USA

The USA is the fourth largest country in the world, located on the territory between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, between the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Cordillera and the Rockies to the west. The territory of the USA includes Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, as well as a number of islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. In the north it borders Canada, in the south - with Mexico, Alaska is separated from Asia by the Bering Strait, it borders Canada.
The name of the country comes from the mainland America.
Capital:
Washington.
Area:
9629091 km2.
Population:
278,000 people.
Administrative division:
The country consists of 50 states (48 adjacent, as well as Alaska and Hawaii) and the federal (capital) District of Columbia.
Form of government:
The Republic with a federal state structure.
Head of State:
President elected for 4 years.
The highest legislative body:
The Congress, consisting of two chambers: the Senate (elected for 6 years) and the House of Representatives (term of office - 2 years).
Supreme executive body:
The government is the Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
Big cities:
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, St. Louis, Buffalo, Cleveland.
Official language:
English.
Religion:
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism.
Ethnic composition:
84% are immigrants from Europe, 12% are Afro-Americans, 3% are from Asia, and 0.8% are Indians.
Currency:
US dollar = 100 cents.
Climate:
The climate in the US is mostly temperate and subtropical continental. In Alaska (the Arctic climate), the average January temperature is -25 ° C, on the peninsula of Florida - +20 ° C. Average
The temperature in July on the west coast ranges from + 14 ° C to +22 ° C, on the east-from + 16 ° С to + 25 ° С. In American resorts summer is almost all year round. Temperature below 0 ° C in winter is noted throughout the territory, except for California, Florida and Hawaii. The greatest amount of precipitation falls in the Hawaiian Islands (10,000 mm per year), the smallest - in the Mojave Desert (less than 100 mm).
Flora
Forests occupy a third of the country's territory. Thus, in the south of Alaska there are extensive pine forests, the rest of the state is covered mainly by tundra with mosses and lichens. The central part of the country is characterized by mixed forest vegetation (spruce, pine, oak, ash, birch, sycamore). Cedar, pine, deciduous forests are common in the north of the eastern coast. To the south vegetation acquires a subtropical character - there are magnolias, rubber plants. The coast of the Gulf of Mexico is covered with mangrove vegetation. The western part of the country is a region of deserts and semi-deserts, which are characterized by yucca, shrubs and semi-shrubs. In the desert areas there are many cacti and succulents. In California there are widespread citrus, various palm trees. Sierra Nevada is considered the edge of a giant sequoia.
Fauna
The animal world also varies depending on the region. So, in the northern regions there are bears, lynxes, deer, earthen squirrel. On the coast of Alaska there are walruses and seals. In the east there are grizzly bears, deer, foxes, wolves, skunks, badgers, a large number of birds, among them pelicans, flamingos, kingfishers, there are also alligators, many snakes. On the Great Plains mainly ungulates, herds of bison can be found. Mountainous areas are inhabited by elk, horn horn, mountain goat, thick horn, bears, wolves. In the desert areas - reptiles, small mammals, rodents.
Rivers and lakes:
The main rivers are Mississippi, Missouri, the St. Lawrence River, Columbia. Colorado. The largest lakes are the Great Lakes bordering Canada: Upper, Huron, Michigan, and Erie, Ontario.
Landmarks
In New York - the Rockefeller Center (15 skyscrapers), the British Empire Building, the building of the American Radio Corporation, the St. Patrick's Cathedral (XIX century), the New York Public Library, the Central Station building, the UN Headquarters, the Empire skyscraper The State Building (102 floors), the Statue of Liberty, the Immigration Museum, the New York State Theater, the Metropolitan Opera building, the Egyptian Obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle", the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of American Indians, the Museum of African Art, the Museum City, the Museum of the Sea and much more. Natural attractions include national parks, mountain ranges, coasts of bays, etc.
Useful information for tourists:
Americans are proud that they are citizens of the best country in the world, they do not like stiffness either in clothes or in manner; simplicity of their appearance - they prefer comfortable clothes, address each other simply, unofficially, even if between the interlocutors the difference in age and social position.
Americans care about their health and the health of others very much, so special places are reserved for smoking in restaurants and bars. Do not smoke in taxis, airports, train stations and even in some streets – you can be fined for smoking cigarettes.
As for communication in an informal setting, jokes in the US are a common thing. This is an opportunity to talk about family and hobbies. It is better to bring a bottle of good wine as a gift.
In the US, tipping is a legal form of additional pay in the service sector: in taxis, airports, hotels, restaurants. The porter is paid 0.25-0.5 dollars per seat. A bellboy at the hotel receives a little more ($ 0.5-1 per seat). Tipping is usually given to the head waiter, the receptionist, the maid. Tipping is 10-15% of the amount of the cheque (balance).
You should never offer money to a police officer or an official. This attempt can be qualified as a criminal offense.