22.

THE USA- a federation of 50 states

The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states. There are 48 continental
/conterminous states, the other two states, the Hawaii and Alaska, are situated respectively in the
tropical part of the Pacific Ocean and near the Arctic Circle.

The area of 3,615,122 square miles makes the USA the fourth largest country in the world.
Capital: Washington D.C.
Other towns: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Detroit, Dallas,
Phoenix, San Antonio, San José, Indianapolis, Baltimore, San Francisco, New Orleans, St. Luis, Atlanta
Currency: US dollar = 100 cents
Language: English (official), Spanish
Head of state and government: Joe Biden (2021-), 46th president

DIVISION OF THE USA INTO A REGIONS

The country can be divided into regions: New England, the Middle Atlantic, the South, the Midwest,
the Southwest and the Northwest. Each part of the country has its own habits, ways of speaking
English and others.

NORTHEAST

 NEW ENGLAND
 the first European immigrants settled this region in the 17 th century
 it became the country’s cultural and economic centre
 it is home to some of the most prestigious universities (Harvard, Yale)
 THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC
 this region was settled by people from various European countries and became the
centre of industry
 some of the most populous US cities are situated here, as well as the US capital
 New York City – the centre of finance (Wall Street) and culture (Metropolitan
Museum of Art)

THE SOUTH

 this region was devastated by the Civil War (1861–1865), which was a conflict between the
South (which supported slavery because its main industry) and the North (which was against
slavery) – the North won ® slavery was abolished, but for many years blacks were segregated
and discriminated
 region with mild climate suitable for agriculture

THE MIDWEST

 perfect region for farming, because of flat fertile land

 it is nicknamed “the nation’s breadbasket” with huge field of corn, wheat and other grains
 there are fewer large cities (Chicago) and not a very dense population
  the people from this area tend to be thought of those in larger cities as not very
cosmopolitan – they spend more time with farm animals than at cultural events

THE WEST

 THE SOUTHWEST
 a hot dry region with deserts and lovely scenery (the Grand Canyon)
 it was home to various Native Americans tribes and even now there are Indian
reservations
 important centre of oil production
 THE NORTHWEST/THE WEST
 the area has a lot of unspoiled countryside, which is popular for hiking and camping
 nowadays people from all the world live there
 California is known for its film industry (Hollywood) and hi-tech computer industry
(Sillicon Valley)
 the lowest point in the USA – Death Valley in California

ALASKA: it is separated from US mainland by Canada ; the largest and the least populated US state;
arctic climate and is partly covered by glaciers; the highest mountain: Mount McKinley

HAWAII: the only US state situated only on islands; tropical climate and spectacular scenery make
them a popular tourist destination; Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought US into World War II

LOCATION
USA is situated on south part of North America continent. They border on Mexico in the south, the
Atlantic Ocean in the east, Canada in the north and the Pacific Ocean in the west.

LANDSCAPE
The country naturally presents a tremendous variety in physical features (and climate),
ranging from moist rain forests to arid desert and bald mountain peaks.
Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest point in the United States, so is Mount Whitney in
the continental part of the US /California/, while part of Death Valley in California, the lowest point in
the USA, is 89 metres below sea level.

The eastern coast of the United States is a long, gently rolling lowland area known as the
coastal plains. These coastal plains, which stretch from Maine to Texas, are very flat and often
swampy. In general, the soil is very poor, except in the fertile southern part, where the plain reaches
many miles in land (the Cotton Belt of the Old South and the citrus country of central Florida).

At the western edge of the Atlantic coastal plain, there is a chain of low, almost unbroken
mountains, stretching from the northern part of Maine southwest into Alabama, called the
Appalachian Mountains. These mountains contain enormous quantities of easily accessible coal and
iron, used by the industries in the area of the Lakes.
 The heart of the United States is a vast plain, which rises gradually like a saucer to higher land
on all sides. These interior plains are divided into two major parts: the wetter, eastern portion is
called the Central plains and the western portion the Great Plains, both of which have good soil.

To the west of the Great Plains is the Cordillera, which accounts for one third of the United
States. It is a region of a tremendous variety, which can be sub-divided into several regions: the
Rocky Mountains, a high chain of mountains stretching from Alaska down to Mexico rising shuply
from the Great Plains. The western edge of the Cordillera is formed by the Sierra Nevada and the
Coastal Ranges which have broad and fertile valleys.

The USA has several immensely long rivers. The longest river system in the USA (and after the
Amazon and the Nile the third longest river system in the world) is the Mississippi with its tributary
the Missouri /6,212km/. The two other tributaries of the Mississippi are the Ohio and the Tennessee.
After its long journey the Mississippi /nicknamed the Old Man River/ flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In
the western part the Rio Grande, the Colorado, which cuts its way through the Grand Canyon, should
be mentioned and in the north the Yukon in Alaska. The Great Lakes are shared between Canada and
the USA, Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world (after the Caspian Sea).

CLIMATE
Virtually every type of climate can be found somewhere in the country – from arctic in Alaska
to subtropical in Florida /frequent hurricanes during the summer season/. Most of the country has a
continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, the variations of temperature are quite
extreme as the lack of natural barriers allows either cold dry air to flow sout from Canada, or warm,
humid air north from the Gulf of Mexico. /Dakota max +49°C, min –60°C/. The Southwest is the
hottest and the most arid region of the USA.

POPULATION
In the USA is 300 million people. The highest density is in the north-east, the lowest density
in the mountain states in the west. American´s population is from 13 per cent classified as non-white.

The USA is said to be a melting pot of nations, but many sociologists oppose this view
because the immigrants to America don't merge with the native Americans, but they are encouraged
to preserve their languages, customs and traditions. They say America today is a multinational land.

Anglo-Saxon Americans comprise about 45 % of the population, they made the greatest
contribution to the American culture. They don't think of themselves as of an ethnic group, they are
widely distributed throughout the nation. However, there are ethnic groups which still stick together,
speak their own languages and have preserved many of their customs - One thinks of Hispanic
communities, the Italians, Germans, Irish, the people from mid-European countries, the Chinese.
Some of them live in their neighbourhoods in large cities like New York, Chicago and others.

Blacks form the majority of the non-white population, they came to America in the early 18th
century mostly from West Africa to work on Southern plantations. After the Civil War they were
freed, many thousands of them emigrated from the war-ravaged South to the North in the hope of
finding work in the big industrial cities. Whole communities of blacks crowded together in ghettos in
New York, Chicago, Detroit...

In the 60s the Supreme Court of the USA compelled every Us state to abolish its racial
discrimination laws, blacks were granted the right to vote. Thus ended the era of blatant
discrimination, but although race relations between blacks and whites have changed and improved
over the next years, they still remain a thorny problem.

It has been estimated that there were about 800 thousand Indians when Columbus
discovered America. In the effort to wrest the land from them, the white colonisers nearly wiped
them out. Only now the figure 800 thousand has been reached again. For the most part the Indians
live on reservations, it's rather difficult for them to try their hand at life in the cities and find jobs,
because their education is often inadequate.

GOVERNMENT
 it is a federal republic, the head of the state is president (elected for a 4-year term)
 congress consists of 2 houses: Senate (100 members, elected for a term of 6 years), House of
Representatives (435 members, elected for a term of 2 years)
 the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods
 although its population is only around 4 % of the world, the U.S. holds 30 % of the total
wealth in the world

LARGE TOWNS
NEW YORK
the largest city of the USA, the cultural and business centre of the country, one of the largest
cities in the world with 8 million people in its central area , but about 18 mil. people in the whole
metropolitan area.
Many foreigners mistakenly believe that Manhattan is New York, but actually, it is just one of
New York five boroughs. The other four are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Richmond. These four
boroughs have been called the bedrooms of Manhattan, because most of their residents work in
Manhattan. NY is famous for its Manhattan skyline – a large number of skyscrapers on a small area.
They started to build skyscrapers here because of the lack of space and high price of land on the
island. At its opening /1931/ the Empire State Building was the tallest skyscraper in existence and
was called the eighth wonder of the world. It immediately became a major tourist attraction. /Now
the tallest skyscraper is in Chicago – the Sears Tower. Manhattan was built on a modern plan of
streets and avenues, streets run east-west, avenues north-south and they are numbered.

There is one exception and it is Broadway. Broadway used to be an old Indian path and it
runs diagonally through the whole island. Manhattan is the centre of business /Wall Street in Lower
Manhattan houses many banks, stock exchanges, headquarters of many firms/. Broadway and
Greenwich Village are two most famous centres of culture in the USA.
 New York theatres are particularly centred round Times Square /the intersection of
Broadway and 7th Avenue/. The square received its name after the New York Times, which moved
there into the Times Tower; many New Yorkers come here to celebrate the New Year.

The only quiet place in NY is Central Park; it is a large, rectangle park in the middle of the
town, where famous rock concerts are held.

Perhaps no single monument in the USA is as famous as the Statue of Liberty. This famous
statue – a symbol of freedom and democracy stands on Liberty Island near the port. In the past it
welcomed millions of immigrants who came to the new world, now it welcomes tourists, though
more tourists come to NY via airports /J: F: Kennedy International Airport, Newark I. A., La Guardia
Airport/. About a mile from Liberty Island, there is another small island called Ellis Island. It was here
where the immigrants had to wait their turn to be examined by doctors and officials. Only a few
immigrants were refused admission (2 out of 100) , but it was often a tragedy for them. Since 1976
Ellis Island has been a historical monument.

NY is an impressive place for those who love the arts. There are many museums, numerous
galleries, theatres, concert and opera halls. Rockefeller Centre is made up of a complex of several
buildings with restaurants, luxury stores, theatres, music halls…Its centre point is Rockefeller Plaza –
an elegant café with a large sunny terrace in summer, which can be transformed into an open-air
skating rink in wintertime. The Guggenheim Museum is a modern building made of concrete, finished
with a glass dome. The dome, together with the windows in the walls, illuminates the whole interior
with natural light. The museum houses paintings ranging from Impressionists to the present day.
Metropolitan Opera House is one of the most important opera houses in the world.

WASHINGTON D.C.
Otázka číslo 15-The Capital cities

CHICAGO
 the third largest city in the USA
 situated on the bank of Lake Michigan
 industrial city
 the busiest airport in the world (called "O'Hare")

Places of interest in the USA

In the USA there are many national parks. They represent one of the finest examples of nature
conservation in the world. The first national park was Yellowstone. Another famous park is the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado River located in the state of Arizona. Next wonderful places worth
visiting are Niagara Falls and the five Great Lakes. In South Dakota’s Mt. Rushmore you will find the
heads of four American presidents. G. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Th. Roosevelt and A. Lincoln

Yellowstone National Park – established in 1872 on the territory of Wyoming, Idaho and
Montana. The largest and oldest nature reserve in the USA. There is geyser area with hot springs. The
most remarkable is Old Faithful. It includes spectacular falls and impressive canyons of the
Yellowstone River.
Boston – a port, it is often called the Cradle of Liberty. Remembered for the Boston Tea Party
which began the American Revolution in 1775.
Cambridge – separated from Boston by the Charles River. There is seat of Harvard University.
Las Vegas – famous for rodeo festivals and casino gambling which was legalized here in 1931
Los Angeles – known for Hollywood, the centre of the film industry
(Tour of America-dokument )

DIVISION OF THE USA INTO REGIONS

Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the federal government, others by shared culture and history and others
by economic factors

We can USA divided in 9 ways into regions. The factors are economic factors, agriculture, culture, natural, time…

Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau region definition is
"widely used [...] for data collection and analysis and is the most commonly used classification system.

 Region
1: No rtheast
oDivision 1: New
England (Con
n ecticut, Maine
,  Massachusett
s , New
Hampshire, R
h ode Island,
and Vermont)
oDivision 2: Mid-
Atlantic (New
Jersey, New
York,
and Pennsylva
nia)
 Region 2: Midwest (Prior to June 1984, the Midwest Region was designated as the North Central Region.) [7]
o Division 3: East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
o Division 4: West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South
Dakota)
 Region 3: South
o Division 5: South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Virginia, District of Columbia, and West Virginia)
o Division 6: East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee)
o Division 7: West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas)
 Region 4: West
o Division 8: Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming)
 o Division 9: Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington)

Puerto Rico and other US territories are not part of any census region or census division.

Standard Federal Regions

The ten standard federal regions were established by OMB (Office of Management and Budget) Circular A-105, "Standard
Federal Regions," in April 1974, and required for all executive agencies. In recent years, some agencies have tailored their
field structures to meet program needs and facilitate interaction with local, state, and regional counterparts. However, the
OMB must still approve any departures.

 Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

 Region II: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
 Region III: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
 Region IV: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
 Region V: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
 Region VI: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
 Region VII: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
 Region VIII: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
 Region IX: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
 Region X: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Federal Reserve Banks

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 divided the country into twelve districts with a central Federal Reserve Bank in each
district. These twelve Federal Reserve Banks together form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central
banking system of the United States. Missouri is the only U.S. state to have two Federal Reserve locations within its
borders, as some states are divided into more than one district.

1. Boston
2. New York
3. Philadelphia
4. Cleveland
5. Richmond
6. Atlanta
7. Chicago
8. St. Louis
9. Minneapolis
10. Kansas City
11. Dallas
12. San Francisco