UNITED STATES

The country of extremes. The country where everything is possible.

Climate/working climate
The climate in the United States is different everywhere. There is a pole climate in Alaska, a desert climate in Arizona, a tropical climate in Florida and a moderate maritime climate or a continental climate in most of the rest of the country.

The United States has extreme weather conditions. Tornados and hurricanes take dozens of lives each year. Sudden thunderstorms are dangerous especially in Florida. The soil absorbs little water in mountainous regions and deserts and streams suddenly change in swirling water bodies as a result of heavy rainfall.

There are also extremes in temperature between 55 and -45° C, which can be unpleasant at certain locations. It can, for example, be 35° C in Alaska while suddenly it can become -15° C in Florida of Alabama.

The working culture is extremely different with regard to a few issues when compared to the Netherlands.
Hierarchy is more important and you can clearly feel it. The American culture revolves around work and earning money. This is due to the fact that the country does not really have a social security system that can look after its people. Assistance provided by the government is regarded as the last resort. Americans are, therefore, very driven and will not be quick to complain about their work. There is little room for criticism at the workplace itself. To criticise your colleagues or manager is just not done. The planning is often based on short-term agreements and decisions are taken quickly. Work is performed focusing firmly on results.

Facts and Figures
Capital city: Washington DC
Area: 9,630.000 km², 225 x the size of the Netherlands
Population: 290,000,000
Time zone: GMT/UTC -5 (Eastern) GMT/UTC -6 (Central) GMT/UTC -7 (Mountain) GMT/UTC -8 (Pacific Standard)
Currency: US Dollar (US$)
Languages: English

If you want to know more, visit:
http://www.theusa.nl/
www.verenigdestatenvanamerika.com