The United States of America (2)

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Atlantic seaboard, across the central plains, over the Rocky Mountains to the densely populated West Coast and then to the island state of Hawaii. The USA also includes Alaska in the north of the continent. The total area of the country I about nine and a half million square kilometres. The USAborders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south; It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the COUNTry is about 239 million. The USA is called the "nation of immigrants". The country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigrants and their children. Many different cultural traditions, ethnic sympathies, racial groups and religious affiliations make up the people of the USA.

If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska. It is 6193 metres high.

The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The northern state of Minnesota is known as the land of 10 000 lakes. The largest and deepest lakes in USA are the five Great Lakes on the border with Canada. America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Mississippi is the world's third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon. The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

The history of this land is long. In prehistoric times hunters crossed from Siberia to Alaska by land.

Gradually they moved southwards and settled all over North and South America. Each tribe developed its own language and customs.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of reaching India as he had expected he landed on an island off a continent unknown to Europeans. Thinking that he was in India, Columbus called the people he met there Indians.

Other explorers arrived from Europe. Spanish troops conquered vast parts of Central and South America which are now called Latin America. The French founded settlements in the north. In 1620 the first English party left England for America. They were Puritans, religious people, driven out of the official Church. The newcomers settled at Plymouth Bay. Some of them died of cold and hunger during the first winter in America. The Indians showed the white settlers how to fish and plant crops. Some settlers traded with the local population and some regarded them as enemies.

In 1783 independence from Britain was gained by 13 North American colonies. They formed the United States of America. In 1789 George Washington was elected the first president of the USA. New states joined the Union and the country grew westwards. Gold and silver were discovered on the Pacific coast and thousands of people rushed there across the continent. New towns sprang up and quickly grew.

In the southern states white farmers used black slaves to work on their huge plantations. When slavery was abolished in the North the southern states left the Union and formed the Confederacy. Civil war between the North and South broke out. In 1865 the Union won and slavery was abolished all over the USA.

Nowadays, the USA is a highly developed industrial country. It is the world's leading producer of copper and oil and the world's second producer of iron ore and coal. Among the most important manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper.

American farmers plant spring wheat in the western plains. They raise corn, wheat and beef cattle in the Midwest. Florida and California are famous for their vegetables and fruit production, and the northwestern states are known for apples, pears, berries and vegetables.

There are many important cities in the USA, for example New York, one of the largest cities in the world, a great seaport and financial centre, Chicago near the Great Lakes, one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA, and the second largest after New York. Boston is one of the first cities which were built on the Atlantic coast of America. Now it is a big cultural centre with three universities. Los Angeles in California is a centre of modern industries and show business. Other big cities in the USA are Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, Detroit etc.

The USA as an independent state was set up by the Constitution in 1787. Under the Constitution the federal government is divided into three branches. The legislative branch is exercised by the Congress. The Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 100 senators and 435 members in the House of Representatives. The executive branch is headed by the President chosen in nation-wide elections every four years together with the Vice-President. The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life. There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republicans and the Democratics.

From the beginning of the twentieth century the USA became the world's leading country.