THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The USA is one of the largest countries in the world

The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. The area of the USA is over 9 million square kilometres. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west and east coasts respectively. The most northern part of the USA is Alaska, the largest state, separated from the rest of the country by Canada. The population of the United States is nearly 250 million people, and most of the people live in towns. People of different nationalities live in the USA. The United States contains a highly diverse population; its diversity has to a great degree come from an immense and sustained global immigration. Probably no other country has a wider range of racial, ethnic, and cultural types than does the United States. In addition to the presence of surviving native Americans (including American Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimo) and the descendants of Africans taken as slaves to America, the national character has been enriched, tested, and constantly redefined by the tens of millions of immigrants who by and large have gone to America hoping for greater social, political, and economic opportunities than they had in the places they left.

The official language of the country is English.

The capital of the country is Washington DC. It was named in honour of the first President, George Washington. As the USA is a large country, the climate is different in different regions. For example, the Pacific coast is a region of mild winters and warm, dry summers, but the eastern continental region has more rainfall.

The region around the Great Lakes has changeable weather. There are many mountains in the USA. For example, the highest peaks of the Cordilleras in the USA are 6,193 and 4,418 metres.

The main river of the country is the Mississippi. But there are many other great rivers in the USA: the Colorado in the south and the Columbia in the northwest. There are five Great Lakes between the USA and Canada (Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Michigan).

The USA produces more than 52 per cent of the world's corn, wheat, cotton, and tobacco. There are many big cities in the country. They are Washington DC (the capital of the country), New York (the city of contrasts, financial and business centre of the USA), Boston (with many colleges and universities), Chicago (one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Detroit (one of the biggest centres of the automobile industry).

The USA has an Academy of Sciences. There are many scientific institutions, museums, libraries, theatres and other interesting places in the country. The USA is a highly developed industrial country. The USA is rich in mineral resources, such as aluminium, salt, zinc, copper, and others. The country is rich in coal, natural gas, gold and silver, too.

It is a world leader in the production of coal, iron, oil, natural gas.

Such industries as the automotive industry and shipbuilding are highly developed in the country.

American agriculture produces a lot of food products: grain, fruit, and vegetables.

The USA is a federal republic, consisting of fifty states. Each of these states has its own government. The seat of central (federal) government is Washington, D.C. According to the Constitution of the USA, the powers of the government are divided into three branches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the Congress, and the judicial. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main political parties in the USA: The Republican and the Democratic.

Vocabulary Notes

diverse – різноманітний

immense – величезний, безмірний

sustained – тривалий, безупинний

descendants – нащадки

in honour – в честь

copper – мідь

the House of Representatives – Палата представників

E x e r c i s e s

I. Answer the questions:

1. What is the territory of the USA?

2. Where are the United States situated?

3. How many states are there in the United States of America now?

4. What is the population of the USA?

5. What do you know about Great Lakes region?

6. What is the main river in America?

7. What are the basic industries in the United States?

8. What do you know about the political system of the USA?

II. Say what statements are false and what are true; correct the false ones:

1. The USA is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the East, the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Gulf of Mexico in the south.

2. The highest peak of the USA is Witney.

3. The Great Lakes in the north-east of the country play an important role as the biggest inter-country water basin.

4. The St. Lawrence Seaway, which the United States shares with Canada, connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean.

5. The USA is a constitutional republic, consisting of fifty states.

6. The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Court, 11 Federal Courts of Appeals and, at the top, the Supreme Court.

7. Washington, the capital of the United States of America, is situated on the Mississippi River in the District of Columbia.

8. The White House is the President’s residence.

STATES OF AMERICA

From the 13 original British colonies, the United States has grown into 50 states and one federal district that together span more than 3.5 million square miles. There natural environment, populations and other characteristics vary widely, but they all share sovereignty with the federal government and have their own constitution, legislature, judiciary, executive branch and capital city.

Alabama

Admitted in 1819 as the 22nd state, Alabama forms a roughly rectangular shape on the map. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, and Mississippi to the west. Montgomery is the state capital.

Alaska

Admitted to the union as the 49th state in 1959, Alaska lies at the extreme northwest of the North American continent and is the largest peninsula in the Western Hemisphere. The capital is Juneau.

Arizona

Arizona is the sixth largest state in the country in terms of area. Its population has always been predominantly urban, particularly since the mid-20th century, when urban and suburban areas began growing rapidly at the expense of the countryside. Some scholars believe that the state's name comes from a Basque phrase meaning “place of oaks,” while others attribute it to a Tohono O'odham (Papago) Indian phrase meaning “place of the young (or little) spring.” Arizona achieved statehood on Feb. 14, 1912, the last of the 48 coterminous United States to be admitted to the Union.

Arkansas

Arkansas ranks 27th among the 50 states in area, but, except for Louisiana and Hawaii, it is the smallest state west of the Mississippi River. The name Arkansas was used by the early French explorers to refer to the Quapaw people—a prominent indigenous group in the area—and to the river along which they settled. Little Rock is the state capital.

California

It was admitted as the 31st state of the Union on Sept. 9, 1850, and by the early 1960s it was the most populous U.S. state. The fluid nature of the state's social, economic, and political life has for centuries made California a laboratory for testing new modes of living.

Colorado

Colorado is classified as one of the Mountain states, although only about half of its area lies in the Rocky Mountains. Colorado was admitted to the Union on Aug. 1, 1876, as the 38th state. The capital is Denver.

Connecticut

One of the original 13 states and one of the six New England states, Connecticut is located in the north eastern corner of the country. In area it is the third smallest U.S. state, but it ranks among the most densely populated. Connecticut takes its name from an Algonquian word meaning “land on the long tidal river.” “Nutmeg State,” “Constitution State,” and “Land of Steady Habits” are all sobriquets that have been applied to Connecticut.

Delaware

Delaware is the first of the original 13 states to ratify the federal Constitution. It is the second smallest state in the country and one of the most densely populated. The state is organized into three counties—from north to south, New Castle, Kent, and Sussex—all established by 1682. Most state government operations are located in Dover, the capital.

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