# The USA 🇺🇸
### 1. Basic facts

- **Official name:** The United States of America (the US / the USA).
- **Location:** North America – between Canada (north) and Mexico (south).
- **Area:** ~9.8 million km² – **third largest country** in the world.
- **Population:** ~330 million – third most populated.
- **Capital:** Washington, D.C.
- **Currency:** US Dollar ($, USD).
- **Language:** English (de facto), Spanish widely spoken.
- **States:** 50 + federal district (D.C.). Alaska and Hawaii are not connected to the mainland.
- **Flag:** “Stars and Stripes” – 50 stars (states) + 13 stripes (original colonies).
- **Motto:** *In God We Trust*; also *E pluribus unum*.

### 2. Political system

- **Federal presidential republic** with separation of powers.
- **Executive:** **President** + Cabinet. (currently Donald Trump, second term since January 2025).
- **Legislative – Congress:**
    - **Senate** – 100 senators (2 per state), 6-year term.
    - **House of Representatives** – 435 members, 2-year term.
- **Judicial:** **Supreme Court** – 9 justices, lifetime appointment.
- Each state has its own **governor** and laws.
- Two main parties: **Democrats** and **Republicans**.

### 3. History highlights

- **1492:** Columbus reaches the Americas.
- **1620:** Pilgrim Fathers arrive on the **Mayflower**.
- **4 July 1776:** Declaration of Independence – celebrated as **Independence Day**.
- **1861–1865:** American Civil War – industrial North vs. slave-keeping South. Abraham Lincoln, abolition of slavery.
- **7 Dec 1941:** Japanese attack on **Pearl Harbor** → USA enters WWII.
- **11 Sep 2001:** terrorist attacks – World Trade Center destroyed, Pentagon damaged.
- **2008:** Barack Obama elected as first Black president.

### 4. Geography

- **The Rocky Mountains** in the west, **Appalachian Mountains** in the east.
- **Highest peak:** Mount Denali / McKinley (6,194 m) in Alaska.
- **Great Lakes** on the Canadian border: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. **Niagara Falls** between Erie and Ontario.
- **Longest river:** Missouri, then Mississippi.
- **Grand Canyon** – Arizona, on the Colorado River.
- **Climate:** very varied – tropical Florida, deserts in the southwest, harsh winters in the north.
- **National parks:** Yellowstone (geysers), Yosemite, Sequoia, Everglades.

### 5. Washington, D.C.

- The **capital**, named after George Washington.
- **The White House** – president’s residence.
- **The Capitol** – seat of Congress.
- **The Pentagon** – Department of Defense headquarters.
- **Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Martin Luther King Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial.**
- **The Mall** – central park lined with monuments and museums (Smithsonian).

### 6. New York City

- **Largest city** by population.
- Important centre of business, finance, art and media.
- **Statue of Liberty** (gift from France, 1886).
- **Wall Street** – financial centre.
- **Central Park** in Manhattan.
- **Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center**.
- **Times Square, Broadway, Fifth Avenue.**

### 7. Other famous cities

- **Los Angeles** – Hollywood, film industry.
- **San Francisco** – Golden Gate Bridge, tech and Silicon Valley nearby.
- **Chicago** – jazz, skyscrapers, Lake Michigan.
- **Boston** – historic, top universities (Harvard, MIT).
- **New Orleans** – birthplace of jazz, French-American culture.
- **Atlanta** – home of Coca-Cola and CNN.
- **Las Vegas** – casinos, entertainment.
- **Miami** – beaches, Cuban culture.
- **Houston** – NASA Space Center, oil industry.

### 8. American sports

- **Baseball** – national pastime (MLB, World Series).
- **American football** – pads & helmets, NFL, **Super Bowl** in February.
- **Basketball** – NBA (LeBron James, Stephen Curry).
- **Ice hockey** – NHL.

### 9. Famous Americans

- **Presidents:** George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama.
- **Writers:** Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald (*The Great Gatsby*), Mark Twain, Stephen King.
- **Artists:** Andy Warhol (Slovak-born, pop art).
- **Actors:** Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Marilyn Monroe.
- **Musicians:** Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé, Eminem.
- **Tech/business:** Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.

### 10. Culture

- Often called a **“melting pot”** – many ethnic groups (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American).
- **Hollywood** dominates global film.
- **Music genres born in the USA:** jazz, blues, rock & roll, hip-hop, country.
- **Food:** burgers, hot dogs, pizza, BBQ, fried chicken, donuts, Tex-Mex.

### 11. Holidays

- **4 July** – Independence Day.
- **Thanksgiving** – 4th Thursday in November, roast turkey.
- **Halloween** (31 Oct).
- **Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK Day, Presidents’ Day.**
- **Christmas (25 Dec).**

### 12. Speaking strategy

Start with the basics (50 states, federal republic, third largest country). Move to the political system (use *executive / legislative / judicial*). Mention Washington vs. New York. Add one big history event (Independence, WWII or 9/11). Mention 2–3 famous Americans and a couple of cultural exports (Hollywood, jazz).