USA Nature Photos

United States

United States is considered a diverse country: some 17,000 species of vascular plants live in the contiguous United States and Alaska and more than 1,800 species of flowering plants are found only in Hawaii, few of which grow on the continent. The country is home to over 400 species of mammals, 750 species of birds and 500 species of reptiles and amphibians. Here, too, have discovered more than 91,000 different kinds of insects.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States. There are fifty-eight national parks and hundreds of other protected areas managed by the federal government. In total, the government owns 28.8% of the total land area. Most of this percentage are protected areas, although some are leased for oil and natural gas, mining, agriculture and livestock, 2.4% is used for military purposes.