Text 12. The United States of America

The United States of America is the 4^th largest country after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the central part of the North American continent.

The northern boundary is partly formed by the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence River; the southern boundary is partly formed by the Rio Grande. The United States also has a sea-border with Russia.

The total area of the United States (including the District of Columbia) is about 9, 809, 00 sq km.

The country is washed by three oceans; the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The country has many lakes, with the Great lakes included. There are also many rivers on the US territory. The longest of them are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Columbia, the Rio Grande and some others. On the US territory there are mountains and lowlands. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak, mount McKinley, is located in Alaska.

The climate conditions are rather different. 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 agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, rocket, automobile, electronics, radio-engineering and others.

Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations. The country population is over 250 mln. The national symbol of the USA is its national flag “Stars and Stripes”, having 50 white stars and 13 white and red stripes.

Officially the country comprises 50 states including the states of Alaska and Hawaii and one District of Columbia. Outlying areas include Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands. The states differ in size, population and economic development. Each state has its own capital. The capital of the USA is Washington. It is situated in the District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River and is named after the 1^st US President – George Washington.

There are many large cities in the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and some others.

The United States of America is a federal country, headed by the President. According to the US Constitution the powers of the Government are divided into 3 branches: legislative, executive and judicial.

The legislative power belongs to the Congress consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states while the House of Representatives – the population. The executive power belongs to the President and his Administration (Vice-President and Cabinet of Ministers). The judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court and the system of Federal state and district courts.

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