USA – geography, weather, climate, population, places of interest

The population in the USA is about 250 million people. The density is about 26 people per 1 sq km. In New York there is a density 9185 people per 1 sq km. But single areas are inhabited unevently. The highest concentration is on the Atlantic Shore. From Boston, New York, Philadelphia to Washington. Another densely populated area is the region from Chicago to Pittsburgh.

Imigration is one of extraordinary importance in american history because the original inhabitants - Indians - make only 1% of the population. There are over 100 major ethnic groups in the USA. America is sometimes called the "melting pot." The heart of the Americans consists of descendants of the British, the Irish or the Scottish. A number of the imigrants came from Germany or the Scandinavian countries. During the economic crisis of the 30´s the imigration stopped. But the increase continued after World War II.

The most numerous minority in the USA is the black people. They came like african slaves taken to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. The original inhabitants are the Indians. Today they live mostly in their reserves. The largest one is called Navaho on the boundary- lines of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. In 17th and 18th cen. they were pushed west by white people. Last century they were almost massacred. Now they have got an organisation - The National Congress of American Indians. In Alaska there live the Eskimos - Inuits.

In the USA live tens of millions of Americans of mexican origin. Mostly in the south-west corner. They came from Mexico to find jobs in the States, to earn money. But we can find lots of Puerto Ricans, Cubans or Japanese here.

The official language in the USA is English. It has got a wide range of differences from the british English. Specially in the South. The second most-used language in the USA is spanish in the south-west. Also, in specific areas of the state of Louisiana, we can hear French. And the Indians have got their original tongues.

In the USA there are many national parks. They represent one of the finest examples of nature conservation in the world. The first national park was Yellowstone founded in 1872. Another famous park is the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River located in the state of Arizona. Next wonderfull place to see are Niagara Falls and the five Great Lakes. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are joined by the Niagara River with its Falls. Or South Dakota´s Mt. Rushmore. You will find the sixty-feet-high heads of four american presidents. G. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Th. Roosevelt and A.Lincoln. The heads were carved into a mountainside. Another place to visit is Cape Canaveral in Florida. A home of American space shuttles. In the USA you can also find Disneyland near Los Angeles and Disney World in Florida near Orlando. And of course many interesting cities, e.g. Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hollywood, Nashville - the home of American country music, Memphis - where Elvis Presley lived, Las Vegas or Miami in the "Sunshine State" of Florida.