The United States is a country of 50 states that occupies a large swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii that extends the country's presence in the Pacific Ocean. Major cities on the Atlantic coast include New York, a global financial and cultural center, and the capital, Washington D.C. Chicago, a Midwestern metropolis, is famous for its architectural influence, and on the West Coast, Hollywood, Los Angeles, is famous for the film industry