The United States of America

The United States of America is another important English-speaking country. On the East, it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and on the West-by the Pacific Ocean. The United States consists of fifty different states joined together under one government.

At first it was consisted of only 13 states on the Atlantic coast of America that had been English colonies, but they had fought against England and in 1776 became an independent country. Alaska, a great territory in the North-west of the American continent, was bought from Russia in 1867 for 7 million dollars.

The USA is governed by the Congress and the President. The Congress consists of the Senate (100 senators – 2 from states) and the House of Representatives (435 Congressmen). The President, who is also the head of the government and the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces, is elected every four years.

The capital of the United States is Washington. It is situated on the Potomac River not far from the Atlantic coast. It is in the District of Columbia, which does not belong to any one state, but to all the states. The city itself is named after George Washington – the first president of the United States.

The centre of the city is the Capitol Building. From the Capitol to the White House (the official residence of the President) runs a broad Pennsylvania Avenue. The Capitol is the highest building in Washington, a city without skyscrapers.

There are many interesting and beautiful monuments in Washington. Of these the most well-know are: the Washington Monument - a tall obelisk, the highest stone structure in the city, the Lincoln Memorial.