United States

Why it sticks

1. 1

   The flag has 50 stars for the states and 13 stripes for the original British colonies that declared independence in 1776.

2. 2

   The US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, about 2 cents an acre.

3. 3

   It is the world's third-most populous country and third or fourth-largest by area.

4. 4

   Death Valley in California holds the record for the highest reliably measured air temperature on Earth, 56.7 °C.

• Speed signs say "SPEED LIMIT" in mph, and limits ending in 5 are common. Canada uses "MAXIMUM" in km/h.
• Yellow centre lines, usually double, and white edge lines.
• Wordy signs such as "YIELD", "RAILROAD CROSSING" and yellow "NO PASSING ZONE" pennants. These are blank or absent in Canada.
• Short plates in a different design for each state. About 20 states need only a rear plate.
• Wooden utility poles with large transformers, mailboxes on posts, and white and orange fibre-optic markers.
• Generation 2 imagery is rare outside Alaska and Hawaii. If you see Gen 2 in North America, think Canada.