1) Geographical position of the USA.

The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. It is considered to be the
fourth in its size. The USA is a very powerful and highly developed country. The
USA is situated in central North America. It is presented geographically in three
parts, which differ from each other in their size, natural recourses, level of the
development and population:

1) the main part, the United states proper, with an area of 7,800,000 sq. km. It borders
on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the South. It is washed by the Pacific
Ocean in the west, the Atlantic ocean in the east, and the Gulf of Mexico in the
south-east;

2) Alaska [ ], which occupies the north-western part of the continent of North

America, including a lot of islands. It borders on north-western Canada

3) Hawaii [ ] in the Pacific Ocean. It is a chain of 20 islands, only 7 of which

are inhabited.

The total area of the country is 9,4 mln sq. km. Its overseas possessions are mainly

small Pasific Islands ( Guam [ ], Samoa [ ] etc.) plus Puerto Rico.

There are 50 states and one Federal District, created as a site for the Federal Capital,

Washington, and known as the District of Columbia.

Being located mainly between 25° N and 50° N. and longitude 125° W to 67°W, the
country stretches for 2.575 km from north to south and 4,5 km from east to west
(New York – San Francisco). As the territory of the country is rather large, it has a
comparatively dense transport net system. A flight from New York to San Francisco
takes five and a half hours. A travel on train will take three days, and by automobile –
5 to 6 days.
Facts about the U.S.A.

Capital: Washington, D.C.

Independence Day: July 4, 1776

Motto: In God We Trust

National Flag The stars and the stripes

National Bird: Bald Eagle

National Flower: Rose

National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner [ ]

Area (50 states and 9,631,418 sq km *Note:

District of
Columbia only): Area of China: 9,596,960 sq km Area of HK: 1,092 sq km

Comparative Size:
About one-half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size
of Africa; about one-half the size of South America (or slightly
larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; about two and
one-half times the size of Western Europe.

Over 260 mln people, out of whom 525,000 live in Alaska.

Population

Largest State: Alaska (400 times the size of Rhode Island)

Smallest State: Rhode Island [ ]

Largest Cities: New York, Los Angeles [ ], Chicago [ ],

Houston [ ], Philadelphia [ ], San Diego [
], Detroit [ ], Dallas [ ], Phoenix [ ], San
Antonio

Border Countries Canada, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific

and Oceans: Ocean
*Note: World's third-largest country by size (after Russia and
Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt.
 McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley
the lowest point on the continent.

Population: 295,734,134 (July 2005 est.)

Languages: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%,

Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)

Religions: Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish

1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.)

3) The relief of the country.

The main part of the United States presents 4 physical divisions: 2 elevated and 2
lowland regions. Topographically the country is extreme in its heights, ranging from
the highest point - Mount McKinley, Alaska (6197m) to the lowest point, Death
Valley, California (85,6m below sea level).

The elevated regions are the Appalachian [ ] Mountains in the east

and the Rocky Mountains or Cordilleran [ ] system in the west. The
Appalachians are old mountains, they consist mainly of mountain ranges, which run
parallelly with Atlantic coastline, extending from near Gulf of Mexico north to
Canada. The highest pick in Appalachian system is Mount Mitchel (2,037m), which
is situated in the Black Mountains.

Nearly all the western part of the United States belongs to the Rocky Mountains,
which run from Alaska to New Mexico and are called the “backbone” of America.
The series of western ranges parallel to Pacific coast are Sierra Nevada (California),
the Cascade Range. Between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Mountains lies the
great Basin, a group of vast plateaus with deserts and deep canyons in the south.

The central lowland lies in the Mississippi basin and is called the Mississippi
valley.

2) Waters that wash the USA, inland waters.

 The USA is a country of beautiful rivers and lakes. The state Minnesota, for
example, is known as the land of 10,000 lakes. There are several immensely long
rivers. The longest river in the country and one of the longest in the world is Missouri
(4,740 km). It is a tributary of the Mississippi (3,950km.). The Mississippi- Missouri
system is considered to be one of the world’s greatest river systems, like the Amason
in South America. the Congo in Africa, the Volga in Europe. It flows from the Rocky
Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi has been called the “father of
waters”. Other large rivers are the Ohio [ ] and Tennessee [ ], which are
also tributaries of the Mississippi, Columbia, Colorado and Rio Grande. Rio Grande
forms part of the United States-Mexico border. Generally taking, all the rivers east of
the Rockies finally reach the Atlantic, all the rivers west of the Rockies finally arrive
at the Pacific.

The large system of American lakes include, first of all, Great Lakes which are
situated in the north of the country, on the border with Canada. They are Lake
Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario. One of the world’s wonders, the Niagara Falls, is
on the Niagara River.

5)Climate of the USA

The overall climate in the United States of America (USA) is temperate, with
notable exceptions. Alaska has an Arctic tundra climate, while Hawaii and South
Florida have a tropical climate. The Great Plains are dry, flat and grassy, turning into
arid desert in the far West. The climate is Mediterranean along the Californian coast.

The climate of the United States varies due to changes in latitude, and a range of

geographic features, including mountains and deserts. Generally, on the mainland, the
climate of the U.S. becomes warmer the further south one travels, and drier the
further west, until one reaches the West Coast.

6)Natural resources of the USA

As the third largest nation by geography, the United States is home to vast and varied
landscapes with abundant natural resources. These diverse regions are connected by
an expansive infrastructure network and services that help companies efficiently
produce and move their products.
The United States offers independent, stable, and low-cost energy sources and is
home to some of the largest supplies of petroleum, natural gas and coal in the world.
A diverse array of climates and geographies offer prime opportunities to harness
renewable sources of energy, from wind to biodiesel. Coupled with increased energy
efficiency, this diverse supply of energy not only contributes to U.S. GDP - it is
leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Economy of the USA

The economy of the United States is highly developed and mixed.[33][34] It is the

world's largest economy by nominal GDP and net wealth and the second-largest
by purchasing power parity (PPP).[35] It also has the world's eighth-highest per capita
GDP (nominal) and the tenth-highest per capita GDP (PPP) in 2019.[36] The U.S. has
the most technologically powerful economy in the world and its firms are at or near
the forefront in technological advances; especially in computers, pharmaceuticals,
and medical, aerospace, and military equipment.[37] The U.S. dollar is the currency
most used in international transactions and is the world's foremost reserve currency,
backed by its economy, its military, the petrodollar system and its
linked eurodollar and large U.S. treasuries market.

7)State system of the USA

The United States is a constitutional republic. The nation operates as a presidential

system also known as a congressional system. The federal government’s power is
divided between three branches – the legislative, the executive and the judicial.
 
Legislative Branch. The legislative branch – the Congress – is made up of elected
representatives from each of the 50 states. It is the only branch of U.S. government
that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war, and put foreign treaties
into effect. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms.
Each member represents a district in his or her home state. In all, there are 435
representatives in the House. Senators are elected to six-year terms. Each state has
two senators, regardless of population. There are 100 senators.
 
Executive Branch. The chief executive of the United States is the president, who
together with the vice president is elected to a four-year term. As a result of a
constitutional amendment that went into effect in 1951, a president may be elected to
only two terms. Other than succeeding a president who dies or is disabled, the vice
president's only official duty is presiding over the Senate. The vice president may
vote in the Senate only to break a tie.
Judicial Branch. The judicial branch is headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is
the only court specifically created by the Constitution. In addition, Congress has
established 13 federal courts of appeals and, below them, about 95 federal district
courts. The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., and the other federal courts
are located in cities throughout the United States. The Supreme Court consists of a
chief justice and eight associate justices. With minor exceptions, cases come to the
Supreme Court on appeal from lower federal or state courts.

The U.S.constitution is the highest law in the country.The Constitution that the
Americans have today was proclaimed in 1787 in Philadelphia.It gives power to the
federal government and the states.

The Constitution of the USA (1789) creates the basic structure of the federal system,
in which political power is divided between the national government and the
government of each state**. The constitution contains 7 original articles; the Bill of
Right (the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution (1791)) which is about the
fundamental rights of any American: the freedom of religion, speech, and the press,
the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct
wrongs, etc.; further 17 Amendments to the Constitution.

4 waves of migration.

With more than 245 mln inhabitants, the USA is the fourth country in the world in
terms of population. About 75% of the population live in urban areas and there are
170 cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants. Most of these urban centres lie along the
Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the great Lakes. The most
populous area is the relatively small Northeast, which accounts for nearly one fourth
of the nation’s population.

“What then is the American, this new man?” One of enthusiastic French visitors first
posted the question in 1782. Even in his day his answer – that an American was
“EITHER A European or the descendant of a European” – was inadequate to describe
a variegated people that already at that time included Indians and Africans.

The American continent was peopled by four great migrations.

1) First to come were prehistoric hunters from the steppes of Asia who, as most
anthropologists believe, crossed a bridge of land that then extended across the Bering
Sea and Strait. Their descendants, the American Indians, developed complex and
colourful cultures before the arrival of the white man in the early 17 th century. Today
the 1,5 mln Native Americans live mainly in reserves in the south-western states in
usually deep poverty and there has been little or no integration into American
Society.
2) In the 17th century the second wave of people came predominantly from the
British Isles and Western Europe in the search of new life, much richer and happier.
They conquered he wilderness, established the 13 Original Colonies and made the
foundation for future nation. The vast majority of the population was WASP [ ]
(нащадки англійських поселенців, які переважно були протестантами – White
Anglo-Saxon Protestant) until about 1860.
3) Nearly at that period with the white settlers came massive and unwilling
immigration of Negro slaves from West Africa. The natural talents of those Negroes
and their extraordinary powers of endurance enabled them to survive the horrors of
slavery and to make a great contribution to American culture. Today almost 12% of
the population that are black are at the bottom of economic and educational level,
with far higher unemployment than whites, especially as a result of racial
discrimination.
4) Finally, between 1860 and 1920 almost 30 million immigrants arrived from
central and south-eastern Europe. These mainly Italian, Russian, polish and
Hungarian immigrants quickly formed their own culturally homogeneous
neighbourhoods (“Little Italys”, for example) and became the second economic class
after WASPs. So, today out of 87,5% of white population 65% are the descendants of
that wave, that is - not “Anglo –Saxons”.
The most rapidly growing ethnic group is the Hispanics (громадянин США
іспаномовного походження) (almost 7% of the Americans), who still continue to
use Spanish in their homes even though the vast majority were born in the US. Like
the blacks, they have a generally lower economic and educational level than the rest
of the population and are also isolated in ghetto [ ] areas.
 There are almost 2 mln generally prosperous Oriental Americans
(predominantly from Japan, China and Philippines), who are concentrated mainly in
California.

The diversity of the population actually became a norm, that’s why the
Americans like to say: “Here I is not asked what or who was your father, but…. What
are you?”

2. The Colonies
From 1789 until today, we have had an American President. But before 1789 there
was no president and the country resented a colonial system.
What is a "colony"? A "colony" is defined as "a body of people living in a new
territory but retaining ties with the parent state." (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
From 1607 to 1639, a total of six colonies were established in what is now the United
States: Virginia, Massachusetts, New Netherlands (renamed New York), Maryland,
Rhode Island and Connecticut. There were four basic types of colonies:

 Joint-Stock Colony: investors fund a colony through a joint-stock company;

examples were Virginia and Massachusetts Bay.
 Charter Colony: founded on land granted by the king to a company or person
who governed by it; examples were Connecticut and Rhode Island, which
obtained charters many years after being settled.
 Proprietary Colony: owned and controlled by 1 or more persons; examples
were Maryland, Pennsylvania (William Penn), Delaware and New York.
 Royal Colony: a colony founded or taken back under rule of king, who
appoints the governor to rule it; many colonies eventually became royal
colonies as the King took back control, as happened in Virginia.

French and Indian Wars (1689-1763)

The English and the French did not like each other in Europe, and their
conflicts there spilled over into America. They had constant friction in fighting over
territory and trading rights. They had four wars between 1689 and 1763, which are
known collectively as the French and Indian Wars.
The French traded more with the Indians, and so the Indians tended to side with the
French. Also, some Indians saw how George Washington was defeated, so they
probably thought the English colonies were weaker than the French. Finally, it's
likely the French treated the Indians better than the English did.
"The" French and Indian War was the seven-year struggle that was the
culmination of the conflicts between France and England in America. It was the
American portion of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) between England and France
in Europe. The name "French and Indian" to describe the war is confusing, because
the French and Indians were on the same side, both fighting against the British, and
there were some Native Americans who were allied with the British.
In 1755, the British sent General Edward Braddock to confront French, but
they ambushed and beat him badly near Fort Duquesne (pronounced DOO CANE). In
1756, war broke out between the French and English in Europe, Africa, and India, as
the war morphed into the first true global conflict.
The British struggled badly at first in this war. But eventually a smart fellow
named William Pitt was appointed Prime Minister of England. The city of Pittsburgh
is named after him. Pitt believed in appointing generals based on merit, not seniority
or friendship. Pitt recognized the importance of the colonies and began investing
significant money and resources into the war. He then started beating the French.
Under Pitt's leadership, the English captured Fort Duquesne (renaming it Fort Pitt) in
1758, Quebec in 1759, and then Montreal in 1760. Taking advantage of the powerful
British navy, Britain gained control of the sea lanes and started winning in other
places in world also, including India.

a) Pre-Columbian civilisations
The first settlers in America were Native Americans, or American Indians.
Their origin is not known. Some claim they migrated from Asia, but that makes little
sense because American Indians are very different in many ways from Chinese and
Asian Indians. Even their blood types are typically different. Some old mounds
reflecting Indian settlements still exist in the United States, such as the Adena burial
mounds and Mississippian platform towns. The Cahokia Mounds in Southern Illinois
(just east of St. Louis) reflect an Indian community dating back as early as A.D. 1000
or 1100. That community practiced human sacrifice, as did the Aztecs and Mayans in
Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central America) and the Incas in South America prior to
the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
The earliest inhabitants of America may have arrived over 25,000 years before
Columbus. It is certain that people had been living in what is now Nevada by 9,000
B.C.. Beginning in 8000 B.C., when the climate began to warm up, hunters ranged
over the entire territory of New World in search of animals and other food. Remains
from the first large building progects, from 500 B.C. to 500 A.D. cosist of large
ceremonial earthworks or mounds (могильний курган). By the time Columbus
reached the New World in 1492, the American civilisations had reached a level of
culture which included personal wealth, fine buildings, expert craftsmanship and
religions which structured the daily lives of the people.
Before the Europeans discovered territories of America, there lived 4 main
civilisations in different parts of America: Aztecs in Central America, Maya in
Guatemala and Yucatan, Inca in Peru and Chibcha in Columbia. All these Indian
civilizations taken together occupied only 6,2% of the American continent, but their
population was equal to two third of all the people of two continents of America.
The Maya, Inca, and Aztecs built great civilizations in Mexico and in Central
and South America between 1,800 and 500 years ago. The first of these was the Maya
civilization.

Causes of the Revolutionary War

There were 9 major causes of the Revolutionary War, also called the "American
Revolution":
 (1) Colonists were accustomed to much independence and self-determination,
and British efforts (led by the Tory political party in England) to regulate and tax
were bitterly opposed by the colonies (and by the Whig political party in England; the
conservative Edmund Burke was a British politician who sided with the American
colonists).

(2) British burdens hurt nearly all the colonists in all walks of life.

(3) Taxes hit at a bad time: during a postwar depression.

(4) Legally, colonies disagreed with "virtual representation."

(5) Religious reasons: many colonists disliked Anglicans (and Catholics), and
feared England would install an Anglican bishop.

(6) Colonists disliked English class distinctions.

(7) 1/3 of colonists were not even English, and thus felt no attachment to the
British.

(8) Colonists accepted John Locke's philosophy of natural rights and a social
contract, which conflicted with rule by a monarchy.

(9) Colonists saw a bright prospect for their future.

Struggle for Independence

The members of the Second Continental Congress belonged to the elite of
colonial society. They were men of status and wealth, men who in normal
circumstances might be expected to shrink from the very word "rebellion" and seek
shelter under the comforting mantle of established authority. Yet in July 1776 those
men — successful lawyers, merchants, ministers, plantation owners, and artisans —
signed their names to one of the most revolutionary documents of modern times in
which they pledged to each other "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor" in
the cause of American independence and the seemingly quixotic ideal that "all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator will certain unalienable
rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness".
The American War of Independence — with George Washing as Commander-
in-Chief — lasted for about six years. American troops, most of them undermanned,
ill-trained, and poorly equipped, harassed and stung British forces that were often
overwhelmingly superior in numbers and weapons. Occasionally the Americans
advanced, but more often they retreated; and often their cause seemed hopeless.