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The USA
The USA is situated in the central part of the North American continent . Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast by the Atlantic Ocean an the Gulf of Mexico . It borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south .
The USA consists of fifty-one states and the District of Columbia. The state of Alaska is separated from the rest of the USA by Canada . Hawaii , which became the fiftieth state in 1959 , is in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between the continents of America and Asia .
The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. Its area is over 9 million square kilometers. Symbols of the United States include the American flag and the Great Seal.
The name, “United States Of America”, is usually shortened to “The United States”, “America”, or simply “The US” or “USA”.
America has over 270 000 000 people and the population is still growing . Its people are called the “Americans”. Nearly all of the Americans are descendants of immigrants who came to America from other countries. Most of the people live in towns, the population of the countryside is becoming smaller and smaller.
African-Americans or “blacks” are descendants of slaves, who were brought by violence from Africa for sale in America. The slave trade began in the 1600s and was finally outlawed in 1808. There are about 24 million African-Americans in the country . In the 1950s and 1960s , blacks finally won the basic rights of all Americans.
The first people who arrived in the Americas were the Native Americans. Many of them lived in small groups of about 20-50 people. Most of them were very peaceful people, who lived by hunting and collecting food. Other Native Americans lived in small villages, where they had farms. There are about two million Native Americans in the territory of the United States. They used to be called Indians because, when Christopher Columbus arrived in America, he thought he had reached India.
The United States is made up of 50 States. Capital cities in America are less important than in Europe. They are created to serve limited political functions , not to be the center of social life.
New York is the biggest city in America, with seven million people . About 40% of the population is foreign-born. Although it’s not the capital it has always been the cultural centre of the whole country. New York is also famous for its skyscrapers. The heart of New York is Manhattan Island . The Statue of Liberty stands in the harbor of New York. A gift from France , she is a strong woman and holds up the torch of freedom.
Washington, DC is the capital of the USA. It’s designed by a French architect. DC, by the way, stands for “District of Columbia”, in honor of Christopher Columbus. Washington is a beautiful city with many famous monuments and without much industry. The president of the United States lives and works in the White House.
Los Angeles , California , on the west coast, is the second largest city in America, with 3 500 000 people. It has the original Disneyland, which is called “the happiest place on earth”. Hollywood, the place where America’s movies are made, is a suburb of Los Angeles. It is the ideal place for making movies, with lots of sunshine, and every kind of landscape nearby, cities, mountains, ocean and desert .
The United States of America is a federation and a democracy . It’s a federation because it is made up 50 States. Each State has its own government . At the same time, there is a Federal Government for the whole country. It’s a democracy because the government leaders are elected by the people.
The powers of the Federal Government are divided . The Congress writes the laws . The President carries out the laws and policies the government. The courts enforce the laws and the Supreme Court decides whether the laws themselves are legal or illegal.
America has the largest economy of any single country in the world, with a total product of almost $8 000 000 000 000 a year . Its people have the highest standard of living of any large country in the world; only a few small countries have higher standards of living.
The United States is rich in various metals and minerals. It hold first place in the capitalist world for production of coal, iron and oil, and it also produces silver and gold . It has highly developed car, machine and ship - building industries, textile and food industries.