The United States of America

The United States of America usually referred to as the United States, the USA or America, is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). The United States is situated in the western hemisphere. It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the USA is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The country borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. We don’t know much about this man. He was born in Italy but lived in Spain for a long time. After sailing 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) he reached some land. Columbus thought that it must be India but it was not. It was a new land, a new continent. It was America.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the country is about 250 million. The people of the United States are a mixture of many different nationalities. In the past, people from many countries came to the US. These different people brought to their new land a wonderful mixture of customs and traditions.

Because of large size and wide range of geographic features, nearly every type of climate is represented. The climate is temperate in most areas.

If you look at the map of the USA you can see both lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. The Grand Canyon is one of America’s main tourist attractions. The Colorado River formed it over millions of years. There are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon.

The smallest U.S. state by area is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Alaska is the largest state of the United States by area.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The federal government is composed of three branches:

- Legislative. The Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal laws, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.

- Executive. The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.

- Judicial. The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional.

Americans are very proud of their Constitution. It was written more than 200 years ago and is still working! But the people of the USA can change the Constitution. Changes are called amendments. There are 26 amendments in the Constitution. The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights.

There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic.

The United States has a capitalist - mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its main trading partners. The leading export commodity is electrical machinery, while vehicles constitute the leading import.

English is de facto the national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws standardize English. About 215 million, or 82% of the population aged five years and older, speak only English at home. Spanish, spoken by over 10% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught foreign language.

Mainstream American culinary arts are similar to those in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup. Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. Americans generally prefer coffee to tea.

The US national flag – Stars and Stripes – Is red, white and blue. Thirteen stripes represent the original 13 states of the US; the 50 stars represent the current number of states. People must know many things about the flag, for example: you should display it only during the day and you should fold it in a special way. Americans are proud of their flag and display it in many places.