The United States of America. 1. Geographical position (landscape, climate).

The geographical position of the USA: the east is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the

south - by the waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Pacific coast is washed by the Pacific

Ocean in the west and south-west. The Arctic Ocean washes the demi-island of

Alaska from the north and north-west. The Hawaiian Islands are located about 4000

km from the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Landscape: The US – temperate and subtropic zones; Alaska – subarctic and arctic zones; Hawaii – tropical zone (+Florida).

Climate: the northern part of the Pacific coast – a moderate climate (cool summers;

rather more winters; no permanent snow cover; a lot of rainfall).

The southern part of the Pacific coast (California – a Mediterranean climate);

The Atlantic coast continental marine (permanent snow cover);

Subtropical climate in the extreme south and Florida;

The Plaines of the Appalachian Mountains – a continental climate;

The plateaus and table lands of the Cordillera shave an extreme continental climate).

2. Geographical position, nature (vegetation and fauna).

Vegetation: the Appalachian region; the Cordillera slopes; the plains were covered

with prairies. The north-east of the country and the region og the Great Lakes: pine,

fir, silver-fir, lime, ash.

Further south there are broad-leaf forests of: oak, maple, tulip-trees, plane-trees,

magnolia, laurel.

The Great Basin: deserts; semi-deserts.

Cordilleras: coniferous forests; alpine meadows (at the high 3000 m.).

California: sequoia or redwood(reach up to 100 m. and live 100 years).

Southwest (dry region) – brushwood of sclerephyllous shrubs and trees.

Fauna: the mixed forests zone: brown bear, lynx, marten.

The forests of the Appalachian: virginia deer; red lynx; chipmunk; mole; different

kinds of bats.

The south-east: alligator; turtle; peccary; opossum; coyote; rattle-snake; badgers;

gophers; flamingoes; pelican; humming bird.

The semi-desert and desert zones: rodents; reptiles.

The Cordillera slopes: rocky mountain goat; rocky mountain sheep; grizzly bear; jaguar.

3. Natural resources and present-day economy.

The climate conditions are rather different. The country is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals.

Natural resources are available in different parts of United States of America. It has huge deposits of natural gas, coal, uranium, copper, iron, phosphates, silver, gold, mercury, zinc, lead, bauxite, molybdenum, nickel, petroleum, potash, and many more. 

The United States is the world's largest national economy in nominal terms and second largest according to purchasing power parity (PPP), representing 22% of nominal global GDP and

17% of gross world product (GWP). The United States' GDP was estimated to be $18.56 trillion in 2016. The U.S. dollar is the currency most used in international transactions and is the world's foremost reserve currency, backed by its science and technology, its military.

4.Composition of the country.

The United States of America is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China.

The country consists of 3 parts: the continental part is in the center of the North American continent, the Hawaii, and Alaska.-Its total area is over 9 min sq. km. The country borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The country is washed by 3 oceans: The Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The country has many- lakes, including the Great Lakes and many rivers, the longest of which are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Columbia and others. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachi, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak Mount McKinley, is 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.

Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations. The country population is over 250 mln. The official language of the state is English. The national symbol of the USA is the national flag 'Stars and Stripes', having 50 white stars and 13 white and red stripes on its field, symbolizing the number of the original and present day-states.

Officially the country comprises 50 states and 1 district - Columbia. 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 1st US President - George Washington. There are many large cities in the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston and some others.

The United States of America is a federal state, 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 — 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 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).

Nowadays the USA is one of the leading powers of the world due to its economic, political and military influence.