Arizona
Arizona is a state of contrasts. Not only in its landscape which range from the wild west badlands of Tombstone in the south to the awe-inspiring grand canyon in the north, but also in its culture.
In the south there is a stong Hispanic influence which stems not just from the border with Mexico, but also from the involvement of Spain in the state's early history. In the North the Navajo and other Native Americans have retained their own individual cultures. And in the centre there are the cosmopolitan cities of Phoenix, Flagstaff and Lake Havasu.
Boston
Sometimes called America's mother city the area is a bold mixture of the old and the new. Mirror-like skyscapers reflect Colonial steeples, and modern expressways thread through buildings whose hand-etched look recalls the scrimshaw era.
Florida
Although Florida is difficult to disentangle from theme parks in many people's minds, the area has much more to offer than the latest thrill-seeking technology. The Everglades in the south is the only subtropical preserve in North America and a World Heritage Site.
Iceland
More than a thousand years have passed since adventurers from Northern Europe arrived in a land that is both beautiful and harsh. In that thousand years they have tapped its abundant resources and tamed some of them but it is unlikely that they will ever conquer them.
The fire of Iceland has its source in the volcanic depths and shows itself in more than two dozen active volcanoes and hundreds of hot springs and geysers, some of which erupt into columns of steam and boiling water.