The United States of America (1)
(Соедененные Штаты
Америки )

The United States of America is situated in the southern half of North America
. The area of the U.S.A. is 7,839,000 square km without Alaska. The area of the United States is much larger than that of 11 West Europe. The population of the USA is over 260 million people. The U.S.A. consists, of 50 states. The capital of ! the U.S.A.
i
s the city of Washington in the District of Columbia. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, the U.S.A. borders with Canada in the north and with Mexico in the south. The territory of the United States may be divided into three main part
s: the Appalachian Mountain system Ч in the east; the Cordilleras system Ч in the west; and the Central Plain Ч
between them. The Great Lakes, situated on the U.S. - Canada border, are the world's largest fresh water basin; these lakes constitute a whole in
land sea occupying an area of 245,000 square km. They are five in number, namely: Lake Superior, Lake Michi-gan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. The biggest river of the United States is the Mississippi with its tributaries Ч
the Ohio, the Missour
i, and S the Arkansas Rivers. The territory of the United States is rich in natural resources. The reserves of coal are estimated at 3,200 billion tons. The reserves of oil and of metals in the U.S.A. are also very large. The main iron ore deposits are co
n
centrated near Lake Superior. The main cities of the United States are: New York, which together with its suburbs has a population of 12 million people, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Detroit. The supreme state power in the U.S.A is represented by
the president, a two-chamber congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) and the Supreme Court.

The United States of America (2)

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It occupi
es the southern part of North America and stretches from the Atlantic seaboard, across the central plains, over the Rocky Mountains to the densely populated West Coast and then to the island state of Hawaii. The USA also includes Alaska in the north of th
e continent. The total area of the country I about nine and a half million square kilometres. The USAborders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south; It also has a sea-border with Russia.
The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Colu
mbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the COUNTry is about 239 million. The USA is called the "nation of immigrants". The country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigr
ants and their children. Many different cultural traditions, ethnic sympathies, racial groups and reli¬gious affiliations make up the people of the USA.
If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Ro
cky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska. It is 6193 metres high.
The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The northern state of Minnesota is known as the land of 10 000 lakes. The larges
t and deepest lakes in USA are the five Great Lakes on the border with Canada. America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Mississippi is the world's third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon. T
h
e climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typh
oons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.
The history of this land is long. In prehistoric times hunters crossed from Siberia to Alaska by land.
Gradually they moved southwards and settled all over North and South America. Each tribe developed its own language and customs.
In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of reaching India as he had expected he landed on an island off a continent unknown to Europeans. Th
inking that he was in India, Columbus called the people he met there Indians.
Other explorers arrived from Europe. Spanish troops con¬quered vast parts of Central and South America which are now called Latin America. The French founded settlements in th
e north. In 1620 the first English party left England for America. They were Puritans, religious people, driven out of the official Church. The newcomers settled at Plymouth Bay. Some of them died of cold and hunger during the first winter in America. The
Indians showed the white settlers how to fish and plant crops. Some settlers traded with the local population and some regarded them as enemies.
In 1783 independence from Britain was gained by 13 North American colonies. They formed the United States o
f America. In 1789 George Washington was elected the first president of the USA. New states joined the Union and the country grew westwards. Gold and silver were discovered on the Pacific coast and thousands of people rushed there across the continent. Ne
w towns sprang up and quickly grew.

In the southern states white farmers used black slaves to work on their huge plantations. When slavery was abolished in the North the southern states left the Union and formed the Confederacy. Civil war between the Nor
th and South broke out. In 1865 the Union won and slavery was abolished all over the USA.
Nowadays, the USA is a highly developed industrial coun¬try. It is the world's leading producer of copper and oil and the world's second producer of iron ore and
coal. Among the most important manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper.
American farmers plant spring wheat in the western plains. They raise corn, wheat and beef cattle in the Mid
west. Florida and California are famous for their vegetables and fruit production, and the northwestern states are known for apples, pears, berries and vegetables.
There are many important cities in the USA, for example New York, one of the largest citi
es in the world, a great seaport and financial centre, Chicago near the Great Lakes, one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA, and the second largest after New York. Boston is one of the first cities which were built on the Atlantic coast of Americ
a. Now it is a big cultural centre with three universities. Los Angeles in Califor¬nia is a centre of modern industries and show business. Other big cities in the USA are Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, Detroit etc.

The USA as an independent state was set up by the Constitution in 1787. Under the Constitution the federal govern¬
ment is divided into three branches. The legislative branch is exercised by the Congress. The Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Represen
tatives. There are 100 senators and 435 members in the House of Representatives. The executive branch is headed by the President chosen in nation-wide elections every four years together with the Vice-President. The judicial branch is made up of Federal D
istrict Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life. There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republicans and the Democratics.
From the beginning of the twentieth century the USA became the world's leading country.

Washington. D. С . ( Вашингтон)



Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city of the USA. It's the world's largest one-industry city. And that industry is government. The White House, wher
e the US President lives and works, the Capital, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington. The population of the city is over 3.4 million. Most of the permanent population consist of government employees.

The city was so
named in memory of George Washington, the first president of the USA. George Washington was born in 1732. He distinguished himself as a soldier in campaigns against the French and the Indians. He strongly opposed the policy of the British government and
when the war with Britain began he was chosen Commander-in-Chief of the American army. After the war he entered politics and was elected President in 1789.
There are 50 states in the United States, but the city of Washington is not in any of them. A special district was created for the American capital Ч
the District of Columbia (D. C). The city was laid out according to a uniform plan made by a French officer in the Engineer Pierre L'Enfant. Founded in 1790, it became the federal capital in 1800. In 1814 it was burnt by the British.

Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol Ч
a big white dome standing in a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs. It's easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, mor
e than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.
The official residence of the president of the USA is the White House.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50