5._THE_USA

way of life – it helps to break down barriers between ethnic groups which are caused by ignorance

languages

- the official language of the US is American English

- in states with a high percentage of Hispanics (such as California, Texas and New York) a growing number of

people speak Spanish -> many schools are bilingual and children are taught in both Spanish and English

American sports and pastime

- American football, baseball, basketball (NBA), ice-hockey

- In the USA there are especially baseball and basketball (NBA), which have its origin there, ice - hockey (NHL)

and golf are very popular

- there is a long tradition of schools sports clubs at all of the high schools and collages

- many American exercises for good health every day - fitness and keeping fit is an important part of American

way of life

the US economy and agriculture

- the US has one of the strongest economies in the world

- the American dollar is used for trade in countries across the globe

- the US is a leading country in agriculture, in the chemical, machinery industries and cars and in minerals

and raw materials

- agriculture plays a major role in the US economy

- the US produces the majority of the world's corn, soybeans, tomatoes, ganges, apples and tobacco

- in the Hawaii there are famous sugar cane and pineapple plantations

* GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES – VARIED LANDSCAPE (MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, PLAINS, LAKES…)

mountains

- the USA has a varied landscape

- the West is quite mountainous – the mountain ranges include Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Cordilleras,

Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Great Canon

- the Appalachian Mountains which are geographically the oldest range in the US, and the Atlantic Plain and the

Allegheny Mountains

- the highest peak is Mt McKinley – 6,194m

plains

- in the middle of it, there are the Interior Plains that make up two thirds of the country

- the East contains plateaus or lowlands such as the Mississippi Lowland

rivers + lakes

- the longest river is Mississippi, called ,, the father of water“ - it is also the 3 rd longest river in the world

-> its tributaries are the Missouri, the Ohio and the Arkansas

- St Lawrence and the Rio Grande, they flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

- other American rivers: the Colorado, the Columbia, the Snake and the Niagara with the famous Niagara Falls

on the border with Canada. The Hudson River flows into the Great Lakes in the east. The Great Lakes are

situated on the border with Canada. There are five of them altogether – Superior is 2 nd largest in the world

after the Caspian Sea, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

* POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATIONS, MOST IMPORTANT CITIES

Niagara Falls - it is located on the US- Canadian border
- it goes down 61 metres into a rocky gorge

Jamestown - in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement was founded in America in 1607

Graceland - in Tennessee, it is the state of blue and country music
- it is the home of the king of rock´n´roll Elvis Presley