The United States of America.

The United States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent .Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast – by the Atlantic Ocean.

The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers.

The population of the USA is over 250 million people; most of the population lives in towns and cities.

The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. 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 northern state of Minnesota is a land of 10 000 lakes. The longest rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The main lakes in the USA are the Great Lakes in the north. There are five of them. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is a highly-developed industrial and agricultural country.

There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3.4 million people. Washington was built in the late eighteenth century as the centre of government. It was named after George Washington.

The USA became the world leading country at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Astana

Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan and the center of Akmolinsk region-the Motherland of Saken Seifullin and Magjan Joumbayev. The history of Akmolinsk starts from the year of 1830 when the Russian Empire established the fortress with this name in the area of Karautkel. By the end of the XIX century it had become a district with the population of 6.428, which could boast of three churches, 5 schools and colleges and three factories. Such was the first stage in the development of the city. The second stage with the paramount impact for the destiny of the city was the development of the virgin land. In December 1960 the city numbering about 100.000 people turned into the center of the Tselinny territory, which embraced all northern regions of Kazakhstan. Shortly after in 1961 Akmolinsk changed its name for Tselinograd and grew into a modern and beautiful city with the population of 250.000 citizens.

In 1992 the city was returned its former name Akmola. But 1998 with the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Akmola, the city got a new name –Astana. This decision was prompted by economic, ecological and geographical expediency.

Textile, light and printing industries are highly developed in Astana. There are many universities, institutes and colleges here. Astana is the center of political life of Kazakhstan. Residence of President, the Parliament and the Government are located here. Astana is the city of great construction projects. For a short time the governmental buildings and the “Continental” hotel have been built and the central residential section has been reconstructed. In XXI century Astana will be one of the most beautiful and flourishing capitals of the world.