THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
a) Geography
The USA are situated in southern part of North America and they
are the fourth largest countries in the world (after Russia, Canada and China).
Its neighbours are Canada on north, Mexico on south. The USA also includes
Alaska in the north of the continent and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific
Ocean. It covers the area of 9,372,614 sq. kms.
The highest mountain in the USA is Mount McKinley in the Alaska
Range, which is 6,194 m high. The Rocky Mountains are "the backbone of the
continent". They are the same age as the Alps in Europe. Another large
ranges of mountains are the Appalachians and the Sierra Nevada.
The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri.
The border with Canada is in its central part made by the Great
Lakes Region. Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario share the USA with
Canada. Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world.
There are big variations of climate. Temperatures change from the
arctic cold in northern Alaska to subtropical warmth of Hawaii and the Gulf
Coast States.
There are many national parks in the USA - Yellowstone NP, Rocky
Mountains NP, Grand Canyon NP, Rocky Mountains NP.
b)
Demographics
The USA population is approximately 265,000,000. There are 106
major ethnic groups. People living here are of all possible origins and all the
races can mix here together. Less than 1% of the people in the USA are actually
true natives to the land, including Aleuts, Eskimos, and Native Americans of
different tribes. 82,8% of the population is white with European ancestry,
12,7% is African American, 9% Hispanic, and 3,7% Asian and Pacific Islanders.
The main language spoken here is American English but various
ethnic minorities speak their original languages (Chinese, Spanish etc.)
The majority of church going people are Protestant.
c)
History
Icelandic Vikings sailing under Leif Rescan discovered the
American continent first around the year 1000.
Five hundreds year later in 1492 Christopher Columbus, originally
an Italian, sailed on an economic mission. When he landed on an island in the
Caribbean, he believed that he had reached the shores of India and thus named
the natives "Indians".
The first colony was founded in Virginia in 1607. In 1620 the ship
named Mayflower brought to northeastern region where they found the colony
called Plymouth. They were Puritans - members of a religious sect which wanted
to reform the Church of England. They called themselves the Pilgrim Fathers and
wanted to build up a colony based on their own religious ideals. The winter was
cold and about half of them died. In spring they planted corn and other plants
(with help and advice from the Indians with whom they lived in peace). In
October 1621 they celebrated good harvest and held a feast with much food. They
called this day their day of Thanksgiving.
Next event was when British government started to charge new taxes
on sugar, coffee, textiles etc. to cover the costs of the war against France.
The colonists refused to pay taxes and so British soldiers were sent to Boston.
In 1773 a group of patriots dressed as Indians, threw a cargo of British tea
into the Boston Harbour. This event is known as the Boston Tea Party.
On
July 4th in 1776 rose an independent state. Thomas Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of Independence.
Civil War 1861 - 1865 - Economic and political differences grew
between the Northern and Southern states. In the south, the economy was based
on agriculture and slavery. In contrast, the northern states were more industrial
and slavery was illegal. These differences created great tensions between the
two halves of the country. In 1860 and 1861, eleven southern states seceded
from the Union and attempted to form their own government. This caused the
beginning of the Civil War. The North was victorious in the war and slavery was
abolished.
Throughout the twentieth century, the US grew as a world power.
Victorious in the two World Wars, the US became known for its military
strength. The "Cold War" period after WWII saw increasing mistrust
between the US and the Soviet Union. There were several wars conflicts e.g.
Korean War.
d)
The economy
The US has one of the
strongest economies in the world. They are a leading country in agriculture, in
the chemical, car and machinery industry. The US produces the majority of the
world's corn, soybeans, tomatoes, apples, oranges and tobacco. They are also
rich in minerals, quantity of oil and natural gas.
d)
American political system
The US is a federation
consisting of fifty states. In the American democratic system, rights and
powers are divided between the individual states and federal government. The
federal government has three branches: the executive, the legislative and the
judiciary.
The President is elected for a four year term and may only be
elected twice.
Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of
Representatives. Two parties dominate American politics - the Democratic Party
and the Republican Party.
Each state has its own government and makes its own laws.
Some Americans Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Thruman, John F.
Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Regan, George Bush, Bill Clinton (he is the 42.
President).
e)
The American flag and anthem
The American flag consists of two parts - one smaller blue oblong
with 50 white stars symbolising 50 American states and one larger oblong
consisting of 6 white and 7 red stripes symbolising the original 13 states which
used to be the British colonies. The first US flag was created in 1776.
The American national anthem is called "The Star-Spangled
Banner".
f)
The capital of the USA and New York
Washington D.C. (the District of Columbia) is the capital
city of the United States, named after the first president, George Washington.
It has the 10th largest population in the country.
The city was laid out by the French architect Pierre L´Enfent in
the late 18th century. It was the first city in the world especially
planned and built as the capital and the centre of the government. In the city,
along the Potomac River, there are the most important buildings in the USA - the White House - the residence of the
American President, the Capitol - the
seat of the congress, the Pentagon -
the centre of military forces and also the
Library of Congress, the US
national library.
Washington is home to several important international
organisations, including the World Bank and the Organisation of American
States. There is also a large airport and Georgetown University.
There are no factories and industry in Washington and that is why
the city seems so clean and nice.
New
York, or "The Big Apple" as it is fondly called, is the largest
city in the US. The Big Apple is a symbol that captures the feeling of a city
that is very big and very busy.
NY
was founded by British merchant sailors who settled there in the 16th
century and called New Amsterdam.
This town is famous for its skyscrapers too. The Manhattan skyline
includes the Empire State Building, the World Trade Centre and others.
There are many interesting places to visit in NY. The most famous
site in the city is the Statue of Liberty. It is a symbol of freedom and of the
United States itself.
g)
Some Americans Writers
In 19th century - Walt Whitman,
Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain for example.
In
20th century - Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, William Styron.
Vocabulary:
range - pásmo hor
actually - skuteční
native - původní
including - včetně
against - naproti
tension - napětí
mistrust - nedůvěra
oblong -protáhlý, podlouhlý
stripe - pruh
merchant - obchodník