United States of America - Covering the entire midsection of North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, the United States also includes Alaska, in the northwest corner of North America; and Hawaii, far out in the Pacific.

The land of the United States is as varied as it is vast. It ranges from the warm beaches of Florida and the lush jungles of Hawaii to the frozen northlands of Alaska or the cracked deserts of Arizona. Elevations vary greatly as well, from the level Midwestern prairies to the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.

Until the 1500's, what is now the United States was largely an untamed wilderness. Small groups of Indians lived on the mainland plains, Inuit (also called Eskimos) inhabited Alaska, and Polynesians lived in Hawaii.

Today, even though the United States has grown dramatically to become one of the world's most productive countries, it still retains much of its rugged beauty. No other country in the world has nearly as many wildlife preserves, forest preserves, and national parks.

Great forests in the mountainous regions are home to a great variety of wildlife. One such forest, located in Sequoia National Park, features the mighty Sequoia (Redwood) Tree, which can grow to be thousands of years old and over 300 feet tall, with trunks exceeding 30 feet in diameter.