14 The United States of America

Government type and administration

The USA is a federal republic which consists of fifty states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) Each state is different from the others: it has its own state government, laws, customs, education, taxes, traffic, regulations etc. Each state government has the Constitution. The Constitution sets the basic form of government three separate branches.

- Executive (President)

- Legislative (Congress)

- Judicial (Supreme)

The head of the federal government is the President. His power is wider than of the Prime Minister. He is elected every four years. The president is chosen by direct election can be elected every four years in November. The president can be elected too only two terms.

There are two main political parties - Republican and Democratic. The Congress is divided into two parts - The House of Representatives and The Senate. The House of Representatives consist of 435 lawmakers. They are elected according to the population of each state. The Senate has 100 members, two members of each state. They serve six years.

Climate, geography, nature

The central region is dominated by large plains. In the west are mountains and in the southwest, areas of desert. Alaska features river valleys and rugged mountains, while Hawaii is largely volcanic.

The lowest extreme is Death Valley in California (-86m). Mount McKinley in Alaska with 6 194 m is the highest point in the US.

The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. The border with Canada is in its central part made by the Great Lakes Region. The Great Lakes are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Between Erie and Ontario are all over the world known Niagara Falls.

There are many national parks in the USA, for example: Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains NP, Grand Canyon NP, Glacier NP, Yosemite NP.

Regions, places of interests

The country can be divided into regions: New England, the Middle Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the Northwest, or West. Each part of the country has its own habits, culinary specialities, ways of speaking the English language and outlooks on life.

New England consist of six states - Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island - along the Atlantic Ocean, including parts of New York.

Highlights

• Boston - a cultural, educational and commercial centre (Harvard University, MIT in nearby Cambridge)

• Vermont - a state with typical rural settlements and farms

The Middle Atlantic Region consists of seven states: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The Great Valley extends through the Appalachians; it is one of the longest valleys in the world.

Highlights

• New York City - the largest city in the United States

• Niagara Falls - 50 metres high and more than a kilometre wide

• Pennsylvania Dutch Country - a farming region settled by Germans and Swiss in 600s. their descendants are today's Amish people

• Philadelphia - a major city; Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed