57 places on the atlas covering people, history, architecture, language, culture, festivals, folklore and crafts. Highlights include Muhammad Ali, Independence Hall, Statue of Liberty and Navajo (Diné Bizaad).
See United States on the map Etiquette guide
| President (head of state and government) | Donald Trump |
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Office-holders as of July 2026. Governments change, so check United States’s official government website for the latest. Full list of heads of state and government.
A short, well-known selection rather than a ranking. People pinned on the map appear in the cards below.
All etiquette tips for United States
Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, he won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and three world heavyweight titles. He was also known for his wit and his public stands on principle.
Born in Brooklyn, he won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and helped make basketball a global sport.
She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the modern era, and four Olympic gold medals.
He began performing as a child with his brothers in the Jackson 5. His album Thriller (1982) is among the best-selling albums ever.
Born in a small house in Tupelo, he mixed country, gospel and rhythm and blues and became one of the defining figures of rock and roll.
She began in country music, moved into pop, and became known for writing her own songs and for her record-breaking Eras Tour.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, he popularised martial arts in Hollywood and Hong Kong films and developed his own approach, Jeet Kune Do.
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles, she became one of the most famous film stars of the 1950s.
Born in Ohio, he commanded Apollo 11 and on 20 July 1969 became the first human to set foot on the Moon.
She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, in 1932, and disappeared over the Pacific during an attempt to fly around the world.
Born in a log cabin in Kentucky, he led the United States through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Born in Atlanta, he led nonviolent protests for racial equality, gave the 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Known for warm, everyday roles in films such as Forrest Gump and Philadelphia, he won back-to-back Academy Awards for Best Actor.
Famed for her range of accents and characters, she has received more Academy Award nominations than any other performer.
A leading Hollywood actor since Titanic, he won the Academy Award for The Revenant and is a prominent voice on climate issues.
A two-time Academy Award winner known for roles in Glory and Training Day, and for his work on stage and behind the camera.
He rose from rapping and the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to become a blockbuster star in films like Men in Black.
His naturalistic style changed screen acting in the 1950s, and he is best remembered for On the Waterfront and The Godfather.
He made only three major films before dying in a car crash at 24, yet became a lasting symbol of teenage rebellion.
He shaped modern blockbusters with Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park, and also made serious dramas such as Schindler's List.
She grew up in poverty and became the host of the most-watched daytime talk show in the United States and a major media figure and philanthropist.
He co-founded the studio that made Mickey Mouse and the first full-length cel-animated feature, Snow White, and later opened Disneyland.
She rose to fame with Destiny's Child and became one of the best-selling artists in the world, winning more Grammy Awards than any other performer.
Often called the Queen of Pop, she has reinvented her image across four decades and is among the best-selling female artists ever.
His songs of the 1960s became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements, and he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
Her powerful voice made her one of the best-selling singers of all time, with hits such as I Will Always Love You.
A defining voice of the big-band and pop standards era, he sold tens of millions of records and won an Academy Award for acting.
A singer and pianist from a gospel background, she brought soul music to the top of the charts and was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A founder of jazz as a solo art, his trumpet playing and gravelly singing influenced almost every musician who followed.
Blind from infancy and a child star at Motown, he wrote and played many of the most loved soul and pop songs of the 1970s.
A forward who entered the NBA straight from high school, he became its all-time leading scorer and won titles with three different teams.
He spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, won five NBA championships and is remembered for his work ethic.
The first great home-run hitter, he transformed baseball in the 1920s and remains one of the most famous athletes in American history.
The most decorated gymnast in world championship history, she is known for difficult skills that carry her name in the sport's rulebook.
He holds the record for the most Olympic medals and gold medals ever won, including eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Games.
A golfer who won 15 major championships and brought the sport to a much wider audience, including after a remarkable comeback in 2019.
A quarterback who won seven Super Bowls, more than any franchise has won, over a career lasting twenty-three seasons.
Both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and adopted in this building.
On 17 December 1903 the Wright brothers made the first sustained, controlled powered flights near here.
The largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, with earthen mounds, among them Monks Mound, built by the Mississippian culture.
The site of a three-day battle in the American Civil War, and of Lincoln's brief Gettysburg Address four months later.
The main US immigration station for over sixty years. Around 12 million people passed through, and it is now a museum.
A gift from France, designed by Bartholdi with an iron frame by Gustave Eiffel, and for millions of immigrants the first sight of America.
Built in just over a year, it was the world's tallest building for nearly forty years.
Painted in a warm orange called International Orange, it spans the strait at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
Navajo formed the basis of a code used by Navajo Code Talkers in the Second World War. The Navajo Nation's capital is at Window Rock.
Hawaiian is an official language of Hawaiʻi alongside English, with a revival driven by immersion schools since the 1980s.
In the 1820s Sequoyah invented a writing system of 85 symbols for Cherokee, and within a few years a large part of the community was literate in it.
Surfing was practised by Polynesians and became closely tied to Hawaiian culture. Duke Kahanamoku of Waikiki spread the sport around the world in the early 20th century.
American barbecue has strong regional styles. Kansas City is known for slow-smoked meats with a thick sweet and tangy sauce, as well as burnt ends.
A temporary city of art installations and communal living is built in the desert each year and then removed, leaving no trace.
Families gather for a large meal, often with roast turkey, and give thanks. Canada celebrates its own Thanksgiving in October.
Parades with floats and marching bands, costumes, and beads thrown to the crowd fill New Orleans in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday.
Hula tells stories and records genealogy through movement and chant. Hilo hosts the annual Merrie Monarch Festival dedicated to the art.
The blues came out of the Black communities of the Mississippi Delta and shaped jazz, rock and soul. Clarksdale has been called a cradle of the style.
Navajo weavers make wool rugs with bold geometric designs using upright looms, a skill passed down through families.
Hopi potters build pots by hand from coils of local clay and paint them with traditional designs before firing.
This page brings together the people who lead United States today, a short selection of well-known people from United States, and the 57 places pinned for United States on the atlas. Use the buttons at the top to see United States on the map, where you can filter by theme, read a short summary of each pin and follow the link to Wikipedia for the full article. To browse the same themes across the whole world, see the people page, history page, architecture page, language page, culture page, festivals page, folklore page and crafts page.
As of July 2026: President (head of state and government): Donald Trump. Office-holders change, so check the official government site for the latest.
Well-known people connected with United States include Abraham Lincoln (sixteenth president), George Washington (first president), Martin Luther King Jr. (civil-rights leader), Thomas Edison (inventor) and Maya Angelou (poet and memoirist).
People pinned for United States include Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift. Open the map to read a short summary of each.
Festivals on the atlas for United States include Burning Man, Thanksgiving and Mardi Gras. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Notable buildings and sites in United States on the atlas include Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Historical places in United States on the atlas include Independence Hall, Kitty Hawk, Cahokia Mounds, Gettysburg and Ellis Island. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Language entries for United States on the atlas include Navajo (Diné Bizaad), Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) and Cherokee (Tsalagi). Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Traditional crafts from United States on the atlas include Navajo weaving and Hopi pottery. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Food and customs from United States on the atlas include Surf culture and Kansas City barbecue. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Folklore and music from United States on the atlas include Hula and Delta blues. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Choose See United States on the map above, or search for United States on the atlas. You can filter by theme, drag the Time travel slider to see who was alive and what was standing in different centuries, and open any pin for a short summary and a link to the full Wikipedia article.
Greeting: A firm handshake and eye contact are standard in business. First names are common quickly. Dining: Tipping is expected: roughly 15 to 20% in restaurants, and for taxis, hair salons and many services. These are general customs, not legal advice.