The USA is arguably the most diverse looking country in the world. Mountains are fairly scarce in the USA with a few exceptions. If you notice an amalgamation of desert and mountains then you may be in the Utah-Colorado region. The Appalachian Mountains are typically green, tree covered and comprise of rolling hills. Contrastingly, the Rocky Mountains are true to their name and resemble the 1976 boxing movie that I’m reliably informed they are named after. Also they look rocky. Sometimes there will be sand alongside the road in the South-East corner of the USA such as Florida and surrounding states (AKA the ocean). The South-East corner is also recognisable as it is generally swampy. The prairies in the US run through the central corridor of the US and continue up into the southern part of Canada. These areas lack trees and mainly consists of grass. A frequent occurrence within the US is to be landed adjacent to a corn field. Knowing a general location of this corn field is useful. Fortunately there is a concentration of corn fields in: Iowa, Illinois and southern Minnesota. Some of the surrounding states have a sprinkling of corn fields including Nebraska however the rest of the country is largely void of corn fields. An easy way to distinguish the USA from Canada is via their speed limit signs. Signs from the USA explicitly say ‘SPEED LIMIT’ whilst Canadian signs say ‘MAXIMUM’. There are flags scattered across the entire USA in front gardens and on buildings which direct you to a USA location. If you travel through a town and don’t see any American flags then there is a good chance you are in Canada. The USA tends to use metal signs posts with small holes in them. In contrast, white, wooden poles are more prevalent in Canada. In general, Canada has a colder climate and more cold weather trees than the US. The USA often uses a double, yellow, centre line. This contrasts Canada which mainly uses a single, yellow, centre line. The USA will sometimes use the single, yellow line but it is less prevalent than in Canada. US Flags are a common fixture in the United States and are commonly sprinkled throughout towns. In the USA, they write the words ‘SPEED LIMIT’ on their signs indicating the maximum speed in the area. This contrasts Canada which writes ‘MAXIMUM’ on their equivalent signs. The USA tends to use metal signs posts, often with small holes in them, to hold up road signs. In contrast, Canada mainly uses wooden sign posts, often painted white. Canada does use some metal sign posts but they are less prevalent than US sign posts. The US uses wooden, cylindrical utility poles. Canada also uses these poles, as do many other countries around the world. If you are trying to find the name of the state and town you are located in within the USA, it is often a good idea to look for the town’s post office. These are commonly located on the main street. The Rocky Mountains running down the western part of the USA tend to be true to their name and rocky. They also tend to be higher and drier than the Appalachians. The Appalachians running down the eastern side of the country tend to be greener, smaller is size and more akin to rolling hills than the Rocky Mountains. Many roads in the south-eastern US states contain sand along their sides. North-western USA largely consists of thick forests with this specific type of tall tree. In parts of Arizona and other sections of the south-west you may see large rock formations amongst the dry desert. The southern and south-western US states are generally dry with large parts of these areas lacking vegetation and comprising desert. Hawaii looks quite different from the contiguous USA. The dual presence of Hawaiian and English with hilly, sometimes volcanic terrain and tropical flora makes it a unique location. Hawaii also contains the typical American mainland signs. The centre of many Hawaiian roads contain small yellow reflectors approximately every 5 metres. These are often found in between the two yellow lines. Many parts of Hawaii contain a soil that has a reddish colour. It is often obscured by grass but if visible, it has a recognisable colour. Seeing corn fields in the US can significantly narrow down your location to the upper-central US states. US cities often have a horizontal bar stemming from utility poles or traffic lights at intersections. This horizontal pole holds up street name signs, other signs and traffic lights. Although bollards are relatively rare in the US. A number of US states tend to have a larger gap between the two central, continuous road lines. The states with the wider gap include: Oregon, Washington, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. A wide gap- the gap between the two yellow lines is larger than the width of a car tyre. These are the road lines in Pennsylvania (ie with a typical US road line gap). Note how the lines are closer together and the gap is smaller than a tyre gap. One of the best ways to identify Texas is to look at the roads. Texan roads tend to be fairly grainy and speckled with black dots sprinkled on a light coloured road. Oregon is the only US state that doesn’t have ‘speed limit’ on its signs. Oregon just uses the word ‘speed’. It’s common for signposts in Texas to have a yellow white band around them. The north-east part of the US tends to have this style of white-coloured, two-storey house that have fairly steep roofs. In California, yellow horizontal reflectors are particularly common on utility poles. They mainly appear in groups of three and are seldom seen in other states. Almost every pole in Northern Wisconsin and the peninsula of Michigan (this is north-east of Wisconsin) have these white stickers with orange sections. Cars lacking a front license plate are fairly rare in the world outside parts of the USA and Canada. By looking at street/avenue signs in the USA, you may be able to narrow down your location. The word ‘street’ to indicate the suffix for a road name is largely used in Iowa, southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas. Spotting a speed limit sign in the USA can be useful in narrowing down the state you are in. On rural freeways, the maximum speed limit in the western half of the country (not Oregon or California) is 75 or 80. The maximum speed limit in the eastern half of the country is normally 65 or 70. If you spot a speed limit sign in the USA, especially on a rural freeway, the number written on it can help you determine in which state you are in. The 75 and 80 speed limits are mainly in the western states and the 65 and 70 limits are mainly in the eastern states. There is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit located just to the south of Texas. USA small satellite dishes almost universally point to this satellite. If a dish is pointing south east, you on the west side of the country, if a dish is pointing south west, you are on the east side of the country and if a dish is pointing south, you are in the centre of the country. Also, observe not just the east-west general direction that the dish is pointing but the north-south direction. This can place you in one of the northern states or southern states (the dish will pointing close to east-west). In the US, the direction home TV satellites point can help you narrow down your location. TV satellites on homes in the US point to a location just south of Texas. If you notice more sedans than pickup trucks in an American city, there is an 88% likelihood that you are in a Democrat area. If you notice more pickup trucks than sedans, there is an 82% likelihood that you are in a Republican area. Whilst many states have multiple area codes and there is no clear pattern to their numbering.

US-specific

The US uses American English spelling (e.g. center, color).

In addition, the US primarily uses the imperial system for measurements. For example, speed and distance are measured in miles. You will also often see feet and inches on signs, indicating the height of bridges.

This is useful to distinguish between the English-speaking parts of Canada, where British English spelling and (usually) the metric system are used. For example, Canada measures speed in kilometres.

Road signs in the US tend to use more words compared to their Canadian counterparts. A good example are railway crossing signs, which feature the literal words ‘railway crossing’ on them. In Canada, these signs are typically blank.

This tendency is also noticeable on yellow diamond warning signs. In Canada, the words will usually be on a rectangular sign below the yellow diamond, which would have a diagram on it instead.

The US uses the phrase ‘Speed Limit’ on their speed signs.

The numbers on American speed signs are usually lower than that of Canada’s, since they use miles instead of kilometres. In addition, speed limits ending in 5 are more common in the US.

Canada uses the word ‘Maximum’ on their speed signs.

Triangular yellow signs with the phrase ‘No Passing Zone’ are exclusive to the US.

American yield signs are shaped like an upside down triangle with a red border, with a white field with the word ‘YIELD’.

Canadian yield signs look similar, but lack the ‘YIELD’ text.

American one-way signs are usually a horizontal black rectangle with a white arrow inside of it. These signs will also always have the words ‘ONE WAY’ printed on them. In cities, they are a white vertical rectangle with the words ‘ONE WAY’ on them and an arrow underneath.

Canadian one-way signs are of the same shape and colour, but might not have the words ‘ONE WAY’ on them.

Parking indicator signs in the US are typically white metal signs with red, green, or black text. They may include specific information about when you can park on said road, and arrows indicating where parking is (or is not) allowed.

Canadian parking signs use similar styles and colours, but typically are less ‘wordy,’ instead using more symbols when applicable.

Large highways in the US use large, rectangular, green metal signs with curved edges and white text to mark highway exits, distances to nearby towns, and the names of upcoming roads (mainly in cities). 

Canadian highway signs have a similar appearance, but will typically have squared edges, instead of curved edges.

Leading up to exits on large highways you commonly see large, blue rectangular signs with white text, highlighting services, such as food, lodging and petrol, that are available at the upcoming highway exit.

Canada uses similar signs on some of their highways.

These rectangular junction signs with a single or double arrow are found in the US.

Canada uses diamond-shaped junction signs.

White and orange fibre optic cable markers are almost unique to the US.

On very rare occasions, they can be found in Canada.

The most common type of orange construction barrel in the United States. They are made out of orange plastic with horizontal white stripes and a black rubber base. They are usually used to block off lanes to traffic during times of road construction.

The US uses yellow middle lines and white outer lines. Double middle lines are the most common.

On divided roads, the outer line closest to the median will be yellow, and the other lines will usually be white.

Double middle lines are less common in Canada, but not rare – use this meta with caution. Furthermore, yellow road lines are very rare in Europe.

Interstate highways, US highways, and some state roads have rumble strips in each edge of the road; which are small indentations in the pavement perpendicular to the road. These can be located on the outside edges of the road and in between lanes on multi-lane highways.

Rumble strips may appear in Canada, but are much more rare.

Small, rectangular manufactured homes, also known as mobile or ‘trailer’ homes, are popular in rural areas of the US. In general, mobile homes are more common in the Southeast but they can be seen anywhere in the country.

This style of home can sometimes be seen in Canada, but to a much lesser extent.

Baptist churches are very common in the United States. Similar to mobile homes, these are more common in the Southern Plains and Southeast United States, but can be found in all 50 states. 

Baptist churches are rare in Canada.

Step 1.2 - US & Canada

The following information applies to both the US and Canada. These tips can be helpful for beginning players who struggle with distinguishing North America from Europe (and other places), especially in low-info rounds.

In the US and Canada, especially at large intersections, long metal bars with stop lights attached to them hang over the street. These bars also commonly have street signs, highway signs, or other signs attached to them.

Thin metal sign posts are common. They will typically either have several small holes or have a U-profile.

North America primarily uses wooden utility poles.

Several European countries also primarily use wooden utility poles. However, a concrete pole in particular is mostly associated with Europe.

This style of insulator, that is raised slightly on top of the utility pole, can be a good clue for the US and Canada. It is not typically found in Europe. It is especially apparent on simple poles with a single insulator.

This style of mailbox, resting on top of a post and with a small flag on the side, is mostly associated with North America.

North American semi-trucks have a longer nose, since the engine is in front of the driver’s cab. In contrast, European and Asian semi-trucks are cabovers, meaning the driver sits on top of the engine, giving the truck an L shape.

This is only useful to differentiate between North America and Europe, as these trucks are found throughout all of the Americas. Australian and New Zealand trucks are typically a mix of the two.

There is an important exception: in national parks in the US, you can find a Generation 3 car with a stubby antenna with diagonal coils around it. Still, this specific type of antenna is not found in Europe.

Bollard:

The USA doesn’t have a generic bollard, however there are countless examples of a reflector on guard rails across major highways. Some state may have something like a bollard.

Road Lines:

The USA uses a yellow divider line and a white shoulder line. This yellow center will nearly always be a double yellow (Unlike Canada).

Road Signs:

There are hundreds of different signs in the USA. The most important one being the speed limit sign.

You can also see countless other examples of signs, with some of them being a yellow base sign with black text / imagery, others being a neon yellow, or even a white and black sign. The color seems to matter as to what will appear on the sign. You wont see a white and black pedestrian crossing for example. There is also nothing important about the back of the signs.

Then you get your highway signs. The Green signs will point to towns and destinations, while the blue sign will point to gas stations, hotels or places to eat.

Highways:

The USA uses multiple highway roads. You have the Interstate which travels between states. Odd numbered interstates generally travel from North to South, while Even numbers go East to West. Some notable Interstates are I95 (East coast from Miami Florida up to the Canada border at New Brunswick), I80 (Eastern New Jersey to San Francisco California), I5 goes from the Mexico border to the Canada border on the West Coast (California, Oregon and Washington State).

There are also the USA Route numbers (Not to be confused with individual state roads). Which look like a Shield. These roads almost imitate interstates.

State highways are mostly unique. The most common one of these is a circle sign. You can find this sign in Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and New Jersey.

There are then Secondary highways, often used to supplement the state highways.

There are then County Highways. Counties are small districts, not to be mistaken with the word Country.

License plates:

There are MORE THAN 50 unique plates. Some state have multiple varieties.

Vegetation/Landscape:

There are many differences, and its best to look towards the “General Look” section to get a good feel.

While this may be the domain for the USA, you will almost never see it. You’re more likely to see .com, .org, .net or .gov.

Architecture:

The USA has massive cities with large skyscrapers. These are pretty important as you wont find tall skyscrapers in Europe.
There are some building styles, but these can vary based on the builders preference.

These kind of houses are often found in the North East. Its often pretty obvious and feels “Rich”.

“Row Houses” are found in Suburbs outside of large cities.San Francisco is almost known for these houses.

Unique Vehicle:

The USA uses a yellow school bus. You can find them often around town.

You can also find Postal trucks around. There are different varieties, but they all contain the same logo on the side / back. All post offices will also tell you the name of the town and give you a zip code.
