History of the U.S.A.

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The United States of America

The United States of America is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the central part of the North American continent, Alaska and the Hawaii. The total area of the country is more than 9 mln square km.

The country is washed by three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. The climate conditions1 are rather2 different. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate.

The USA is a land of rivers and lakes. The longest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. On the US territory there are mountains and lowlands3. The highest mountain chains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

The country is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals. The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural4 country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, automobile, electronics, radio-engineering and others.

The United States of America is a federal republic, consisting of 50 states and one District of Columbia. The states differ in size, population and economic development. Each state has its own capital. The nation’s capital is Washington, DC. It is named after the 1st US President – George Washington. At present the population of the US is about 250 mln people. The largest cities of the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San-Francisco, Philadelphia and some others.

There are several political parties in the USA, the largest of them are the Republican (symbolized by a donkey5) and the Democratic (symbolized by an elephant).

Notes:

1. conditions - условия

2. rather - довольно

3. lowland - низина

4. agricultural - сельскохозяйственный

5. donkey - осёл

Answer the following questions:

1. Where is the USA situated?

2. What is the total area of the country?

3. What is the climate like?

4. What is the country washed by?

5. What mineral resources is the country rich in?

6. What are the names of the biggest mountain chains?

7. What big cities are there in the USA?

North America's first settlers were people, who came from Asia, using the land bridge between North America and Asia. Later the natural bridge was covered with water, the Bering

Strait appeared. So the continents were isolated and the migration stopped. Modern Europeans knew nothing about American continent till the 15th century when Christopher Columbus discovered it.

In 1492 C. Columbus, an Italian sailor, whose life-time dream was to find a new way to India, sailed westwards with three little ships. It was a very difficult voyage but in three months the ships reached and landed on one of the Bahamas islands. Until the end of his life Columbus thought that the islands and the mainland were the part of India. That's why they were called West Indies and the red-skinned natives - «Indians».

In 1497 another Italian seaman Amerigo Vespucchi explored the coast of South America and proved that the land discovered by Columbus was not India but the new continent. The «New World» was decided to name after him — America, the land of Amerigo.

But only at the beginning of the 17th century Englishmen established several colonies and called them new England. It happened in 1620 when some English families (about 100 people) left England on board the ship «Mayflower» and sailed to America. From the Atlantic coast colonists penetrated into the depths of the continent. They drove back the native population, took away their lands by force and destroyed them.

The colonists became richer and stronger, but they were ruled by England and paid duty on different things. At the end of the 17th century (in 1775) the colonists started the War of Independence. It lasted eight years. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. Thirteen colonies declared themselves free and independent of England. This day (July, 4) is considered to be the birthday of the American nation.

After the end of the War of Independence in 1783, 16 states were formed and they chose George Washington as their first president. At present there are 50 stars on the American flag, symbolizing 50 U.S. states, the stripes represent 13 original states.