U.S.A.

GENERAL INFORMATION
 a federation of 50 states (48 states are continental)
 area: 9,372,614 sq. km
 population: about 270 mio.
 capital city: Washington, DC
 called: ‘Melting pot’, ‘Salad Bowl’, ‘Pizza’, 'Uncle Sam'

GEOGRAPHY
The USA is situated in southern part of North America. It neighbours with Canada to the north, with Mexico to the south and to the Confederation of Independent States in Alaska, lying between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. It is nearly as large as Europe and half the size of Russia. The main land mass is in central north America. Alaska and Hawaii are separated from continental USA.
Diversity is very high. There are many kinds of land, of climate, of different people. The geography determined 25 thousands years ago.
The highest point is Mount McKinley in Alaska (6,198 m above the sea level). The lowest point is in Dead Valley (86 m below the sea level).
Alaska is the largest state and Rhode Island is the smallest state of the U.S.A.

RELIEF
The relief consists of an eastern highland, interior planes and western highland:
1) EASTERN HIGHLAND
The Appalachian Mountains - whole eastern region from north-east to Georgia, the Appalachians roughly parallel to the Atlantic coast.
2) INTERIOR PLANES
Interior planes spread into the half the USA (from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains). It includes:
 Central Lowland - the country of the Appalachians (Great Lake Section)
 the Great Plains - area between Central Lowland and the Rocky Mountains (from the Gulf of Mexico to Canadian border)
3) WESTERN HIGHLAND
It covers a third of the country. The highest peak of the continental U.S. is Mt. Whitney (4,418 m). There are three main parts:
 the Rocky Mountain in the East
 the Pacific Mountain System in the West - the highest peak is Sierra Nevada in the south
 the Intermontane Plateaux the central part - between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Mountain System

RIVERS
 rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean
Between St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico are short and of little value to navigation (the Hudson, the Delaware, the Potomac,...). The only navigable river of these is the Hudson, whose mouth forms the Harbour of New York City.
 rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico
The main river entering the Gulf of Mexico is the Mississippi (the ‘Old Man river’). It's the biggest river in the USA (app.