Lecture General Features of AmericaGeographic Positionz The continental US stretches across North America from sea to shining sea. It borders Canada to the North and Mexico to the south. zAlaska juts （突出，伸出） from north -western Canada and Hawaii lies 2,500 miles (4000km) off the countrys western coast, in the middle of the Pacific. LocationzSouth of the Continent of North America zBounded in the north with Canada by the Great Lakes; in the southwest with Mexico by the Rio Grande; in the southeast with the West Indian Islands by the Mexican Bay; to the east with the Atlantic, to the west with the Pacific. zThere are altogether 50 states & a special district: Washington D.C. The 2 overseas states: Alaska & Hawaii. Important Facts About USA(1)zFull country name: The United States of America (USA) zPopulation: 275,000,000 zArea: 3,618,000 sq miles (9,370,000 sq km). The 4th largest in the world. zCapital city: Washington, DC (pop: 607,000) zPeople: Caucasian（高加索人，白种人 ） (74%), African American (12%), Latino (9%), Asian (3%), Native American (0.8%) zLanguages: English (official language), plus many secondary language, chiefly Spanish zReligion: Protestant (56%), Roman Catholic (28%), Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%) zGovernment: Federal republic of 50 statesCaucasian: member of the Indo-European group of people.zPresident: Bush zGDP: US$9 trillion zGDP per head: US$25,850 zAnnual growth: 4.1% zInflation: 2.6% zMajor industries: Oil, electronics, computers, automobile manufacturing, aerospace industries, agriculture.Major trading partners: Canada, Japan, the EU Important Facts About USA(3)zThe longest river: Mississippi River, the longest in the world. zThe Great Lakes: (from west to east) Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, & Lake Ontario. Lake Michigan belongs to USA. The other 4 belong to both USA & Canada. zThe famous Niagara Falls.zThe three most famous national parks are z1.The Rocky Mountain & Yellowstone National Park z2.The Great Canyon of Colorado in Arizona z3. Yosemite in the Sierra NevadaDifferent Parts of USzThe Atlantic Coast is the most heavily populated area and retains strong traces of its European heritage. This is where the oldest American cities like Boston, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia are located, and where most of the major events in early American history took place. zThe central north-east is marked by the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), which occupy an area larger than most European countries. The rivers and canals linking the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean made virtual seaports out of Midwestern cities like Chicago and Detroit. zThe central area drained by the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers is the grain basket of the country. zFurther west, on the Great Plains, are the countrys chief grazing(放牧) areas. This is cowboy country. zDesert predominates in the south-west, where the climate and degraded soils keep population density to a minimum, and where you really dont need much of a wind to see tumbleweed(风滚草) bouncing across the highway. zCross the Sierra Nevada is the West Coast, which was settled by Americans only 150 years ago but has been on a headlong(头向前) rush into the future ever since.Important MountainszThere are three major mountain ranges: the Appalachians in the east, the Rocky Mountains in the west, and the Sierra Nevada along the border of Nevada and California. zAppalachian Mts阿巴拉契亚山脉 zRocky Mts落基山脉 zSierra Nevada内华达山脉zCordillera Range科迪勒拉山脉 zCascade Range喀斯喀特山脉 zCoast Range海岸山脉Important Riversz(National Rivers) z1* Hudson River z2* Mississippi River z3* Missouri River z4* Ohio Riverz(International Rivers) z1* Colorado River z2* Columbia River z3* Rio Granda z4* St. Lawrence RiverNatural ResourceszAmerica is very rich in natural resources and energy resources. The country has abundant natural resources zvast swathes（带） of fertile（肥沃的） soil. zIt ranks among the first countries that are rich in coal, iron, oil, natural gas, minerals (zinc, lead, silver, copper, & so on), forest & hypo. zThough it is rich in natural resources, it still depends greatly on imports.The Climate zThe climate is temperate in most parts of the US. zGenerally speaking, it gets hotter the further south you go and seasonally more extreme the further you are north and inland from the coasts. zWinters in the northeast and upper midwest can have long periods below freezing while its still warm enough to swim at the beaches in Florida (which has a tropical climate) and southern California. Flora植物群zWith such varied topography, the US has extremely diverse ecosystems. The most impressive flora are the huge evergreens of the West Coast, the sequoia（美 洲杉，红杉，美国加州高大常青树） and the redwood, some of which are believed to be the oldest living things on Earth. The eastern states are home to leafy hardwood（硬木，阔 叶树） forests of maple, oak, and