Seminar 6

Theme : Introducing the USA

I. Questions.
1. Physical Geography of the USA.
The conterminous United States may be divided into seven broad physiographic divisions: from east
to west, the Atlantic–Gulf Coastal Plain; the Appalachian Highlands; the Interior Plains; the Interior
Highlands; the Rocky Mountain System; the Intermontane Region; and the Pacific Mountain System.
An eighth division, the Laurentian Uplands, a part of the Canadian Shield, dips into the United States
from Canada in the Great Lakes region. It is an area of little local relief, with an irregular drainage
system and many lakes, as well as some of the oldest exposed rocks in the United States.
The terrain of the N United States was formed by the great continental ice sheets that covered N
North America during the late Cenozoic Era. The southern edge of the ice sheet is roughly traced by a
line of terminal moraines extending west from E Long Island and then along the course of the Ohio
and Missouri rivers to the Rocky Mts.; land north of this line is covered by glacial material. Alaska and
the mountains of NW United States had extensive mountain glaciers and were heavily eroded. Large
glacial lakes (see Lake Bonneville under Bonneville Salt Flats; Lahontan, Lake) occupied sections of
the Basin and Range province; the Great Salt Lake and the other lakes of this region are remnants of
the glacial lakes.
The Atlantic–Gulf Coastal Plain extends along the east and southeast coasts of the United States
from E Long Island to the Rio Grande; Cape Cod and the islands off SE Massachusetts are also part
of this region. Although narrow in the north, the Atlantic Coastal Plain widens in the south, merging
with the Gulf Coastal Plain in Florida. The Atlantic and Gulf coasts are essentially coastlines of
submergence, with numerous estuaries, embayments, islands, sandspits, and barrier beaches backed
by lagoons. The northeast coast has many fine natural harbors, such as those of New York Bay and
Chesapeake Bay, but south of the great capes of the North Carolina coast (Fear, Lookout, and
Hatteras) there are few large bays. A principal feature of the lagoon-lined Gulf Coast is the great delta
of the Mississippi River.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain rises in the west to the rolling Piedmont (the falls along which were an early
source of waterpower), a hilly transitional zone leading to the Appalachian Mountains. These ancient
mountains, a once towering system now worn low by erosion, extend southwest from SE Canada to
the Gulf Coastal Plain in Alabama. In E New England, the Appalachians extend in a few places to the
Atlantic Ocean, contributing to a rocky, irregular coastline. The Appalachians and the Adirondack
Mountains of New York (which are geologically related to the Canadian Shield) include all the chief
highlands of E United States; Mt. Mitchell (6,684 ft/2,037 m high), in the Black Mts. of North Carolina,
is the highest point of E North America.
Extending more than 1,000 mi (1,610 km) from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mts. and lying between
Canada (into which they extend) in the north and the Gulf Coastal Plain in the south are the
undulating Interior Plains. Once covered by a great inland sea, the Interior Plains are underlain by
sedimentary rock. Almost all of the region is drained by one of the world's greatest river systems—the
Mississippi-Missouri. The Interior Plains may be divided into two sections: the fertile central lowlands,
the agricultural heartland of the United States; and the Great Plains, a treeless plateau that gently
rises from the central lowlands to the foothills of the Rocky Mts. The Black Hills of South Dakota form
the region's only upland area.
The Interior Highlands are located just W of the Mississippi River between the Interior Plains and the
Gulf Coastal Plain. This region consists of the rolling Ozark Plateau (see Ozarks) to the north and the
Ouachita Mountains, which are similar in structure to the ridge and valley section of the Appalachians,
to the east.
West of the Great Plains are the lofty Rocky Mountains. This geologically young and complex system
extends into NW United States from Canada and runs S into New Mexico. There are numerous high
peaks in the Rockies; the highest is Mt. Elbert (14,433 ft/4,399 m). The Rocky Mts. are divided into
four sections—the Northern Rockies, the Middle Rockies, the Wyoming (Great Divide) Basin, and the
Southern Rockies. Along the crest of the Rockies is the Continental Divide, separating Atlantic-bound
drainage from that heading for the Pacific Ocean.
Between the Rocky Mts. and the ranges to the west is the Intermontane Region, an arid expanse of
plateaus, basins, and ranges. The Columbia Plateau, in the north of the region, was formed by
volcanic lava and is drained by the Columbia River and its tributary the Snake River, both of which
have cut deep canyons into the plateau. The enormous Colorado Plateau, an area of sedimentary
rock, is drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries; there the Colorado River has entrenched
itself to form the Grand Canyon, one of the world's most impressive scenic wonders. West of the
plateaus is the Basin and Range province, an area of extensive semidesert.
The lowest point in North America, in Death Valley (282 ft/86 m below sea level), is there. The largest
basin in the region is the Great Basin, an area of interior drainage (the Humboldt River is the largest
stream) and of numerous salt lakes, including the Great Salt Lake. Between the Intermontane Region
and the Pacific Ocean is the Pacific Mountain System, a series of ranges generally paralleling the
coast, formed by faulting and volcanism. The Cascade Range, with its numerous volcanic peaks
extends S from SW Canada into N California, and from there is continued south by the Sierra Nevada,
a great fault block. Mt. Whitney (14,495 ft/4,418 m), in the Sierra Nevada, is the highest peak in the
conterminous United States.
West of the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada and separated from them by a structural trough are the
Coast Ranges, which extend along the length of the U.S. Pacific coast. The Central Valley in
California, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and the Puget Sound lowlands in Washington are part of
the trough. The San Andreas Fault, a fracture in the earth's crust, parallels the trend of the Coast
Ranges from San Francisco Bay SE to NW Mexico; earthquakes are common along its entire length.
The Pacific Coastal Plain is narrow, and in many cases the mountains plunge directly into the sea. A
coastline of emergence, it has few islands, except for California's Channel Islands and those in Puget
Sound; there are few good harbors besides Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and San Diego Bay.
Alaska may be divided into four physiographic regions; they are, from north to south, the Arctic
Lowlands, the coastal plain of the Arctic Ocean; the Rocky Mountain System, of which the Brooks
Range is the northernmost section; the Central Basins and Highlands Region, which is dominated by
the Yukon River basin; and the Pacific Mountain System, which parallels Alaska's southern coast and
which rises to 20,310 ft (6,190 m) at Denali (Mt. McKinley), the highest peak of North America. The
islands of SE Alaska and those of the Aleutian Islands chain are partially submerged portions of the
Pacific Mountain System and are frequently subjected to volcanic activity and earthquakes. These
islands, like those of Hawaii, are the tops of volcanoes that rise from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii are active volcanoes; the other Hawaiian islands are extinct
volcanoes.
The United States has an extensive inland waterway system, much of which has been improved for
navigation and flood control and developed to produce hydroelectricity and irrigation water by such
agencies as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Tennessee
Valley Authority. Some of the world's larger dams, artificial lakes, and hydroelectric power plants are
on U.S. rivers. The Mississippi-Missouri river system (c.3,890 mi/6,300 km long), is the longest in the
United States and the second longest in the world. With its hundreds of tributaries, chief among which
are the Red River, the Ohio, and the Arkansas, the Mississippi basin drains more than half of the
nation. The Yukon, Columbia, Colorado, and Rio Grande also have huge drainage basins. Other
notable river systems include the Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, James,
Alabama, Trinity, San Joaquin, and Sacramento.
The Great Salt Lake and Alaska's Iliamna are the largest U.S. lakes outside the Great Lakes and
Lake of the Woods, which are shared with Canada (Lake Michigan and Iliamna are the largest
freshwater lakes entirely within the United States). The Illinois Waterway connects the Great Lakes
with the Mississippi River, and the New York State Canal System links them with the Hudson. The
Intracoastal Waterway provides sheltered passage for shallow draft vessels along the Atlantic and
Gulf Coasts.

2. Etymology of the name “America”.

 America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the then revolutionary
concept that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a separate continent.
A map created in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller was the first to depict this new continent with the
name “America,” a Latinized version of “Amerigo.”
For more than 350 years the map was housed in a 16th-century castle in Wolfegg, in southern
Germany. The introduction to Waldseemüller’s “Cosmographie” actually contains the first suggestion
that the area of Columbus’ discovery be named “America” in honor of Vespucci, who recognized that
a “New World,” the so-called fourth part of the world, had been reached through Columbus’ voyage.
Before that time, there was no name that collectively identified the Western Hemisphere. The earlier
Spanish explorers referred to the area as the Indies believing, as did Columbus, that it was a part of
eastern Asia.
3. Main cities.
Satellite view showing New York City, nickname Big Apple, located in New York State on
the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Hudson River. It is situated mainly on islands, linked by
bridges, and consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten
Island (formerly Richmond), it is the most populous city in the United States and one of the
most populated cities in the world.

The satellite view shows Los Angeles, the sprawling Southern California city, largest urban
area in the state and the second most populous city in the United States. LA is located
between the San Gabriel Mountains on the east and the west coast at the Pacific Ocean.

The satellite view shows Chicago, largest city in the state of Illinois and the 3rd largest city
in the United States. The city is located in the East North Central Region on the southwestern
tip of Lake Michigan. The Chicago and Calumet rivers are the city's main rivers.

The satellite view shows Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the United States and largest
city in the state of Texas. It is the fourth most populous city in the United States. Houston is
located on the gulf coastal plain in southeastern of the state. The city is linked by the Houston
Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico.

Satellite view showing Philadelphia, largest city in Pennsylvania and the fifth most populous
city in the United States. Philadelphia is located in south eastern corner of the state at the
confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, about 95 mi (153 km) by road, southwest
of New York City and 105 mi (170 km) north east of Baltimore.
4. Human Geography and Demographics.
As of 2020, White Americans are the racial and ethnic majority, with non-Hispanic whites
representing 57.8% of the population. Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic
minority, comprising 18.7% of the population, while Black or African Americans are the
largest racial minority, making up 12.1%.
5. The Federal Government. The President.
The Federal Government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and
judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the President, and
the Federal courts, respectively.

There are hundreds of Federal agencies and commissions charged with handling
responsibilities as varied as managing America’s space program, protecting its forests,
gathering intelligence, and advancing the general welfare of the American people.
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of
the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal
government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
The power of the presidency has grown substantially since the first president, George
Washington, took office in 1789. While presidential power has ebbed and flowed over time,
the presidency has played an increasingly strong role in American political life since the
beginning of the 20th century, with a notable expansion during the presidency of Franklin D.
Roosevelt. In contemporary times, the president is also looked upon as one of the world's
most powerful political figures as the leader of the only remaining global superpower. As the
leader of the nation with the largest economy by nominal GDP, the president possesses
significant domestic and international hard and soft power.
Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government and
vests the executive power in the president. The power includes the execution and
enforcement of federal law and the responsibility to appoint federal executive, diplomatic,
regulatory, and judicial officers. Based on constitutional provisions empowering the president
to appoint and receive ambassadors and conclude treaties with foreign powers, and on
subsequent laws enacted by Congress, the modern presidency has primary responsibility for
conducting U.S. foreign policy. The role includes responsibility for directing the world's most
expensive military, which has the second largest nuclear arsenal.
The president also plays a leading role in federal legislation and domestic policymaking. As
part of the system of checks and balances, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the
president the power to sign or veto federal legislation. Since modern presidents are also
typically viewed as the leaders of their political parties, major policymaking is significantly
shaped by the outcome of presidential elections, with presidents taking an active role in
promoting their policy priorities to members of Congress who are often electorally dependent
on the president. In recent decades, presidents have also made increasing use of executive
orders, agency regulations, and judicial appointments to shape domestic policy.
The president is elected indirectly through the Electoral College to a four-year term, along
with the vice president. Under the Twenty-second Amendment, ratified in 1951, no person
who has been elected to two presidential terms may be elected to a third. In addition, nine
vice presidents have become president by virtue of a president's intra-term death or
resignation. In all, 45 individuals have served 46 presidencies spanning 58 full four-year
terms.
Joe Biden is the 46th and current president of the United States, having assumed office on
January 20, 2021.

II. Problems for class discussion.

1. What kind of nation is the USA? What nationalities comprise the American
nation?
The United States is a federal republic with three separate branches of government,
including a bicameral legislature.
The first United States Census in 1790 classed residents as free White people (divided by age
and sex), all other free persons (reported by sex and color), and enslaved people. The 2000
Census officially recognized six racial categories including people of two or more races; a
category called "some other race" was also used in the census and other surveys, but is not
official. In the 2000 Census and subsequent Census Bureau surveys, Americans self-
described as belonging to these racial groups:
● White American, European American, or Middle Eastern American: those
having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North
Africa. Following consultations with Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
organizations, the Census Bureau announced in 2014 that it would establish a new
MENA ethnic category for populations from the Middle East, North Africa and
the Arab world.However, this did not occur on the 2020 Census.
● Black or African American: those having origins in any of the native peoples of
sub-Saharan Africa. For the 2000 Census, this "includes people who indicated
their race or races as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or wrote in entries such as
African American, Afro American, Nigerian, or Haitian".
● American Indian or Alaska Native: those having origins in any of the original
peoples of North, Central and South America.
● Asian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far
East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
● Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: those having origins in any of the
original peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, or Micronesia.
● Other: respondents wrote how they identified themselves if different from the
preceding categories (e.g. Roma or Aboriginal/Indigenous Australian). However,
95% of the people who report in this category are Hispanic Mestizos. This is not a
standard OMB race category. Responses have included mixed-race terms such as
Métis, Creole, and Mulatto, which are generally considered to be categories of
multi-racial ancestry (see below), but, write-in entries reported in the 2000 census
also included nationalities (as opposed to ethnicities), such as South African,
Belizean, or Puerto Rican, as well as other terms for mixed-race groups like
Wesort, Melungeon, mixed, interracial, and others.
● Two or more races, widely known as multiracial: those who check off and/or
write in more than one race. There is no option labelled "two or more races" or
"multiracial" on census and other forms; people who report more than one of the
foregoing six options are classified as people of "two or more races" in subsequent
processing. Any respondent may identify with any number (including all six) of
the racial categories.
Each person has two identifying attributes, racial identity and whether or not they are of
Hispanic ethnicity. These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be
interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. They have been changed from one
census to another, and the racial categories include both "racial" and national-origin groups.
In 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of the US Department of Labor
finalized the update of its EEO-1 report format and guidelines concerning the definitions of
racial/ethnic categories.

2. How many states are there in the USA?

Geographically (and as a general reference), the United States of America includes all areas
considered to be under the sovereignty of the United States, but does not include leased areas.

On May 14, 1959, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names issued the following definitions
based partially on the Alaska Omnibus Bill, which defined the Continental United States as
"the 49 States on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia..." The Board
reaffirmed these definitions on May 13, 1999.

United States: The 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Continental United States: The 49 States (including Alaska, excluding Hawaii) located on the
continent of North America, and the District of Columbia.

Conterminous United States: The 48 States and the District of Columbia; that is, the United
States prior to January 3, 1959 (Alaska Statehood), wholly filling an unbroken block of
territory and excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Although the official reference applies the term
"conterminous," many use the word "contiguous," which is almost synonymous and better
known.

3. What are the main parties and governmental institutions of the USA?
The Federal Government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and
judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the President,
and the Federal courts, respectively.
4. Who are the most famous American writes, both in the past and today? Who
are your favourite authors?

Mark Twain
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the now-abandoned village of Florida, Mark Twain was
the sixth child of Jane Lampton and John Marshall Clemens.

Samuel left school after the fifth grade to start a printer apprenticeship. He later received an
honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Oxford in 1907. Twain achieved
acclaim and money after writing humorous tall tales, like the Jumping Frog story published in
New York’s “The Saturday Press.”

Famous Works

● The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867)

● The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
● Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

F. Scott Fitzgerald
His birth name was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was the third child of Mary McQuillan
and Edward Fitzgerald.

Francis’ early education prepared him for a writing career, including St. Paul Academy and
Newman School. Those preparatory schools were followed by Princeton University, although
he left to join the army during World War I.
His talent was nurtured and honed from a teen to an adult, as he became one of the famous
American authors of his generation.

Famous Works

● This Side of Paradise (1920)

● The Great Gatsby (1925)
● Tender is the Night (1934)

Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway’s mother (Grace Hall) was an opera singer, and his father
(Clarence Hemingway) was a physician. He was one of six children they had.

Ernest attended Oak Park and River Forest High School before joining the Red Cross during
World War I. Hemingway became injured on the Italian front, and his time during the war
inspired A Farewell to Arms.

Hemingway received the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. He had been nominated three times
previously. It celebrated his influence on contemporary writing, with The Old Man and the
Sea cited as the most recent example at the time.

Famous Works

● The Sun Also Rises (1926)

● A Farewell to Arms (1929)
● For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

J.D. Salinger
Birthdate: January 1, 1919

Birthplace: Manhatten, New York, United States

Died: January 27, 2010

Jerome David Salinger was one of two children for Marie Jillich and Sol Salinger.

He attended public schools for several years before enrolling in the preparatory McBurney
School. Jerom later attended Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge Military Academy, graduating in
1936.

The Catcher in the Rye has built a reputation as one of the greatest novels of the last century.
It is #15 on the BBC’s “The Big Read,” while making both Time Magazine’s and Modern
Library’s list of top 100 English novels of the 20th century.
 ● A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948)
● The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
● Nine Stories (1953)

Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee was born to Frances Cunningham and Amasa Coleman Lee. She was the
youngest of four children and is a descendant of General Robert E. Lee.

Lee went to Huntingdon College before transferring to the University of Alabama. She left
one semester before graduating with a degree.

To Kill a Mockingbird made Harper Lee a 1961 Pulitzer Prize winner. It became a literary
American classic and contributed to her earning the 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Famous Works

● To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

● Love – In Other Words (1961)
● Go Set a Watchman (2015)

More about my favorite author

Jerome David Salinger elevated to the rank of art the ability to create a mysterious image of
himself, moving away from the world, living a recluse and not having contact with anyone.
(Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes did the same clever trick.) Judging solely by volume,
Salinger's contribution to literature is small. But few of the authors can be put on a par with
this man, who once called the very fact of publishing his works "a terrible invasion of my
privacy." But many writers are ready to bite someone's throat for such interference.

His calling card is, of course, The Catcher in the Rye, a masterful depiction of teenage
alienation that still resonates with disgruntled high schoolers and other depressed
individuals to this day. The main character of the book, Holden Caulfield (named after
actors William Holden and Joan Caulfield), was a reflection of Salinger himself, only
instead of the military academy where the writer himself studied, a prestigious school was
depicted. The scathingly ironic book—a list of everything Salinger hated, presented in the
form of a novel—provided the vulnerable and downtrodden Jewish author a platform in
which he could retroactively retaliate against anyone who made him feel like a failure.
After creating a few more books, accepted in the Eisenhower era - an era when the inability
to live became almost a cult - with a bang, Salinger began to live in seclusion and stopped
writing.
Jerome David Salinger (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best
known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger got his start in 1940, before
serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in Story magazine. In 1948, his
critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" appeared in The New Yorker,
which published much of his later work.
The Catcher in the Rye was an immediate popular success; Salinger's depiction of
adolescent alienation and loss of innocence was influential, especially among adolescent
readers. The novel was widely read and controversial,[a] and its success led to public
attention and scrutiny. Salinger became reclusive, publishing less frequently. He followed
Catcher with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953); Franny and Zooey (1961), a
volume containing a novella and a short story; and a volume containing two novellas, Raise
High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). Salinger's last
published work, the novella Hapworth 16, 1924, appeared in The New Yorker on June 19,
1965.

Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s
with biographer Ian Hamilton and the release in the late 1990s of memoirs written by two
people close to him: Joyce Maynard, an ex-lover; and his daughter Margaret Salinger.

5. What music trends did the USA give life to and who were the best known
exponents.
Music history of the United States includes many styles of folk, popular and classical
music. Some of the best-known genres of American music are rhythm and blues, jazz, rock
and roll, rock, soul, hip hop, pop, and country. The history began with the Native Americans,
the first people to populate North America. The music of these people was highly varied in
form, and was mostly religious in purpose.
With the colonization of America from European countries like France, Spain, Scotland,
England, Ireland, and Wales came Christian choirs, musical notation, broadsides, as well as
West African slaves. West African slaves played a variety of instruments, especially drums
and string instruments similar to the banjo. The Spanish also played a similar instrument
called the Bandora. Both of these cultures introduced polyrhythms and call-and-response
style vocals.
As the United States incorporated more land, spreading west towards the Ocean, more
immigrants began to arrive in the country, bringing with them their own instruments and
styles. During this time, the United States grew to incorporate the Cajun and Creole music of
Louisiana, the Polynesian music of Hawaii and Tex-Mex and Tejano music. Immigrants
brought with them the Eastern European polka, Chinese and Japanese music, and Polish
fiddling, Scottish and Irish music, Ashkenazi Jewish klezmer, and other styles of Indian,
Russian, French, German, Italian, Arab and Latin music.
In the 21st century, American popular music achieved great international acclaim. Even since
the ragtime and minstrel songs of the 19th century, African Americans have greatly
influenced American popular music. The rural blues of poor black Southerners and the jazz
of black urbanites were among the earliest styles of American popular music. At the time,
black performers typically did not perform their own material, instead using songs produced
by the music publishing companies of Tin Pan Alley. African American blues evolved during
the early 20th century, later evolving to create genres like rhythm and blues. During this time,
jazz diversified into steadily more experimental fields. By the end of the 1940s, jazz had
grown into such varied fields as bebop and jazz.
Rock and roll was soon to become the most important component of American popular
music, beginning with the rockabilly boom of the 1950s. In the following decade, gospel
evolved into secular soul. Rock, country and soul, mixed with each other and occasionally
other styles, spawned a legion of subgenres over the next few decades, ranging from heavy
metal to punk and funk. In the 1970s, urban African Americans in New York City began
performing spoken lyrics over a beat provided by an emcee; this became known as hip hop
music. By the dawn of the 21st century, hip hop had become a part of most recorded
American popular music, and by the 2010s had surpassed rock music in overall listenership.

6. Find out the information about the well known places of interest in the
USA.
Grand Canyon

This incredible natural attraction is one of the most visited places in the United States. Carved
out by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon cuts deep into the landscape, creating dramatic
cliff walls and ledges. Visitors standing on the rim of the canyon can see down to the canyon
floor a mile below, and look out over the ridges and cliffs that run as far as the eye can see.

The South Rim, about 4.5 hours by car from Las Vegas, is the most visited section of Grand
Canyon National Park. This is where you'll find a large visitor center, regular bus service
along the Rim in the high season, and a walkway that runs along the canyon with numerous
viewing points and platforms. Several wonderful hikes, including the Bright Angel Trail,
leave from here.

Niagara Falls

Situated along the Canada-US border, Niagara Falls is one of the most famous waterfalls in
the world. The water from Lake Erie flows into Lake Ontario over these massive waterfalls,
known for the great quantity of water that is constantly tumbling over the vertical drop.

Niagara Falls is actually a set of three falls: It consists of the largest section, known as
Horseshoe Falls, with a drop of 187 feet; a second section on the American side of the river,
known as the American Falls, with a drop of 89 feet; and a much thinner section located next
to the American Falls, known as Bridal Veil Falls, with a drop of 78 feet.

Views are good on both sides of the river, but the Canadian side gives a very different
perspective and is worth a visit if you don't mind crossing the border into Canada.

Statue of Liberty

A universal symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty is America's most familiar icon and the
largest statue in the world. Standing proudly in New York Harbor, visitors can admire the
statue from various points around the city, particularly Battery Park, or take a ferry right to
the statue.
For people who plan to go out to the statue, options include grounds tickets, pedestal tickets,
or crown tickets, which allow different levels of access to the site. One of the best options is
to take a sightseeing tour and see both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. A popular tour is
the Skip-Line Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Tour + Pedestal Ticket Upgrade, which will
remove all the complexity of visiting this sight.

Walt Disney World Resort

This mega amusement park in Orlando is the top family attraction in America, and has been
catering to both young and old for decades. Opened in 1971, Walt Disney World has
managed to maintain its relevance and its allure for children and even many adults throughout
the years.

Walt Disney World Resort encompasses not only the various theme parks, it also includes
water parks, Downtown Disney with shopping and theaters, and much more, from fine dining
to golf. This is a place where you can spend a day or a week.

If you feel the need for a bit of sand and surf, the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast are only
an hour away.

Waikiki

Home to the most popular beach in the Hawaiian Islands and possibly the most famous beach
in the Pacific, Waikiki has been a tourist destination for over a century. Today this area is a
cross between tropical paradise and modern city.

Relaxing on this beautiful stretch of sand with palm trees blowing in the wind will certainly
let you know you are in the tropics, but the high-rise buildings and busy street in behind are a
reminder that you are not far from civilization. Shopping, dining, surfing, and sunbathing are
all part of what makes this small section of Oahu so popular with tourists of all ages from all
parts of the world.

Times Square

Bustling Times Square, famous for its flashing billboards, New Year's Eve count down, and
constant throngs of people, lies at the heart of Midtown Manhattan. This intersection, in
normal times, is really about the energy one feels when standing on the corner as taxi cabs
rush by and lights flash overhead, rather than any individual site on the square.

While it is an interesting place to visit during the day, it is probably best seen at night to
experience the full impact.
7. Give the explanation for the following: Stars and Stripes, Medallion Taxi,
White House, the Big Apple, and Disneyland.
STARS AND STRIPES
Stars and Stripes is a daily American military newspaper reporting on matters concerning the
members of the United States Armed Forces and their communities, with an emphasis on
those serving outside the United States. It operates from inside the Department of Defense,
but is editorially separate from it, and its First Amendment protection is safeguarded by the
United States Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers'
interests, regularly reports. As well as a website, Stars and Stripes publishes four daily print
editions for U.S. military service members serving overseas; these European, Middle Eastern,
Japanese, and South Korean editions are also available as free downloads in electronic
format, and there are also seven digital editions. The newspaper has its headquarters in
Washington, D.C

TAXI MEDALLION
A taxi medallion, also known as a CPNC (Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience),
is a transferable permit in the United States allowing a taxicab driver to operate. Several
major cities in the US use these in their taxi licensing systems, including New York City,
Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
The medallion system is a government-created intentional constraint on the supply of
taxicabs, and because cities have historically increased the number of medallions at a slower
rate than the growth in demand for taxis, medallions have generally been considered a
valuable investment, though recently the increased supply of cars for hire created by
ridesharing companies has been eroding the value of medallions.
THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House is where the President and First Family of the United States live and work
— but it’s also the People’s House, where we hope all Americans feel a sense of inclusion
and belonging.

The BIG APPLE

New York state is America’s top apple grower, after the state of Washington, but New York
City’s nickname has nothing to do with fruit production. In fact, the Big Apple moniker first
gained popularity in connection with horseracing. Around 1920, New York City newspaper
reporter John Fitz Gerald, whose beat was the track, heard African-American stable hands in
New Orleans say they were going to “the big apple,” a reference to New York City, whose
race tracks were considered big-time venues. Fitz Gerald soon began making mention of the
Big Apple in his newspaper columns. In the 1930s, jazz musicians adopted the term to
indicate New York City was home to big-league music clubs.

The nickname later faded from use and wasn’t revived until the early 1970s, as part of a
tourism campaign to spiff up New York’s image. At the time, the country’s most populous
city was experiencing economic woes and high crime rates. The man credited with creating
the ad campaign, Charles Gillett, president of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau,
was a jazz enthusiast who knew that the Big Apple had once been a sobriquet bestowing
respect on the city. Pins, T-shirts and other promotional items featuring apples soon
proliferated, and visitors were invited to take a bite out of the Big Apple; this time around,
the name stuck.

As it happens, long before New York City was nicknamed the Big Apple, it was known
briefly as New Orange. In 1673, the Dutch captured New York from the English and dubbed
it New Orange in honor of William III of Orange. However, the following year, the city
reverted to English control and its former name.

DISNEYLAND

Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme
park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under
the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisioned building a tourist attraction
adjacent to his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however, he soon felt
that the proposed site was too small. After hiring the Stanford Research Institute to perform a
feasibility study determining an appropriate site for his project, Disney bought a 160-acre (65
ha) site near Anaheim in 1953. The park was designed by a creative team hand-picked by
Walt from internal and outside talent. They founded WED Enterprises, the precursor to
today's Walt Disney Imagineering. Construction began in 1954 and the park was unveiled
during a special televised press event on the ABC Television Network on July 17, 1955.
Since its opening, Disneyland has undergone expansions and major renovations, including
the addition of New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country in 1972, Mickey's Toontown in
1993, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in 2019; Disney California Adventure Park also opened
in 2001 at the site of Disneyland's original parking lot.
Disneyland has a larger cumulative attendance than any other theme park in the world, with
757 million visits since it opened (as of December 2021). In 2018, the park had
approximately 18.6 million visits, making it the second most visited amusement park in the
world that year, behind only Magic Kingdom, the very park it inspired. According to a 2005
Disney report, 65,700 jobs are supported by the Disneyland Resort, including about 20,000
direct Disney employees and 3,800 third-party employees (independent contractors or their
employees). Disney announced "Project Stardust" in 2019, which included major structural
renovations to the park to account for higher attendance numbers.