Vypracovala: Mgr. Katarína Šovčíková

 

 

Basic facts

 

  • It lies on the North American continent

  • It borders on Mexico in the south, the Atlantic ocean in the east, Canada in the north and the Pacific ocean in the west

  • Alaska and Hawaiian are parts of the USA

  • Washington D.C. is the capital

  • It consists of 51 states

 

Mountains

  • Cordilleras in the west

 

Rivers

  • The Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado, the Columbia, the Rio Grande

 

Lakes

  • Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario

 

Climate

  • Climate is varied, from Arctic in the north to subtropical in the south

 

Population

  • More than 300 million people

  • There live a lot of origins: Afro-Americans, American Indian, Japanese, Chinese...

  • Official language is English

 

Valid currency

  • 1 dollar which has 100 cents

 

Industry

  • The USA is rich in metals and minerals

  • The most important products are coal, oil, natural gas, iron, steel, glass, kaolin,

  • The USA is leading country in agriculture

  • It has the first place in the world in chemicals, the production of lorries and cars, computers...

 

System of government

 

  • Is based on the principles established in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

  • The Government is divided into 3 branches:

    • the Executive branch – is headed by the President, he is elected every four years

    • the Legislative branch – Congress – consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senator is elected for six years and each Representative for two.

    • the Judical branch – is headed by the Supreme Court which consists of the Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

 

Famous personalities

 

Literature

  • Ernest Hemingway

    • he was an excellent novelist and master of short forms

    • first novel – The Sun Also Rises

    • he was a member of „lost generation“

    • he wrote war novels (For Whom the Bell Tolls)

    • he got the Nobel Prize for literature for the novel The Old Man and the Sea

  • Francis Scott Fitzgerald - novelist and short story writer, he showed the American in 1920s

  • Jack London - adventurous novels, he travelled a lot, worked as a miner, sailor so he knew a lot about people

  • Arthur Miller – dramatist of 20th century

  • Edgar Alan Poe – poet

 

History and politics

  • George Washington - the first president of the USA

  • Abraham Lincoln - 16th president of the USA, Republican. He was against slavery.

  • John Fitzgerald Kennedy - 35th president of the USA, Democrat. During his administration there was the first space flight

  • Ronald Reagan - 40th president of the USA, Republican. He proposed to increase military expenditure

 

Music

  • Louis Armstrong - the best trumpeter in jazz history

  • Elvis Presley - popular American rock and roll singer. He influenced popular culture in the USA

 

Theatre and cinema

  • Charlie Chaplin - world famous British-born American film actor of the „silent era“, script writer and film director, The Kid, The Great Dictator, City Lights, ...

  • Walt Disney - American film producer who created the first animated cartoon films, he built a famous amusement park Disneyland, he produced more full-length entertainment films (Pinocchio, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan)

  • Marilyn Monroe - American actress, beautiful blonde who became the man’s idol of her time, Some Like It Hot, Bus Stop

 

Fine arts

  • Andy Warhol - the son of the Slovak immigrants, American artist and filmmaker, initiator of the Pop art movement

 

Washington DC

 

Washington DC (District of Columbia) is the national capital of the USA. It is the seat of the federal government of the United States. The site for the capital was chosen by President Washington himself. More than 5 million people live there.

 

Places of interest:

  • The Capitol – there are the Senate Chamber, the House of Representatives

  • The Supreme Court – is situated across the street from the Capitol

  • The Library of Congress – it is the largest library which contains 90 million items.

  • Washington Monument – it is the white marble obelisk

  • Pentagon – it is the headquarters of the Department of Defence

  • The White House – it is the president’s residence

 

New York

 

New York is the largest city in the USA. It lies on the Hudson River. NY has 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island (Richmond). More than 8 million people live in the central area and more than 18 million people live in the whole metropolitan area.

 

Places of interest:

  • The Statue of Liberty – it stands on Liberty island in New York Harbor. It is a symbol of freedom and the United States itself. It also commemorates French-American friendship.

  • Museum of Immigration – it is situated on Ellis island. In the past all immigrants came here.

  • Manhattan – the heart of New York, it is famous for its skyline with a large number of skyscrapers. It has parts Downtown and Midtown

  • The Empire State Building – the highest building in NY

  • The Chrysler Building – the seat of the Chrysler automobile company

  • Rockefeller Center – complex of 14 buildings

  • Central park – the largest in the NY

  • Broadway – culture and entertainment street

 

New York is also called the „Melting Pot“ because of its cosmopolitan society. More than 80 languages are spoken here. Spanish is the second most common. New York is also called the „Green Apple“.

 

Interesting places to visit

 

  • Niagara falls – two waterfalls on the Niagara River on the USA-Canada border

  • The Grand Canyon – multicolored-rock valley

  • Yellowstone National Park – the largest and the oldest nature reserve, it has about 3000 geysers and hot springs and it is the world’s widest geyser area

  • NASA – Kennedy Space Center´s Spaceport – at Cape Canaveral in Florida, it is the place from which space shuttles are launched

  • Dallas – it is known for its oil industry and cotton market. J. F. Kennedy was assassinated here.

  • Las Vegas – it is famous for rodeo festivals and casino gambling

  • Los Angeles – it is known for Hollywood, the center of film industry, Disneyland – the first park opened by Walt Disney

  • San Francisco – it is known for the Golden Gate Bridge, the prison Alcatraz which is situated on the island in San Francisco Bay

 

Použitá literatúra:

  • Chudý, T., Chudá, J.: Some basic facts about English speaking countries, Príroda, Bratislava, 2001