The United States of America

The United States of America

The USA is situated in the North America. The capital is Washington.
The neighbors of the USA are:
- Canada - on the north
- Mexico - on the south
- Atlantic Ocean - on the east
- Pacific Ocean - on the west

The USA is the fourth largest state of the world after Russia, Canada and China. Part of the USA is Alaska in the north of the American continent and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
 
GEOGRAPHY
West - has very mountainous surface. There are Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. The Cordilla mountain range occupies one half of the continental USA, including the Rocky Mountains and the famous Grand Canyon.
 
East - here is most lowlands and flatlands, for example Mississippi Basin. There are also mountains, for example Appalachians, which are the oldest in the USA.
 

The highest peak - can be found in Alaska - it’s Mt. McKinley.
 
Rivers - the largest rivers are Mississippi and Missouri. The Hudson River is very important, because it connects with the Great Lakes. The five Great Lakes, four of which lie on the border with Canada, are the major lakes of the USA. They contain about half of the world’s fresh water: They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. In the west there are also the Colorado, the Columbia, the Sacramento and the Rio Grande, which makes the border with Mexico.
 
The climate - is varied - from the Artic climate in the north to the subtropical climate in the south. The best climate can be found in Hawaii, Florida and California, where are tropical regions. In the northeast is the climate more severe, here are 4 seasons and cold winters. The most extreme arctic climate can be found in Alaska.
 
POPULATION
There live about 300 million inhabitants. The country is the third most populous in the world behind China and India. There live a lot of immigrants.
The official language of the USA is English. But there are spoken many different languages in these 50 states, because of the large numbers of immigrants.
Religion is important in the USA. The majority of church are Protestants.
 
THE CAPITAL
The capital of the USA is Washington D.C. The city is named after the first president, George Washington. It’s a home of the federal government and the residence of the President. The capital is located in a special district, which is called the District of Columbia, which isn’t state.
Washington lies on the Potomac River. In the centre, on Capitol Hill, is the Capitol, where Congress meets. Nearby, on Pennsylvania Ave, is the White House, the residence of the President. The US national library is the Library of Congress.
Through the city, there are memorials of famous figures from history, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and so on…
Washington is also famous for its museums ( National Space and Air museum ).
There are many parks, for example West and East Potomac Parks.
POLITICAL SYSTEM
The US is a federation consisting of 50 states. The head is the president George Bush. He is elected for 4 years and may only be elected twice. Federal government consists of three parts:

- the Legislative part - is made by two houses:
a) the House of Congress - Senate: consists of 100 senators
- 2 for each of 50 states, they are elected for 6 years
- every 2 years is one third of them exchanged
b) the House of Representatives - consists of 435 Congressmen
- they are elected for 2 years

- the Executive part - is made by President and his Vicepresident
- President is the member of 1 of 2 parties: Democratic & Republicans
- each president makes his cabinet, there are 14 cabinet departments

- the Judiciary part - consists of Federal District Courts, Courts of Appeal
  and US Supreme Court
- each of 50 states has its own laws

Tasso di cambio dollaro americano (USD) - Stati Uniti d’America
 
ECONOMY
The USA has the biggest and most developed economy of the world. The USA is very rich in raw materials. There are coal, copper, gold, iron and oil. It’s the leading country in agriculture and in industry. The main industrial items are manufacturing steel, car industry, electronics, machinery and clothing. The main agriculture products are corn, cotton, tobacco, fruit and vegetables.

INTERESTING PLACES
Los Angeles - it’s the second largest city. Here we can find the famous film center
Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Here is also Disneyland.
San Diego - here is the biggest zoo in the world.
Florida - it’s mainly a tourist are with beaches in Miami. Here is Disney World.
Cambridge - the seat of Harvard University - the oldest and most famous university
Chicago - it’s very famous for its skyscrapers ( the Sears Tower ).
Houston - the base of NASA
Las Vegas - there are many casinos, the city which never sleeps
National parks - Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yellowstone, Yosemite…
San Francisco - one of the cleanest cities, Golden Gate Bridge
New Orleans - the city where jazz was born
Philadelphia - place, where the Declaration of Independence was signed
Detroit - center of US car industry ( Ford, Chrysler )
Dallas - here was killed J.F. Kennedy, TV serial
Plymouth - first pilgrims settled there in 1620
Princeton - set of Princeton University where Albert Einstein gave his lectures
Boston - it’s often called the ,,Cradle of Liberty”, here was the Boston Tea Party

FAMOUS AMERICANS
Michael Jordan - he plays basketball
Andre Agassi - he plays tennis
Lance Armstrong - he ride a bike
Bruce Willis, Tom Hanks - from the sphere of film
Bill Clinton - very famous president of the USA
George Washington - president, who established the city Washington