, and
they are not the widest trees in the world, but they
have the biggest volume. The General Sherman is
believed to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old!
Some Giant Sequoias measure up to 17 metres in
diameter, while some grow to be 100 metres tall.
They are so big that cars can drive through them!
Scan the QR-code to see how many
people it takes to circle a Giant
Sequoia!
Or go to
www.istockphoto.com/stock-video-7161264-hdgiant-sequoia.php?st=3cd7caf
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a canyon made by the flowing
waters of the Colorado River. It stretches for 450
kilometres, and in some places, it is up to 29
kilometres wide and 1.5 kilometres deep.
It is believed that it took between 3 and 6 million
years to form! And because of the constant flow of
the Colorado River, it continues to change.
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ATTRACTIONS OF THE USA
Route 66
Route 66 is one of the most famous highways in the
US. It was finished in 1938 and stretched for almost
4,000 kilometres across America. It connected the
Eastern part of the US with the Western part and
went through eight different states: Illinois,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California.
Route 66 was officially closed in 1985, but you can
still drive on most of it. Today, both Americans and
tourists drive across America on what is left of the
old Route 66.
Route 66 also appeared in the Disney/Pixar film
Cars.
Scan the QR-code to watch the clip
from the film, where one car tells the
story of Route 66 and when it was
closed.
Or go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggtH05LFF3k
For the Cars-soundtrack, musician John Mayor made
a new version of an old song called “Route 66”. It
goes like this:
If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
Scan the QR-code to listen to the song
and watch the cars from Cars drive on
the old Route 66.
Or go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oU8HxKrgp8
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