01Free
The 30-second card
TimeUTC−5UTC−4 the rest of the year The capital’s time. The country has 29 time zones.Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Water at restaurantsRestaurants serve tap water free of charge.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
A prepaid SIM or eSIM (T-Mobile, AT&T, Cricket) is usually cheaper than roaming; sold in supermarkets.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
ESTA Mobile: apply for your ESTA travel authorisation from your phone.Mobile Passport Control: returning visa-waiver visitors answer customs questions in the app, not on paper.Apple Pay / Google Pay: tap to pay with your phone, the most common mobile payment method.Uber / Lyft: ride-hailing apps; drivers are normally tipped.DoorDash / Uber Eats / GrubHub: restaurant food delivered, though fees and tips add up.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 4 of 5: Cards are accepted almost everywhere; keep only a little cash on hand.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Money in United States
US Dollar · $ · USD
Buy dollars before you fly; exchange desks at airports and tourist areas give poor rates.
Ask for cash back when paying by debit card at supermarkets or large stores to avoid ATM fees.
Visiting several national parks? An annual federal lands pass covers almost all of them.
If a fuel pump rejects your foreign card, pay the attendant inside the station.
Collect US Dollar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Wed, 11 Nov 2026 · Veterans Day
Thu, 26 Nov 2026 · Thanksgiving Day
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Mon, 18 Jan 2027 · Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Fri, 12 Feb 2027 · Lincoln's Birthday
Mon, 15 Feb 2027 · Presidents Day Washington's Birthday
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Sat, 8 May 2027 · Truman Day
Mon, 31 May 2027 · Memorial Day
Fri, 18 Jun 2027 · Juneteenth National Independence Day
Mon, 5 Jul 2027 · Independence Day
Mon, 6 Sept 2027 · Labour Day Labor Day
Mon, 11 Oct 2027 · Columbus Day
Mon, 11 Oct 2027 · Indigenous Peoples' Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover United States say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 18 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 18 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Petrol stations without posted prices
Check the fuel price before filling up, especially near airports and tourist sights.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Check US vaccine advice; Zika and West Nile virus are risks.
Vaccinations
Check the current vaccine recommendations for the US before you go; listed health risks include Zika and West Nile virus.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: GOV.UK
Checked 23 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 23 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
In the app: the travel layer
The travel layer
Read a country like someone who’s been there.
What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $30.8 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $90,027Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas, gas turbines, cars (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 341.8 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 39.5 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 80.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Protestant 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jewish 1.9%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.6%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 0.9%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%, other 1.8%, unaffiliated 22.8%, don't know/refused 0.6% (2014 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2014 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 9,833,517 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky MountainsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in HawaiiSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | constitutional federal republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +1Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
GOV.UK · 23 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 23 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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