UNITED STATES of AMERICA

United States

The United States of America consists of a federation of fifty states, forty-eight of which are on the mainland; the other two are Alaska, which lies northwest of Canada, and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

The landscape of the USA is varied; there are forests, deserts, mountains and plains.

The central part of the country is a vast plain crossed by two of  the longest rivers in the country: the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers.

The United States is rich in lakes. The largest are along the Canadian border and are called the Great Lakes.

We can find every kind of climate on this country’s territory. For example, there is an arctic climate in Alaska and a subtropical climate in Florida.

The USA is often called “The Melting Pot” of the world. In fact there are about 250 million Americans of different races and origins.

The American flag has thirteen stripes which represent the original thirteen states that formed the United States, and fifty stars, the number of states that form the present federation. The major languages are American English and Spanish.

American’s System of Government

There is a presidential system of government in the USA. The president is elected by the people for a period of four years and can be elected only twice in succession. He must be a native-born American and he cannot be younger than thirty-five. He lives and works in the White House in Washington D.C.

The President chooses the members of the Cabinet who help him govern the nation.

The President is the Head of State and has a lot of power. However, Congress must approve his decisions. Congress is the legislative body in the United States and it made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Parliament is important because it is a legislative body (that is to say it makes lows).