USA

Geography

The Usa is situated in the southern part of North America,between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans..Its neighbors are Canada in the north,Mexico in the south and the Confederation of Independent States in Alaska.It covers the area about of 9mil.sg kms.The highest mountain is Mount McKinley in the Alaska Rang and the lowest point is Death Valley..The largest river are Mississippi and the Misouri.In USA we can find desert too,e.g in Nevada The border with Canada is maded by Great Lakes Region(L.Superior,Huron,Erie,Ontario).There are famous Niagara falls.
There are big variations of climate-the artic cold in northern Alaska,subtropical warmth of Hawaii and the Gulf Coast States.On the western coast temperatures change very litlle between summer and winter(California).The north central states have differnt climate in summer and winter.There are many national parks in the USA.,especially in the Rocky Mountains Region,where are Rocky Mountain National Park,Yellowstone National Park and the Grad Tetons,where is the nature beautiful and preserved.

People
The US population is about 250 mil.There are 100 major ethnic groups in the USA today.America is sometimes called „the melting pot“ or „the salad bowl“,because in the USA live people with all the races and origins,and they can mix here together.Now there are about 80% white people,12% black people and 1.5 % Asians and Pacific islanders,and litle per cent American Indians and Eskimos.The main language spoken here is American English,which differs from British English in vocabulary,pronunciation and spelling.US spelling is simpler.

History
The American continent was discovered around the year 1000 by Vikings.There were the only inhabitants-the Indians.In 1492 it was discovered by Christopher Columbus(he was an Italian mariner under Spanish monarchs),because he wanted to get in Asia for spices,textiles and also there was a navigation error,which brought Columbus to the Caribbean Sea instead to Asia.The first English colony was founded in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607.In 1620 the ship nemed Mayflower brouht 102 English men,women and children.They called themselves the Pilgrim Fathers,they were Puritans ,and they wanted to found a colony and called it Plymouth,but the winter was cold and half of them died.The Indians helped them and they together celebrated a good harvest a year later.They called this day Thanksgiving Day.During the 17 th century many colonists British,French,Dutch and Irish settled in the country,mainly along the eastern coast.There were 13 colonies under British rule,but they signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.On July 4 th,1776 the first colonies founded their state with first president George Washington.In 1860 becamme president Abraham Lincoln,and he didn´t want slawery.1861 started a Civil war.It was between the North andthe South and it was the worst episode in America history.It ended in 1865 and it had two main good results-slavery was abolished and America became a single and indivisible nation.

The USA is a federation of 50 states with 48 on the continent,Alaska in the North and Hawaii in the Mid Pacific and one district-District of Columbia.It is a republic with the president as the head of state .The USA is the member of all major international organizations:NATO,OECD,UN

Economy
The main industry:steel,car industry,electronics,machinery,clothing…The main agriculture products are corn,cotton,tobacco,fruit and vegetables.The USA is rich in coal,copper,gold,iron and oil.

Political systém
The main body is called Congress-its seat is in the Capitol.The Congress is divedid into two parts-the House of Repressentatives and the Senate.The main building are:Supreme Count,White House and the Capitol.The president and his Vice President is chosen every 4 years.There are two main polizical parties in the USA-the Democratic Party and The Republican Party.

Towns
The Capital of the USA-Washington D.C-it has 3 mil.people and there are the most important buildings in the USA-the White House-residence of the American President,the Capitol-the seat of the Congress,the Pentagon-the center of military forces.There are no factories and industry in Washington-it seems so clean and nice.
Los Angeles-the famous film center Hollywood,Beverly hills and the center of crime.The biggest Zoo in the world is in San Diego.
San Francisco-on of the cleanest amd most interesting picturesque cities.There are frequent earthquakes.There is a famous cabla car.
New Orleans-jazz was born there
Houston-with the NASA Center
Florida-a tourist area with long beaches and Miami
Philadelphia-one of the oldest cities,the center of machinery and chemical industry
Chicago-lies on the banks of Lake Michigan,the first skysraper was built there in 1882,it is the center of steel and iron industries
Detroit-the center of US car industry

The Anerican flag is called The Stars and Stripes.There are 50 white stars and 13 stripes on it.The number of the stripes symbolizes the 13 colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4 th,1776 and established the USA.The stars represent the 50 states