THE LAND

United States, Canada and Mexico are the three countries in North America. USA extends from the pacific to the Atlantic, from the Great Lakes to the island of Hawaii.

Administratively, the United States (all 3,628,062square miles of it) is divided into 50 states and the District of Columbia (Washington DC) of these, 48 states and DC are adjacent. Alaska, the 49th state, lies in the upper northwest portion of the North American continent, separated from the main part of the country by Canada. The last state, Hawaii, is made up of a group of islands, off the western coast of the continental United States in the Pacific Ocean.

The Government is a federal republic system; individual states have sovereignty over their own territory. The president is both chief of state and head of the government and is elected for a term of four years.

The contiguous forty-eight states if the United States have four time zones. New York is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T.-5). The state of Hawaii is 10 hours behind G.M.T; most of the state of Alaska is 9 hours behind GMT. In most states, daylight saving time is in effect from mid-spring to mid-autumn.

THE PEOPLE

There are people of many different ethnic groups in the United States. The majority are Caucasians of European origin and the predominant religion is Christianity. However, as the United States is a nation of immigrants, virtually every nation on Earth is represented. African-Americans constitute 12 percent of the population with other large minorities such as Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans.

SOCIAL PSYCHE
Americans are a very individualistic, private people and don't talk About U.S.A their personal lives in a business environment. These are some typical cultural quirks:

• Americans are competitive but they value teamwork.
• Individual initiative and achievement are emphasized and encouraged.
• Women have equal status for the most part.
• Material progress is considered essential.

There is some ethnic and social bias against minorities but this doesn't overtly affect everyday life.

BUSINESS PSYCHE
Business is conducted differently in comparison to many cultures. Some of the norms are:

Contacts are not as important as your track record.

• Business meetings begin after a brief exchange of small talk. Acceptable topics are a person's job, travel, food, exercise, sports, music, movies, and books. Avoid discussing religion, money, politics or potentially controversial subjects such as race or sex discrimination.
• These meetings are often held over lunch.
• Business cards are not exchanged unless you want to contact the person later. If you offer your card, it will not be refused, but you may not be given one in exchange. Don't be offended by this.

CUSTOMS

There are certain social customs and norms unique to the Americans. When you meet people, or are introduced to people, there are some things you should keep in mind:

• The normal form of greeting is a smile, often accompanied by a nod, a wave, and/or a verbal greeting.
• In business situations, you shake hands firmly, and you wait for a woman to offer you her hand before shaking it.
• In casual situations you could smile and say hello.
• Wave if you see someone you know at a distance.
• When asked 'How are you?' you should respond with a simple 'Fine, thank you.'

How you address a person when introduced is important, and you must remember a few things:

• The order of most names is first name, middle name and last name.
• Be respectful and use a title such as Dr., Ms., Miss, Mrs., or Mr. with the last name.
• Sometimes you will be told a person's first name only, in which case you address that person as he/she has been introduced.
• If you are not sure of a woman's marital status use Ms. (pronounced `Miz').
• When meeting someone for the first time, use a title and their last name until you are told to do otherwise.
• Introduce yourself as you want to be called.

Gifts are not expected, but are polite as tokens and a good way of showing appreciation. These are a few do's and don'ts of gift-giving:

• When making a social call, flowers, a plant, or a bottle of wine, or candy for children are acceptable gifts.
• At Christmas time, gifts are usually exchanged both socially as well as at work. Business associates appreciate things for the office, liquor or wine.
• If you stay with someone in the US, a thank-you gift would be a good idea.
• Unless it's Christmas time, gifts are usually unwrapped on receipt.
• Taking someone out for a meal or other entertainment is a common gift.
• Personal gifts such as perfume or clothing are inappropriate for women.
• Indian curios also make good gifts.