5. Maturitní téma - United States

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Capital city: Washington D.C. (D.C. = Direct of Columbia)

Other important cities:

• New York

• Philadelphia - Declaration of Independence

• Miami

• Los Angeles - Holywood, film industry

• Las Vegas - casinos, slot machines, gambling

• San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge

• Boston - Harvard university, city of universities

• Seatle - Boeing is produced there

• New Orleans - home town of JAZZ and BLUES

• Detroit/Chicago - car

Geographic position: The country is situated in the middle of the North American continent. Between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It borders Canada, Mexico and Russia

Area: US occupies the area of 9.3 mil. sq. km

Subdivision: 50 states - each of theme has got it´s own government and legislation.

Population: US has something about 300 mil. inhabitants. Many of theme are of European descent and of African descent. There are also large Hispanic community and people from Russia, Poland, Asia etc.

Symbols:

• flag - On the top left corner, on the blue background is 50 stars. These stars represent the 50 states of the US. 13 stripes (red and white) which represent the founding colonies.

• currency - american dollar

• eagle

• anthem

• constitution

Political system: a federal republic

• president

  • Barack Obama

  • strong and powerfull

  • head of the army and the government

  • is elected by people

• government

  • ministry = department

• the Congress

  • the Senate (100 representatives)

  • House of representatives (435 members)

Parties:

• the Democrats

• the Republicans

Religion

• Protestants

• other - Jewish, Islam...

International organization: US belongs to -

• NATO (=North Atlantic Treaty Organization) - NATO is an organization, which protect the members countries before the potencial attack by the thirdth countries.

• G8 (=eight most economically developed country)

• UN (=United Nations)

• WTO (=World Trade Organization)

Industries and agriculture:

1. products of pride

   • cars - car industry (Dodge, Ford...)

   • Boeing - air craft industry

   • IT (Microsoft, Apple, IBM...)

   • Si -> semiconductors -> mobil...

   • pharmaceutical industry (pils...)

   • film, food, clothes and oil industry

2. agriculture

   • eastern part

   • strong agriculture

Climate: large country => several climatic zones

• subtropical climate in the South (SE)

• dry and desert areas in central America

• colder areas in the North

• continental climate x oceanic climate (more rain, stable temperature)

Landscape:

• western part -> mountaineas/hilly/highlands

• eastern part -> lowlands

• the Rocky mountains / the Rockies

• the Sierra Nevada

• the Appelachian mountains

• Mt. McKinley in Alaska - 6 194 m

• Missoury, Chio, Mississippi, Yukon, Colorado, Rio Grande

• between USA and Canada is border lakes (Rio Grande)

History:

• landbridge between Siberia and Alaska

• 1492 - Christopher Columbus discovered New World

• the North American continent was colonized by the British/Spanish/French/Dutch

• 1775 - 13 colonies declared independence

• 7 December 1941 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

• 1945 - the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and 3 days later on Nagasaki, Japan