The USA

Geography
The USA is situated in southern part of North America. Its neighbours are Canada on north, Mexico on south and the Confederation of Independent States in Alaska. It covers the area of abut 9 400 000 sq. km. Central plains are bounded by the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Mountains to west, the Appalachian Mountains to east and alluvialplains around theGulfof Mexico. The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. It’s the third longest river system in the world after the Amazon and the Nile. The border with Canada is in its control part made by the Great Lakes Region. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario share the USA with Canada. Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world (after the Caspian Sea).
Climate
There are big variations of climate. Temperatures change from the arctic cold in northern Alaska to subtropical warmth of Hawaii and the Gulf Coast States. On western coast temperature change very little between summer and winter, the north central states have different climate in summer and winter. There are many national parks in the USA, especially in the Rocky Mountains Region, with beautiful and preserved nature e.g. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Mount McKinley.

Political system
The USA is a federation of 50 states (48 on the continent and Alaska and Hawaii). As the head of the state is concidered the President. Political systeme is LIBERAL DEMOCRACY. There are two parties: Democratic Party (liberal centre) and Republican Party (centre right). Armed forces: 1 547 000. Military service is voluntary. The USA is member of all major international organizations for ex.: NATO, OSN, OECD,..
The main body of the political systeme is CONGRESS that seats in the Capitol. It is devided into 2 parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The house of Representatives consists of 435 lawmakers who are elected for 2 years. The Senate has 100 members – 2 from each state who serve 6 years. The President together with his Vice President is elected every 4 years. President seats in the White House.
The Capital of US is Washington D.C. with it’s 3,4 million inhabitants. Here we can find the White House, the Capitol, the building of Pentagon used to stand here. There is no industry and no factories so the place is nice and clean.

Flag and anthem
The American flag consists of two parts – one smaller blue oblong with 50 white stars symbolising 50 American states and one larger oblong consisting of six white and seven red stripes symbolising the original 13 states which used to be the British colonies. the flag is sometimes called “Old Glory” or “Stars and stripes”. The American national anthem is called “The Star – Spangled Banner”.

History
1492 – Columbus discovered America
1607 – first English colony was founded
1620 – Pilgrim Fathers on Mayflower come to America
1621 – First Thanksfiving
1619 – 1808 – about half a million africans were brought to America as slaves
1776 – Declovation of indepence
1861 – 1865 – Civil War
1863 – emancipation proclamation slavery was abolished assassinated
1917 – the USA entered World War I.
1941 – in December, the USA declared war to Japan after the attack of Pearl Harbour
1945 – in August, USA dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1963 – Assassination of J. F. Kennedy
1961 – 1973 – Vietnam War
1968 – assassination of Robert Kennedy and M. L. King
1969 – first man landed on the Moon (Neil Armstrong)
1991 – Gulf War
1992 – Bill Clinton president
2001 – George Bush president

Economy
The main industrial items are manufacturing steel, car industry, electronics, machinery and clothing. Nearby half of the country is a farmland, however only 21% is arable. The main agriculture products are corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, tobacco, cattle breeding, fruit and vegetable. The USA is rich in the mineral resources as coal, copper, lead, uranium, gold, iron, mercury and oil. The main trading partners are Canada, Japan, Mexico and Great Britain.

The capital city
Washington D.C. has the 10th largest population in the country. It was the finest city in the world especial planned and built as the capital and the centre of the government. In the city, along the Potomac River, there are the most important buildings in the USA – White House – the residence of the American President, the Capitol – the seat of the Congress, the Pentagon – the centre of military forces. There are no factories and industry in Washington and no building can be higher than the Capitol that is why we can’t see any skyscrapers there. There is a large airport and Georgetown University. Some famous monuments stand there: the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial.

California
The State of California is a state located in the western Pacific region of the United States and was the 31st admitted to the Union. It is the most populous state of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, and Arizona to the southeast in the United States. California's capital city is Sacramento, with the four largest cities being Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. California is known for its diverse climate and geography, as well as ethnically diverse population. The state has 58 counties.
Before becoming a part of the United States, Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1769. After Mexican independence in 1821, Alta California remained as part of Mexico until 1846, when it was the independent California Republic for one brief week. Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American war of 1848, California was annexed by the United States and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.
California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
California has nineteen major professional sports league franchises, far more than any other state. The San Francisco Bay Area has seven major league teams spread in three cities, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. While the Greater Los Angeles Area is home to ten major league franchises, it is also the largest metropolitan area not to have a team from the National Football League.

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the cinema of the United States. Today much of the movie industry has dispersed into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Los Angeles Westside but significant auxiliary industries, such as editing, effects, props, post-production and lighting companies, remain in Hollywood.
Many historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues and concert stages to premiere major theatrical releases and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism and home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.