Updated: 21.05. 2020
The United States of America Summary
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| The Great Seal of the US |
Location: central North America
Capital city: Washington DC
Historical territories: 13 British territories
Population: 328 million (3rd most populous country)
Universities: MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, Princeton, Yale
Currency: dollar $ (USD - United States dollar) and cent ¢
State system: constitutional, democratic, representative, federal republic
Composition: 50 states, a federal district, five major territories and other possessions
Head of state: the President
Power: legislative - bicameral Congress (House of Representatives and Senate), executive - the President and the government, judicial - the Supreme Court
Flag: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory or Star-Spangled Banner
Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner
Geography: Great Lakes, Appalachian Mountains, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains
Highest mountain: Denali (Mt McKinley) 6190m
Rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado
National parks: Carlsbad Caverns, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Yellowstone, Yosemite
Sights: National Mall - Washington DC, Statue of Liberty - New York, Alcatraz - San Francisco, Hollywood - Los Angeles, Mount Rushmore - South Dakota, Disney World - Florida
The United States of America are situated in central North America, it borders with Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. The continent of North America was discovered in 1492 by a Spanish expedition lead by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. British colonisation began in the 16th century, but the first successful permanent colonies were Jamestown in 1607 and Plymouth in 1620. Today, the population is about 328 million, it is the third-most populous country in the world. It is a federal republic and a representative democracy.
The capital city is Washington DC, a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress. The most populous city is New York City with more than 8 million inhabitants, its metropolitan area is one of the largest megacities in the world with more than 23 million inhabitants. Other important cities are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix and many other. There is no official language but English is de facto the national language.
Politically, it is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic with a representative democracy operated under a two-party system, the major political parties are the Democratic Party (progressivism and liberalism) and the Republican Party (conservatism and capitalism). The supreme law of the US is the Constitution with 27 amendments, the first ten are called the Bill of Rights. The US Congress is the bicameral legislature with two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president has the highest executive power and appoints the members of the Cabinet. The federal government is regulated by a system of checks and balances.
There are many universities in the US, the most famous are MIT, Harvard and Yale. The US is also a leader of scientific research and technological innovations. During WWII, the Manhattan Project was a research project that produced the first nuclear weapons. In 1969, Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon.
The US is a huge country, 48 states are contiguous from the East Coast to the West Coast, with Alaska in the north-west and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, it includes most climate types, from temperate to tropical, from deserts to alpine climate, and Alaska with subarctic climate. Important rivers are Mississippi, Missouri and Colorado, the river that formed the Grand Canyon. The Great Lakes are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes on the US-Canada border, they comprise Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. There are 58 national parks, the most famous are Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. The highest mountain is Denali, also called Mt McKinley with 6190m, located in the Alaska Range. The whole country is connected by the National Highway System.
Economically, the US is a highly-developed country with the world's largest economy by GDP and the second-largest in the world by its manufacturing sector. It is the world's foremost economic and military power, the largest importer and second-largest importer. Among the most important companies are Walmart, Apple, Amazon, Ford, Microsoft, Boeing, Dell, FedEx, PipsiCo and Intel. The currency is the dollar, symbolised as $.
American culture is very specific, typical things are fast food, especially McDonald's and Coca-Cola, obesity is a big problem in the US. Americans are known to be loud, friendly and very patriotic. Typical American holidays are Thanksgiving, Veterans Day and Independence Day. In the US, Christmas presents are brought by Santa Claus and opened in the morning on Christmas Day. There are many famous Americans, especially those connected with Hollywood, like Elvis Presley, Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe. The most important presidents in the US history were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy and Barack Obama. Many famous artists are American, for example Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe. Important American scientists include Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla and Robert Oppenheimer.
