geographical_position_of_the_usa

Geographical position of the United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, China and Canada. 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 area of the country is about, nine and a half million square kilometres. Alaska is the largest of America's 50 states and it is 400 times the size of Rhode Island which is the smallest. The country is so large that a coast-to-coast trip by plane will take five and a half hours, by train three days and by car from five to six days. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. The south-eastern coast of the country is washed by the Gulf of Mexico and the US also has coasts on the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The USA has a seaborder with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the country is about 250 million people. Some states are more densely populated than the others, for example, Alaska has half of the Rhode Island's population. More citizens of the USA live in rural areas. It is not surprising that most of the people of the United States live in the eastern half of the country although California on the West Coast is the most populous state. It is to the East Coast the first settlers from Europe came when they crossed the Atlantic. They were attracted by the fertile lands of the Atlantic coast in the southeast and inland beyond the eastern Appalachian mountains. This part of the country gets enough rainfall for crops, has valuable forests and most of the country's rich in iron and coal deposits. As America expanded westward, so did its farmers and ranchers, cultivating the grasslands of the Great Plains and finally the fertile valleys of the Pacific Coast. Today American farmers plant spring wheat on the cold western plains, raise corn, wheat and fine beef cattle in the Mid­west, and rice in the damp heat of Louisiana. Florida and California are famous for their vegetable and fruit production, and the cool, rainy northwest states are known for apples, berries and vegetables.

The land varies from heavy forests covering 2,104 mln hectares, to barren deserts, from high-peaked mountains (the highest peak is Mount McKinley in Alaska) to deep canyons (Death Valley in California is 1,064 meters below sea level). The highest mountains in the USA are the Cordilleras that run the length of the west coast and include the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.

America's largest rivers are the Mississippi with its tributary Missouri, the Rio Grande, the Ohio and the Columbia. The broad Mississippi River system runs 5,969 kilometres from Canada into the Gulf of Mexico and is the world's third longest river after the Nile and the Amazon. The USA is famous for its five Great Lakes: Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Superior and the Michigan. The first four lakes are on the border with Canada and are the largest and deepest in the USA. There are also a lot of small lakes and the northern state of Minnesota, for example, is known as the land of 10,000 lakes.

The USA is rich in mineral resources; their wealth provides a solid base for American industry. It has major deposits of oil and gas in Texas and Alaska, coal in Virginia and Ohio, gold in Alaska and California, silver in Nevada, non-ferrous metals in Arkansas and Colorado.

The largest cities of the USA are New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and some others.

Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

1. The territory of the USA is larger than those of Ukraine and Great Britain taken together.

2. The whole country is situated on the continent of North America.

3. The USA borders on three countries.

4. More people in the USA live in the country than in the city.

5. The western part of the country is more populated that the eastern

6. The highest mountains in the country are in the south.

7. The Great Lakes are in the north of the country.

8. The natural resources of the country enrich the economy of the USA.

Fill in the following chart ranking the countries in the columns. Number them 1, 2, 3, beginning with the biggest. the first one is done for you.

Country	Size	Popu­lation	Density of Population	Quantity of resources	Border length	Mountains Height	Number of rivers	Proportion of mountains
Ukraine	2
UK	3
USA	1

Geography quiz

1. This waterfall is situated in two neighbouring countries. Its right part is in one country and its left is in the other. What river is it on? What countries does it belong to?

2. This architectural monument is the most ancient building on the territory of Great Britain. What is it? Where is it situated?

3. Name at least 2 towns of Ukraine whose names are connected with the names of snakes.

4. Many adventurers looked for the mystic Golden City of Eldorado for three centuries. They failed to find it. But a modern person can even find six towns with such names now. Where?

5. This wall can't be compared in length with the Great Chinese Wall, still it is the longest wall in the UK. Which wall is meant? What part of the country is it situated in? What was it built for?

6. In the years of German occupation during the Great Patriotic War fascists tried to rob Ukraine of one of its natural riches. What was that?

7. The word «HOMES» helps American schoolchildren to learn the names of the Great Lakes. Try to guess how.

8. At least two cities in two countries of the world have Golden Gates. What countries and what cities? What are the Gates used for?

9. The most popular letter in the names of the USA states is «M». Name at least 5 states beginning with this letter.

10. There is an idiom in American English - «to cross the Great Divide» in the meaning «to die». What do you think «the Great Divide» is?

11. The name of what British city can be found in your flat?

12. «The Valentine State» and «The Mother of Presidents» are the nicknames of two American states. Name them and explain why they were named so.

13. Name the highest mountain in Ukraine. Where is it situated?

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