The United States of America (Соединенные Штаты Америки)

The United States of America (the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, the United States, the U.S. of A., or America) is a federal republic which occupies most of the southern part of the continent of North America. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west across to the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and down to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The country is made up of fifty states. It is considered to be the oldest constitutional republic in the world, and has existed for over 200 years. The capital of the USA is Washington, D.C. The nation operates as a presidential system also known as a congressional system. There are three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The federal government’s power is divided between three branches – the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

The United States of America has vast economic, political and military influence on a global scale, which makes its foreign policy a subject of great interest and discussion around the world.

The United States is the world's third largest country by land area. The total area of the country is over nine million square kilometers. The landscape and the climate of the United States are extremely varied. The USA is the world’s wealthiest country. The value of the goods its factories produce, the crops its farms grow and the services it provides are larger than those from Russia, Japan and Germany combined. It also has a great wealth of natural resources, with many valuable minerals found below its ground.

The United States is frequently affected by a large variety of natural disasters. Common problems include tornadoes, tropical cyclones along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts, floods, and earthquakes, particularly in southern Alaska and around California.

As of July 2006, there are an estimated 298,444,215 people in United States. According to the 2000 census, the country has 31 ethnic groups with at least one million members each, and numerous others represented in smaller amounts. The United States has dozens of major cities, which play an important role in U.S. culture, heritage, and economy.

The United States is home to approximately 336 languages. Although the U.S. has no official language, English is widely spoken by about 82 percent of the population, and considered to be the de facto official language. The second widely spoken language is Spanish (10.7 %).

1. What is the climate like in America?

2. Who is the head of the USA?

3. How many people live there?

4. Who do you think is the most famous person in this country? Why?

5. Would you like to visit the US? Why?