Topic USA (0)

Tallinn English College
English
Anita Kuprijanovitš
Form 8b
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Report
Supervisor:
Mare Kallas
Tallinn 2009
Introduction
Name: The United States of America
Area: ~10 mln km2
Population: ~300 mln people
Symbols: The American Flag- consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white and represent the Thirteen Colonies. The 50 small, white stars represent the 50 U.S. states. The U.S. flag is commonly called „the Stars and Stripes“.
The Statue of Liberty, that is locatd in New York ,is a gift from the France .
The Libety Bell, that is a bronze bell that symbolizes freedom in the United States of America. It is located in Pennsylvania,U.S.
Capital: Washington D.C
Biggest city: New York
National language : English
Location
U.S is located in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean. United States neighbour countries are Canada and Mexico .
The USA has the 8th longest coastline in the world at ~20 000 km. 62% of the perimeter of the USA is coastline. The USA's coastline is made up of beaches , cliffs, mangroves, and urban and developed areas, which make America very versatile country .
Political division
United States of America distributes into 50 states. The government power is limited by a dual system of government (federal government and individual state government). The federal government of the United States is the central United States governmental body . The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial . Through a system of separation powers, all three branches have some authority over the others and are equal. Federal government was given the powers and responsibilities to deal, that face the problems of a whole nation (foreign affairs, trade, control of the army and navy etc.). In addition , the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution. State governments have the power over the laws that aren ’t granted to the national government. These include education, crimes, family law and contract law. Like the national government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The chief of the state is elected by governor, who typically holds for a four -year- term . The constitutions of the various states differ in some details , but generally follow the general laws.
The government.
Relief
The country naturally presents a tremendous variety in physical features . The highest peak of US is Mt. McKinley in Alaska at ~6000 metrs, while part of Death Valley in California is 89 metres below sea level. At the western edge of the Atlantic coast plain , are almost unbroken mountains , stretching from the Maine into Alabama , called the Appalachian Mountains. These mountains contain coal and iron . The heart of the U.S is a vas plain named interior plains and are divided into two major parts: the wetter , eastern part is called the Central Plains and the western part the Great Plains, both with very good soil . To the west of the Great Plains is the Cordillera. It is a region of tremendous variety, which can be subdivided into various other regions . On the eastern border the Rocky Mountains, a high, discontinuous mountains stretching from Alaska down to Mexico. The western edge of the Cordillera is described by high mountains. The most important ranges are the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades.
The U.S has several long rivers , mostly located in the eastern part of the country. The longest is the Missouri (~4,000 km), a tributary of the Mississippi . The tributaries of Mississippi-the Ohio and the Tennessee are also very long.
Climate
Every type of climate can be found in the United States due to the tremendous size of the North American landmass. Most of the country has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Because of the lack of the natural barriers in south and north, dry air flows south from Canada, and warm , humid air north from the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Plains and Midwest have spectacular weather, with hot and humid summers. The rainfall decreases to the west due to rain shadow caused by Sierra Nevada. The southwest part of the Great Plains is the hottest and driest region of the U.S. The Pacific coast is almost rainless in the summer , but having often fog. IN the winter there is frequent drizzle, but the climate is still, warm. The eastern part of the county is moderately rainy and the summers are extremely humid.
History
The first known inhabitants of modern-day United States territory are believed to have arrived over a period of several thousand years by crossing Beringa into Alaska. Research has revealed much about the early Native American settlers of North America who are also called Indians. Columbus' men were the first documented Old Worlders to land in the territory of what is now the United States. In its beginnings, the United States of America consisted only of the Thirteen Colonies. American colonists fought off the British army in the American Revolutionary War of the 1770s and issued a Declaration of Independence in 1776. Seven years later , the signing of the Treaty of Paris officially recognized independence from Britain . In the nineteenth century, westward expansion of United States territory began, in which the United States would occupy all the North American land east to west. Ratified in 1788, the Constitution serves as the supreme American law in organizing the government; the Supreme Court is responsible for upholding Constitutional law. Slavery was abolished in 1865 by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In later years, civil rights were extended to women and black Americans. The Progressive Era marked a time of economic growth for the United States, advancing to the Roaring Twenties. However , the Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, a time of economic downturn and mass unemployment . Consequently, the U.S. government established the New Deal, a series of reform programs that helped “the forgotten men”. The New Deal had varied success. However, once the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941, the economy quickly recovered, so much that the U.S. became a world superpower by the dawn of the Cold War. During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were the world's two superpowers, but with the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, United States became the world's only superpower. The civil rights were given to black people in 1964, thanks to reverend Martin Luther King , who fought over the rights of black people and the prejudice against black people became less important at last.
Famous martin Luther King speech in Washington
By the end of the 18th century, the whole of the Eastern coast of North America had been colonized, largely by British. As the British army needed to be supplied with raw materials, the taxes in America were raised. As there was serious opposition to this taxation the taxes were repealed. After that, in 1773 American patriots threw tons of British tea into sea from Boston harbour, in order to keep their job and money . Parliament reacted to that act of vandalism by closing Boston harbour. In 1774 representatives from every U.S state met in Philadelphia and imposed a trade embargo on Britain. As war became inevitable, the representatives had to meet for the second time in Philadelphia, in 1776,and made George Washington their commander-in-chief. The formal Declaration of Independence was made on 4 July 1776 and gave people Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness. The American War of Independence, that lasted over six years, ended when Washington, aided by French army and navy, surrounded the British forces at Yorktown in 1781. Thirteen colonies recognized the independence, sovereignty and freedom two years later, by signing the peace settlement.
Population
With approximately 300 mln inhabitants is the U.S fourth country in terms of population. More than three-fourths of the population live in urban states and tehere are 170 cities with huge population. Most of urban cities are located along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The vast majority of the population make White-Anglo- Saxon -Protestants, because of the immigrant that arrived in the 1860 s. These immigrants arrived from central Europe in particular and have formed their own culturally homogeneous neighbourhoods. Almost 12% of the population are black people, who were brought to America as slaves. Now, the blacks are at the bottom of the economic and education table, with high unemployment, especially because of racial discrimination. The most rapidly growing ethnic group is the Hispanics. Like the blacks, they have lower economic and education level that the rest of the population. There are also about 2 mln generally prosperous Oriental Americans, who live mainly in California. There are only about 1.5 mln Native Americans, who mainly live in reserves in deep poverty and there has been little or no integration into American society.
Towns
The State of New York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. New York City, which is geographically the largest city in the state and most populous in the United States, is known for its history as a gateway for immigration to the United States and its status as a financial, cultural , transportation, and manufacturing center. Millions of people visit New York City every year and many take some form of New York tour . New York is a city full of history, diversity , culture, incredible beauty and breathtaking sites . There's so much to see in New York that sometimes you need help or a way to see a lot in a short period of time! There are New York bus tours designed to hit "all the sites", hop-on hop-off double decker tours, large and small intimate guided sightseeing tours, walking tours, bike tours, historical & cultural tours, expert NYC tour guides and much, much more! You can even enjoy the skyline from a helicopter or the Statue of Liberty and bridges on a cruise boat or water tour. New York City is possibly one of the most intimidating cities in the world. Busy, sophisticated and sprawling, it is an overwhelming place .
Lower Manhattan skyline
Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion , science , technology , and education. As the home base of Hollywood , it is known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World", leading the world in the creation of motion pictures, television production and recorded music. There a lot of places to visit in Los Angeles and here are some of them: Disneyland , Hollywood Bowl , The Silent Movie Theatre , Hollywood Park, Los Angeles Zoo, Aquarium of the Pacific. All, what you see in Los Angeles, in enormous, beautiful and absolutely new!
Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The state is named after George Washington, the 1st President of the United States. It is the only U.S. state named after a president. Washington is a great place for tourist to visit, with art galleries and museums that it has. The nature in Washington in really diverse and it is good for people, who don’t like so much night life, but historical cities.
Mt. Rainier reflected in Reflection lake.
Famous Americans
Leonardo was born in Vinci, near Florence, Italy , in 1452. Leonardo da Vinci was a skilled painter, sculptor, engineer, architect, and inventor . Two of his most famous paintings —The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa—are considered by many art historians to be priceless. Although Leonardo studied to be an artist, he also became interested in anatomy, optics, and botany, or the study of plants. He used what he learned from his studies to invent new things. Today, Leonardo is remembered as one of the most important figures of the Renaissance . Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519. In his will, he left all his notebooks and many of his paintings to his friend and favorite student, Francesco Melzi.
Albert Einstein was scientific genius who was born in Germany . He went to school in Germany, in Switzerland, and in Italy. Albert enjoyed learning science, especially Physics . When he was ten years old, his tutor gave him adult -level books on physics and he read them avidly. Albert Einstein is best know for his "Theory of Relativity" in Physics, for explaning the law of photoelectric effect, and early understanding of quantum theory and the use of atomic energy. He wrote over 300 papers that explained physics that had never been understood before . In 1921, he was given the Nobel Prize for Physics
Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop", five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best- selling records: Off the Wall, Thriller , Bad, Dangerous and HIStory. In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk . His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
Did you know?
George Washington had a phobia of being buried alive. After he died, he wanted to be laid out for three days just to make sure he was really dead.
It is possible for any American citizen to give whatever name he or she chooses to any unnamed mountain or hill in the United States