The USA

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 Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia.

America was discovered by Columbus in 1492 but he thought it was the coast of India. A few years later another traveller named Amerigo Vespucci proved that it was not India but an unknown continent. In 1506 this continent was named America in honour of Amerigo.

The original inhabitants of North America were the Indians. Being driven from their lands they have settled in the so-called reservations situated in the west.

The country may be divided into 5 parts: the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, the Appalachian Highlands, the Interior Plain, the prairie that lies to the west of the Mississippi and the Cordilleran or Western Highland and the Pacific Slope including the Pacific Valley and the Coastal Ranges.

The United States has thousands of lakes of all kinds and sizes. The Great Lakes make up the largest group of lakes in the country, as well as the greatest collection of fresh-water lakes in the world. But only Lake Michigan lies entirely inside the US. The greatest fall is Niagara Falls.

The USA has one of the longest rivers in the world – the Mississippi River. It’s main tributaries are the Missouri and Ohio Rivers. The rivers in the west are unsuitable for navigation. The largest among them, Columbia and Colorado rivers flow through deep canyons. Being cut but rapids these rivers serve as an immense source of electric power.

The USA has different climatic regions: continental, subtropical desert climate and others. Large reserves of coal, oil, gas, iron, copper, form a solid base for the development of the US industry.

The capital of the United States is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. This area is not a state and is not in fact a municipality, but Federal Land.

The White House (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) has been the official residence of every American President except G. Washington. The original design of the “President’s House” was drawn by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect. Burnt by the British in 1814 it was restored and painted white and thus got its current name.

The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 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.