The USA

If you don’t mind I’d like to speak on the topic “The USA”. First of all I’d like to tell you a few words about the history of this country.
The history of the USA began a little more than 500 years ago. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America to the whole world. He thought that it was India.
The first English colony James town appeared in 1607 in Virginia. On the 6th of September in 1620 a group of people left England for America. They sailed from the English city of, Plymouth, on board the ship, “Mayflower”. They set up a colony. They wanted to start a new life and to have no problems with the church.
By 1733 European settlers occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast. The colonists in America didn’t want to depend on the English king or on England and the War of Independence began. It lasted from 1775 till 1783.
In 1776 on the 4th of July the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It proclaimed “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness as the human natural rights”. In 1787 the constitution of the USA was written. In 1789 on the 6th of April Americans elected the first President of the USA. George Washington served two terms (1789-1797). The newly-built capital of the country was named Washington.
Then other important event followed. The Civil War began in 1861 and lasted until 1865. It was the war for abolition of slavery. Also the USA took part in the First World War and the Second World War.
Now I want to tell you about the fourth largest country in the world, about the USA.
The USA is situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast – by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The USA borders on Canada in the North and on Mexico in the South. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia.
The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers.
The population of the USA is more than 270 million people, most of the population lives in towns and cities.
The USA is a federal republic. The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. Each state has its own government. The seat of the federal government is Washington DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches. They are the executive, the legislative and the judicial. President and his Administration head the executive. The judicial is headed by the US Supreme Court.
The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of representatives. There are two main political parties in the USA, the Republican and the Democratic.
The flag of the USA is called “Stars and Stripes”. There are three colours on the flag of the USA. They are red, white and blue. As there are fifty states in the USA, there are fifty stars on the American flag: one star for each state. The American flag has thirteen stripes,. The stripes are red and white. There is one stripe for each of the first thirteen colonies which in 1776 became independent of England.
The eagle became the official national symbol of the country in 1782. It holds an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (symbol of strength) in its paws. The USA has official song. Its called The Spangled Banner.
The USA is one of the greatest industrial and leading agricultural nations in the world. The USA produces around 25% of the world’s industrial products, agricultural goods and services. The USA is rich in coal, iron and oil. Dollar of the USA is the stronger currency in the world.
Among the most important manufacturing, industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper. Though mainly European and African in origin, Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and Native Americans.
If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska.
Many rivers cross the country. The largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande, the Columbia, the Colorado and the Sacramento. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the Largest and deepest in the USA.
The largest cities are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Washington and others.
The USA is one the most powerful and highly developed countries in the world. It is the leader of the western world.