Maturitní otázka číslo 10
The USA
America is so vast that almost everything said about it is likely to be
true and opposite is probably equal too.
G.T.Farrel
Huge country, many cultures, nationalities, Hollywood, scandals (Clinton
x Levinska), Florida, skyscrapers, stupid series, Statue of Liberty, White
House
Melting pot – everything is mixed and anything new arise from that
Since 60 Pizza or Bowl of salad – everything is mixed, anything new
arise from that, but you recognise the parts of that, (people started to look
for their roots)
General information
n
the
fourth largest country in the world
n
borders
on Mexico in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, Canada in the north and
The Pacific ocean in the west
n
population
267 mil; area 9.6 mil sq. km
n
the
capital is Washington
Climate, relief
n
the
oldest mountains are Appalachian
Highlands
n
about
half of the continental USA is occupied by the Cordilleras in the west
n
the Rocky Mountains are the part of
Cordilleras (the highest mountain - Mt. McKinley)
n
the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau are also to the west of
the Rocky Mountains
n
in the
middle part there are deserts - Sierra Nevada
n
a lot
of lowlands and highlands
n
rivers
- the biggest is the Mississippi, the
Missouri, the Rio Grande, Hudson, Colorado, Yukon - the biggest in Alaska
n
lakes
- on the borders - Lake Superior, Lake
Michigan, lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario - together 250000 sq. km
n
world
famous Niagara Falls 51m high
n
the
climate of the USA is varied . from the Arctic climate in the north to the
subtropical climate in the south
History
n
original
inhabitants were Indians - came from Asia
n
the
first Europeans were Vikings in the 10th century -
they didn’t manage to make settlements
n
1492 -
Christopher Columbus
discovered America and opened the
continent for all world
the names Indians, because he though that he is
in India
n
Indians
were living mostly from agriculture - potatoes, corn, tobacco
n
it was
rich land of gold
n
17th
century came emigrants from all Europe - the people wanted the gold and find a
new occasion failed settlements
Spanish, French, Swedish, Dutch, English
n
1584 – First English colony – Virginia
n
1607 – permanent settlement – James Town
n
1620 - the first permanent settlers -
named Pilgrim Fathers were puritans and were persecuted
from England, came to the north of the
USA and started to built a new settlement, very hardworking people, after the
Pilgrim - the name Plymouth, they came
on the ship Mayflower
the first colony -
Massachusetts Bay
the first winter was for
them terrible half of them died, but with helping of the Indians the second
year was
better and they had got a
very good harvest - big celebration, since 1621 Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day it is typical family festival (eat turkey, all
family is together, very important day)
n
after
the revolution in England came the second wave of emigrants - royalist - very
rich people, came to the south - big cotton fields, corn fields - but they
didn’t want to work there - the power were slaves
n
in the
north there was industry, in the south agriculture
n
1636 – Harvard University, Boston
n
in 17th
and 18th century a great
developing of the colonies, but they were under the control of the
British government - colonies weren’t able to buy anything from other states,
England - high taxis of goods
n
1773 -
Boston tea party -
colonists threw all tea cargo in to the sea as a protest
n
it was
the beginning of the War of
independence 1775 - 1783
n
the
leader of the colonists was George Washington
n
at the
beginning was the British army more successful, but the winners were Americans,
they knew why fight, they wanted to be
independent - very strong motivation
n
1776 - 4th
July - The Day of independence - Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of
independence (all people are accrual in front of
the Got)
n
13
colonies founded the USA, the first
president George
Washington
n
in the
19th century split into two large parts, one of them being the North
represented by Republicans, and the other the South with the slave-
oligarchy supported Democrats
n
the
winner of the election in 1860 was Abraham Lincoln, took a strong anti-slavery
stand - in the north the Confederate States of America, in the
south the Union
n
1861 -
1865 - Civil War - the winner was the Confederate
(Emancipation Proclamation - freedom for slaves - Abraham Lincoln)
n
since
1865 there wasn’t any war on the American continent
n
1865 - 1877 the period of reconstruction -
industrialisation - Henry Fords car
factories, J. P. Morgans U. S. Steel....)
n
the
first strong president after many years was Theodore Roosevelt
n
1924 – Golden door locked, N.Y. Ellis Island
n
rich
in all minerals - copper, zinc, gas, bauxite, led, oil
n
three
parts - North -East -steal works,
engineering, machinery, mining, heavy industry, food industry
n
industrial
area Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York
n
Chicago, Detroit - Ford, car industry, steal works
- South - Middlesouth - typical agriculture areas, main products - corn, cotton, wheat,
tobacco,
fruit
n
very
good conditions
- West -
beautiful countryside, agriculture, national parks (Yellowstone), connected
with tourist
industry
n
California
- holiday resort, the nicest weather
n
wood
industry, L.A. – S.F. – film industry, weapons,
ships, planes
Political system
n
American
president
n
Federal
Government - finance, foreign affairs, defence
n
Local
government - local problems, social problems, education
n
Congress
- Senate
- the House
of Representatives
Typical
Yellowstone national park - is the largest and best-known park in the USA. It is visited by
thousand of people every day. The nature in this park is very diverse. For
instance, there is everything from volcanic activity to a variety of forms of
nature beauty. The geysers called Old Faithful are the biggest one in this
park. It erupts every 10-minute or so wild buffaloes, which are very dangerous.
Grand Teton national park in this park lakes and high peaks are combined in
unique scenery.
Las Vegas - the city of gambling, every year spend the
people 17 billions dollars in gambling.
Grand Canyon -
in Arizona, the Colorado River, 217 miles long, 5700 feet deep
New Orleans - the main attraction for visitors is the
city’s nightlife, connected with jazz
¨ It is Texas second largest city.
Situated on the Trinity River. Dallas was founded in 1841 and populated by the
French the City developed as a cotton
market in 1870s. and it became the financial and commercial centre of the
southwest.
¨ Today the manufactures include
cotton processing machinery, textiles, leather goods, aircraft and electronic
equipment. Oil is refined, there are meatpacking plants. The city is also known
for its museums and musical activities.
¨ The president George Figerald
Kennedy was assassinated there in 1963. The John F Kennedy‘s Museum displays
films, photographs and data recounting that day.
· central part of USA, state Illinoi,
next to lake Michigan, the third largest city in the USA
· modern city, city of skyscrapers,
the bussiest transportation centre of the country - O’Hare airport
· old building were pullde down and
built the new one Þ modern architecture
· city of modern art – statues by
Piccasso
· Gallery of modern art – Europian
painters from the turn of the century
· Sears tower – 2nd
highest building in the world (443 m, 110 stories, 106 cab elevators)
· Loop – the central part of Chicago
· Chicago has been nicknamed the
“Windy City” because of the breezes that blow in from the lake
· on the west of USA, state Neavada
· has the reputation of being the
entertainment capital of the world
· annually plays host to some 15
million visitors
· every hotel has a casino and
several playing rooms
· casinos are open twenty-four hours
a day and are designed to keep the guest inside and entertained all the time,
most of them offer inexpensive and moderate accomodation and reasonably priced
food which is served ot all hours of the day and night
· bussines stopped only once and that
was just for three hours when the news of John F. Kennedy’s death reached the
city
· there are no closing hours in Las
Vegas and there are no doors to the casinos
· on the south of USA, situated where the Mississippi river
empties into the Gulf of Mexico
· tropical climate, was settled by
French in 1718, French influence is still seen even today
· the main attraction for visitors is
the city’s night life – the night
clubs, exotic dancers, unique shows, shops, restaurants and bars
· the most popular section is the
French Quarter
· restaurants specializing in
„Creole“ cooking - a hot and spicy mix
of French and Spanish dishes
· known to be the birthplace of jazz,
the sounds of live jazz coming out the doors into the early morning hours
· another great attraction is the
Mississippi river
Boston
¨ The capital of Massachusetts, one of
the oldiest cities in the US, founded in 1630
¨ Many events leading up to the
Revolutionary War took place here.
¨ Boston Tea Party – 1773 rebellious citizens disquised
as Indians threw tea from British ships into the Harbor in protest against
British taxes.
¨ Old State house – seat of the
colonial government, a circle of cobblestones in the street neat Old Statehouse
marks the Boston Massacre site, where British
soldiers in 1770 killed 5 patriots. The archives of the new Statehouse
contain many original documents from the rich history.
Amrican Indians
¨ 200 indian tribes, when the first
white man came to America, there were more then 800 000 Indians there. Indians
spoke different languages, one tribe don’t understand other. So they use the
language of signs which they invented. Many of them were removed from their
land in 1887, their land was cut down from 139 mil to 47 mil square miles, it
nearly destroyed their way of life
¨ The Indians have built organisations
– National Congress of American Indians … to representate them
¨ Some Ind. Still live their typical
way of life, other started to live a new life in modern cities