Fun Easy English - Travel abroad United States.

OFFICIAL NAME: United States of America

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION

The United States is a stable, highly developed constitution-based federal republic with a strong democratic tradition and a modern economy. Tourist facilities are widely available.

GEOGRAPHY

The United States is located in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico.

The world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India), about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union. Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent.

There is a vast central plain, mountains in the west, hills and low mountains in the east, rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska, and rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii.

The climate is mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest. Low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Natural hazards include tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around the Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development.

Current environmental issues include air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification.

BACKGROUND

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

QUICK FACTS

Geography
Area: 9,826,630 sq km
    land: 9,161,923 sq km
    water: 664,707 sq km
    note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Cities: Capital--Washington D.C. Other cities--New York, Los Angeles.
Terrain: Varied, see above.
Climate: Mostly temperate.
Land boundaries: border countries
    Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska)
    Mexico 3,141 km
Coastline: 19,924 km
Elevation extremes:
    lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
    highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Natural resources:
    coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron
    mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--American.
Population (2007 est.): 301.1 million.
Population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.894%.
Ethnic groups: white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific islander, Native American.
Religions: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, other, none.
Language: English, Spanish, other Indo-European, Asian and Pacific island, other.
Education: Literacy--99%.
Health (2007 est.):
Infant mortality rate--6.37/1,000. Life expectancy--males 75.15 yrs., females 80.97 yrs.
Work force 151.4 million (includes unemployed) (2006 est.):
farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.9%, managerial, professional, and technical 34.9%, sales and office 25%, other services 16.5%.

Government
Type: Constitution-based federal republic.
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789.
Branches: Executive branch, Legislative branch, Judicial branch.
Administrative subdivisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Political parties:
Democratic Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, Republican Party.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy
GDP (2006 est.): $13.16 trillion (official exchange rate); $13.06 trillion (PPP).
Real growth rate (2006): 2.9%.
Per capita GDP (2006 est. PPP): $43,800.
Natural resources: Forests, fish and numerous mineral resources.
Agriculture:
Products--wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products.
Industry:
Types--eading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining.

USEFUL LINKS

U.S. Government

Miscellaneous

AllofMaine.com - Where Maine is located on the web.
ezilon search - North American Web Directory and Search Engine.
New Mexico Magazine - Your online resource for everything New Mexico.
Ohana Online - Hawaii Directory and Hawaii Search engine.
USA findouter - The search engine and web directory for USA.