Federal Aviation Administration facts for kids
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 created the group under the name "Federal Aviation Agency", and adopted its current name in 1967 when it became a part of the United States Department of Transportation. The FAA is the single most influential governmentally-run aviation agency in the world, with the European Aviation Safety Agency in a close second.
The FAA provides air traffic control services over U.S. territory and over international waters where it has been delegated such authority by the International Civil Aviation Organization. This map depicts overflight fee regions. Yellow (enroute) covers land territory, excluding Hawaii and some island territories but including most of the Bering Sea as well as Bermuda and The Bahamas (sovereign countries, where the FAA provides high-altitude ATC service). The blue regions are where the U.S. provides oceanic ATC services over international waters (Hawaii, some US island territories, & some small, foreign island nations/territories are included in this region).
FAA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
FAA Joint Surveillance Site radar, Canton, Michigan
Federal Aviation Administration Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.