2.

The USA
Basic information:
 4th largest country of the world – after Russia, Canada and
China, Situated in North America
 bordered on: Canada (in the north); Mexico (in the south);
Atlantic Ocean (in the east), Pacific Ocean (in the west)
 Other parts of the USA: Alaska – North; Hawaiian Islands – west of California
 50 states
 President: Barack Obama - the 44. president of the USA, the first AfroAmerican
 Capital: Washington D.C.
 Many nationalities mixed so is sometimes called a great ,,melting pot” or ,,Salad
bowl”

History
 History of the USA is much shorter, than the history of other countries.
 History is only little more than 3 centuries old.
 Started with: Declaration of independence in 1776 (July, 4th). But for Europe, the
history of American continent started in 1492, when Ch. Columbus discovered
America. He thought that he found India, so he named the aborigines Indians. He had
three ships (Pinta, Nina, Santa Maria)
 After this, America was colonised - The most important is British colonisation
 Settlers rose up against British colonisation and in 1775 broke out the War of
independence, between colonies and Britain. (George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson were in the lines).
 1776 July 4th the Declaration of independence was adopted. It declared 13 states
like United states of America
 The first president of the USA was George Washington. This day is celebrated as the
day, when the USA came to existence. It is a national holiday.
 Another big conflict was between years 1860 and 1866 between South and North.
o Liberal and industrial north on the first side and on the other side agricultural
South with slavery.
o North wanted to abolish slavery in the south, but south didn’t want it, because
it was afraid of bigger power of north.
o The north won and A. Lincoln abolished slavery.
 The expansion of the USA continued and they started to be the biggest economies
power of the world.
 The enlargement was done by: Annexe (Hawaii); purchase (Alaska – from Russia) or
by wars.
 In both of the world wars, the USA was on the side of Alliance, and their influence
was big.
 Now, the USA are a big power of economy, industry etc.
 USA - the third popular country, after China and India, of the world.
Geography:
 Eastern highlands are the Appalachian Mountains (the Appalachians).
 Half the area of the continental USA lies in the Interior (Central) Plains. The
western highland - Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada - are
the parts of the Cordilleras and covers a third of this country. The highest peak on this
continent is Mt. McKinley (6 149 m, in Alaska Range).
 There are many rivers in the USA. The Mississippi (with its 6 000 km it is the third
longest in the world), the biggest river in the USA. The Missouri, the Ohio,the Rio
Grande, which makes the boundary 4 between the USA and Mexico.
 Climate:
o The climate is quite various - from the arctic cold in northern Alaska to
subtropical warmth in Hawaii and the Gulf Coast States.

Economy:
 Very strong – almost the strongest in the world. - $ is used fort trade in countries
across the world
 There are mainly services and researches – show business, oil industry, electronics,
ear making
 The primary sector of industry is very small
 The biggest problems with economy are: state’s debts, which have 73 % of GDP
(Grand Domestic Production), bigger inflation and of course economical crisis.
 Is very rich in mineral resources. There are vast deposits of gold, silver, platinum,
petroleum mainly in Alaska
 Petroleum and natural gas is produced in huge amounts in Texas, Oklahoma and in
the Gulf of Mexico.
 It has one of the world’s largest resources of coal
 The business partners are: Canada, Japanese, China and Great Britain
 Companies: Microsoft, IBM, Ford, Chrysler, Boling
 Agriculture: major role in US – corn, soybeans, tomatoes, oranges, apples, tobacco

Political system:
 The oldest federal
union of 50 states, one
federal district, where
you can find the capital
and other territories.
 Constitutional
republic – The head of
the republic is president
– now it is Barack
Obama
 Each state has its own
government and makes
its own laws concerning
sales taxes, education,
speed limits…
 Federal government controls national taxes and the armed forces.
 In the American democratic system, rights and powers are divided between the
individual states and federal government.
  The federal government has three branches:
o Executive power – President and Executive office - The president can veto
legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Cabinet
o Legislative power – both houses of Congress - The bicameral Congress, made
up of the Senate(It has 100 members – 2 politicians from every state) and the
House of Representatives, makes federal laws - - The House of
Representatives has 435 members, each representing their district for a two-
year term.
o Judiciary power – the supreme court and all other Federal courts - whose
judges are appointed by the president, interpret laws and overturn those they
find unconstitutional.
 These three branches are designed to check and balance the others, so no branch has
too much power in the federal government.
 President:
o Is elected for a four year term and may only be elected twice.
o is the commander-in-chief of the military
 The Congress consist of two houses:
o Senate
o House of representatives
 Two main political parties:
o Democratic party: liberal (now)
o Republican party: conservative
 The Constitution of the USA is the most important legislative document of American
legal system. All laws and procedures of states must comply with the constitution. It is
a living document - it can be changed.
o The Bill of Rights, which includes the freedom of speech, freedom of religion,
freedom of press, the right for a just law-suit, the right to bear arms, general
voting rights and the right of possession. It also guarantees republican
foundation to all states.
Flag
 Consists of two oblongs.
 It is smaller blue blong with 50 white stars symbolizing 50
states and one larger blong consisting of 6 white and 7 red
stripes symbolizing the original 13 colonies.
 It’s often called ,,Old glory” or ,,Stars and stripes”
 National anthem is called “The star-spangled Banner”

Places of interest:
 Yellowstone national park is the largest and best-known park in the USA. It is located
in the Rocky Mountains on the territory of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. It is
visited by thousands of people every day.
 Grand Canyon. It is the largest canyon in the world in Arizona. The creator is the
Colorado River. There is also the biggest crater in the world in Arizona.
 The Monument Valley is in Utah and the best known western films were shot here.
There are many red stone spires, columns and chimneys on a plateau which is often
called „Desert Gothic“.
 Niagara Falls are the most famous waterfalls in the world. Niagara Falls lie about
halfway on the Niagara River, which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario – two lakes
of The Great Lakes. They are one of the major American tourist attraction.
  In Wyoming is natural landmark the Devil’s Tower, which is known from Spilberg’s
famous sci-fi film „Close Encounter of the Third Kind“.
 Mt.Rushmore is high mountain with colossal portrait heads of the US presidents -
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. It is national monument.

Cities:
New Orleans is the city where jazz was born.
- It has old houses built in the French style.
- It is called an American Paris
- attraction for visitors is the city’s night life – the night clubs, exotic dancers,
unique shows, shops, restaurants and bars
- Mississippi river
Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities. It used to be the first US capital. And Declaration of
Independence on 4th July 1776 was adopted there
San Francisco, one of the cleanest, is the victim of frequent earthquakes. It is also known for
the Golden Gate Bridge spanning between the Pacific and San Francisco Bay.
There you can find for example Alcatraz, super security prison for famous
criminals like Al Capone.
Las Vegas in Nevada is known for gambling and night life. It has the reputation of being the
entertainment capital of the world. Every hotel has a casino and several playing
rooms
Los Angeles (City of Angeles) we can find the famous film centre - Hollywood and luxurious
quarters - Beverly Hills.
- Walk of Fame with bronze stars on the sidewalk, which are marked with names
of the famous actors
- LA is also the centre of crime.
- The biggest ZOO in the world is here.

Culture:
 Food:
o Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, sweet
potatoes, corn, pork, beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate
cookies
o Apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs
o Traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and
cranberry sauce.
 Religions
o Most of them are protestant, Catholics make up 21%
o Another like Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and some of the Christian religious
 Sport:
o Very important
o Football isn’t the most popular (different)
o Baseball and American football, Ice-hockey

 Famous personalities:
 o Luis Armstrong – singer, Neil Armstrong – astronaut, Al Capone – criminalise,
Walt Disney – film producer, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George
Bush, Abraham Lincoln

Washington D.C.
Washington DC (District of Columbia) is a capital city of the USA, named after the
first president, George Washington. It is home of the federal government and the residence of
the president. The capital is located in a special district called „The District of Columbia“
which is not a state because it is the seat of the federal government. Washington is situated on
the Potomac River and has four sections: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.
623,000 people inhabit the capital city. Some of 360 000(three hundred sixty thousannd)
people living in the metropolitan area and they are employed by the Federal Government. All
of them work in the federaly buildings, which occupy 40 percent of the city’s land.

In Washington are situated very importance buildings: The White House, Pentagon, the
Capitol, the Library of Congress atc.

The White House is the tradition residence of president, it has 132 rooms and 20 baths and
showers. For example Blue Room is for the President and First lady, Eeast Room is decorated
in white and gold colour and is used for the state receptions.The White House is built on
Pennsilvania Ave(Avenue).
On Capitol Hill, is the Capitol where the Congress meets and the Library of Congress is the
US national library.
In this city is also many famous museums. There is the National Space and Air museum, the
museum of African Art, the national Gallery of Art, and many others.

Interesting place is also Folger Shakespeare Library where is world’s largest collection of
Shakespeare’s works.