BasicFactsaboutUSA.docVIP

PAGE  PAGE 11 Lecture 2 Basic Facts about USA– Its Land and People Outline Position geographic division; Climate and weather; Land resources; Rivers and lakes; Natural resources; Territories other areas; American people A brief introduction to U.S.A. The?United States of America?(also called the?United States, the?U.S., the?USA,?America, and the States) is a?federal constitutional republic comprising?50 states?and a?federal district. The country is situated mostly in central?North America, where its 48 contiguous states?and Washington D. D., the?capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by?Canada to the north and?Mexico?to the south. The state of?Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and?Russia?to the west, across the?Bering. The state of?Hawaii?is an archipelago?in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses?several territories?in the Pacific and Caribbean. A brief introduction to U.S.A. Total area: 3.79?million square miles (9.83?million skm), the fourth largest Population: around 315 million, the third largest It is one of the world‘s most?ethnically diverse and?multicultural nations, the product of large-scale?immigration from many countries.?The?U.S. economy?is the world’s largest national economy, with an estimated 2011?GDP?of $15.1?trillion（万亿）. Per capita income is the worlds?seventh-highest. Position Geographic division 50 states: 2 states separated from continental U.S. 1) Alaska (1.5 million skm) separated from mainland America by Canada, Alaska is the largest state in the United States in land area at 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 skm), over twice the size of Texas, the next largest state.? 2) Hawaii (17,000 skm) Lies about 3,200 km away to the west and in the Pacific Ocean. Overseas territories a) Guan (Island)关岛; b) Puerto Rico（波多黎各）; c) the Virgin Islands Territories other areas Puerto Rico about 9,000 square kms in the Caribbean Sea, linked to U