The USA – geography, economy, and politics

Intro: Capital: Washington D.C (D.C. means District of Columbia) The biggest city is New York The USA is a large country with an area of over 9,5 million km2. This is the 4th largest state after Russia, Canada and China. The United States of America is federative republic consists of 50 states. They border on Mexico in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, Canada in the north and Pacific Ocean in the west. The United States and Canada are peaceful neighbours, sharing the longest undefended border in the world. These two countries have many things in common, including similar ways of life and a democratic heritage. In recent years, free trade has brought their economies closer together. In each country, one finds an increasing number of products that were made in the other country. The flag is a rectangle with 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes, representing the original thirteen colonies. In the upper-left corner is a blue rectangle with fifty white stars, one for each state. The flag is nicknamed Stars and Stripes or Old Glory. The current flag is not the original design. There have been many designs over the years, mostly dependent on the number of stars. This flag has been in service since 1959, when the last two stars were added (representing Alaska and Hawaii).
Geography: Most of the United States stretches across the middle part of North America. The 48 states in this part of the country are contiguous, or joined together inside a common boundary. Two states lie apart from the others. Alaska lies in the north-western part of North America, adjacent to Canada. Hawaii is an island group in the Pacific Ocean, about 2 400 miles southwest of California. The US and Canada have a variety of landforms. A broad lowlands runs along the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico coast – it’s Coastal plain. In north-eastern areas, the thin and rocky soil constrains, or limits, farming. A fertile, hilly area called the Piedmont, however, stretches inland from the coastal plain. West and north of the Atlantic coastal plain spread a number of highland areas. These include the Appalachian Mountains, which run from eastern Canada to
Alabama. The Appalachians are the oldest mountains in North America and they are 3000 km long. West of the Appalachian Mountains lie the Central Lowlands. There are grassy hills, rolling flatlands, thick forests, and fertile farmland. This area also contains important waterways, including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Great Lakes Region includes lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario. It has 250 000 sq. km – it’s the world’s largest group of freshwater lakes. Thousands of years ago, glaciers formed them. Only Lake Michigan belongs all to USA. Superior is the largest lake of them and the second largest lake in the world. Between Erie and Ontario are all over the world known the Niagara Falls. The waters of these connected lakes flow into the St. Lawrence River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The Mississippi and Missouri are the biggest river system in US. Mississippi River flows 3 782 km, beginning as a stream in Minnesota and enlarging to a width of 2,4 km before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Plains stretch west of the Mississippi River, gradually rising in elevation from east to west. Much of this vast region is a prairie, or rolling inland grasslands with fertile soil. West of the Great Plains is a cordillera, which is a group of mountain ranges that run side by side. At the edge of the cordillera, the Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska and run south to New Mexico. Near the Pacific coast is a series of mountain chains that make up the western part of the cordillera. They are the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Ranges, and the Alaska Range. The highest peak is Mount McKinley (Alaska Range). It is 6194 meters above sea level. The lowest point is Death Valley in California. It is 86 below sea level. Though the climate is mostly temperate, there are extremes in Alaska (arctic), and Florida and Hawaii (tropical). There are also semi−arid areas in the west, and arid conditions in the southwest. The Pacific Basin faces danger mainly from earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires and mudslides, while those living on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts must beware of hurricanes. The Midwest suffers mainly from tornadoes, as does the southeast. Yellowstone National Park is the oldest park in the world. You can see there Old Faithful Geyser etc. Yosemite National Park has got many visitors. You can see there waterfalls and wild animals. Grand Canyon National Park has 49 000 km2 and it is in UNESCO. Redwood National Park is called from red wood. This tree is the tallest in the world. The park is along the coast of northern California.
Peoples: The USA has 293 million people.
There are many ethnic groups in the US. Five basic categories are: white (81.7%), black – Afro-Americans (12.9%), Asian (4.2%), Amerindian and Alaska native (1%), native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander (0.2%). One of the largest ethnic groups, Hispanic, is not an official ethnic group. Most people live in urban areas. Major cities are ethnically diverse. English (American English) is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2010, about 230 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language. According to a 2014 survey, 78.5% of adults identified themselves as Christian; Evangelical Protestant is the most abundant religion. The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2012 was 4.9%, up from 4% in 2007. Other religions include Judaism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), Islam (0.6%), Hinduism (0.4%). The culture of the United States has been shaped by immigrants from around the world.
Politics and economy: Representational federal republic, based on a strong constitution The government is divided into three branches: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The Executive is made up of the chief of state (the president) and his cabinet. Unlike in many other countries, in the US, the chief of state is also head of the government. There is no prime minister. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket, and are chosen by the Electoral College, made up of representatives from each state. This technically means Americans do not directly elect their president. The president and vice president serve four-year terms, and are limited to just two terms. The Legislative branch is a bicameral congress made up of the Senate (two from each state) and the House of Representatives (435 members, with membership based on state population). Both senators and representatives are directly elected by the citizens of the state they represent. Senators serve a term of six years, while representatives serve two. The Judicial branch enforces and interprets the laws made by the Legislative and approved by the Executive. This branch consists of many levels of federal courts. The highest of these is the Supreme Court, with nine justices appointed for life.
There are two main political parties: the Republicans (thought of as conservative) and the Democrats (liberal).
The USA has a leading position in world’s economy. Americans have the highest average household and employee income among OECD nations, and in 2007 had the second highest median household income. The main products of agriculture are maize, wheat, soya-beans and cotton. The most productive area is between Ohio and Nebraska with long vegetative period. This place is called maize zone. They grow here corns, vegetable and breed cattle. In the south they grow tobacco, cotton and rice. In California is grown subtropical fruit and vegetable. In the USA dominated chemical and electronic industry. USA is famous for their airplanes-company Boeing in Seattle. They have also finding places of raw materials like petrol in south (Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma) and coal from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. The Great Plains also have reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas. Excellent harbours along the Atlantic coast have led to the growth of shipping ports.