America

(the USA)

The United States of America is the third largest country in the world with the population of about 316 million people. The total area of the country is about 9.8 million square kilometers.

Its territory covers the southern part of North America and extends from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska which is separated from Russia by the Bering Strait and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

There are lowlands and mountains in the US among which the highest ones are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. America’s most important rivers are the Mississippi which is one of the longest rivers in the world, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. There are the well-known Great Lakes located on the border with Canada.

The climate of the country differs a lot. The climate of Alaska is arctic, that of the central part is continental and the south with its hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico has a subtropical climate.

The USA is one of the most developed industrial countries. It is rich in coal, oil, iron and other minerals which form a solid base for the development of America’s industry. The United States is one of the leading countries in the world economy in such industries as mining, metallurgy, electronics and space engineering, chemicals, textiles, leather and footwear. As for agriculture the US has the developed animal husbandry and arable farming.

Most Americans are of Amerindian, European and African origin, but there are people of nearly all races and nations in the US.

The US is a federal Union of 50 states and a District of Columbia where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The US Constitution divides the government into three branches: the executive branch headed by the President, the legislative one exercised by the Congress and the judicial branch. The Congress includes the Senate and the House of Representatives.