The USA. The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China)

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total are of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the country is about 250 million.

If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska.

America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. The Great Lakes that border Canada and the United States are also very interesting to see. They are called Lake Superior, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie

The 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 typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. 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.

Though mainly European and African in origin, Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and Native Americans.

The largest cities are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Washington and others.

The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington, DC.

According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the legislative (законодательная - House of Representatives + Senate), exercised by the Congress, the executive (исполнительная - headed by the President + Vice-President + Cabinet), and the judicial (судебная - Supreme Court).

The Republicans and Democrats represent the two main political parties and both are very competitive. There is also the Green Party in the USA.

The U.S. is considered to be a Constitutional-Based Federal Republic with strong traditions in Democracy.