1. USA GEOGRAPHY AND POLITICAL SYSTEM

2. GENERAL INFORMATION TOTAL AREA: 9,629,091 KM 2 POPULATION: 298 444 215 3-4TH BIGGEST NATION OF THE WORLD (SHARE PLACE WITH CHINA) THE CONTINENTAL PART OF USA SHARES BORDERS WITH CANADA TO THE NORTH AND WITH MEXICO TO THE SOUTH THERE ARE ALSO OVERSEAS TERRITORIES (HAWAII, VIRGIN ISLANDS..)

3. EAST COAST FIRST SETTLED AREA COASTAL PLAIN- STRETCHES FROM CAPE COD ALL THE WAY TO FLORIDA ALONG THE COASTAL PLAIN ARE LOTS OF PENINSULAS (LONG ISLAND, DELAWARE, FLORIDA) THIS REGION IS HOME TO SEVERAL OF LARGEST CITIES OF THE WORLD(NEW YORK, BOSTON, ATLANTA) THE CLIMATE IS VERY HUMID AND GOES FROM FAIRLY MILD TO ALMOST TROPICAL IN THE SOUTH) APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS BUILD NATURAL BORDER THAT SEPARATES EAST COAST FORM GREAT PAINS RIVERS: TENNESSEE, CONNECTICUT

5. CENTRAL PLAINS THIS IS FLAT CENTRAL AREA OF THE USA IT CONTAINS THE GREAT LAKES AREA IN THE NORTH AND MISSISSIPPI BASIN IN THE SOUTH GREAT LAKES: MICHIGAN, HURON, ONTARIO AND ERIE (ALSO CANADIAN SUPERIOR CENTRAL AREA OF THIS REGION IS REFERRED TO AS BREADBASKET AS A LARGE PORTION OF COUNTRY‘S GRAINS ARE GROWN THERE NORTH‘S RELATIVELY HUMID AND MILD CLIMATE QUICKLY TURN TO ALMOST TROPICAL WETLAND, WHEN NEARING MISSISSIPPI‘S DELTA ONLY TWO HIGHLANDS IN THE AREA ARE OZARK PLATEAU AND OUACHITA MTS. CITIES: CHICAGO, DETROIT, NEW ORLEANS, MEMPHIS RIVERS: MISSOURI, MISSISSIPPI, ILLINOIS

7. GREAT PLAINS THIS AREA STRETCHES FURTHER WEST FROM CENTRAL PLAINS ALL THE WAY TO ROCKY MOUNTAINS. IT IS VERY ARID AND DRY AREA WITH BIG PLAINS AND PRAIRIES. THIS AREA IS INTERESTING FOR IT‘S GREAT ELEVATION IT GOES FROM ONLY A FEW METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL NEAR MISSISSIPPI TO ALMOST A KILOMETER AT HIGH PLAINS NEAR ROCKY MTS. CITIES: KANSAS CITY, AMARILLO, HOUSTON

9. ROCKY MOUNTAINS ROCKY MTS. TAKE UP MOST OF THE WESTERN US. THEY ARE BY FAR THE HIGHEST (MT. ELBERT 4399 M) THIS REGION IS HOME TO THE TWO MOST BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL PARKS IN US (YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON) PLATEAUS TAKE UP MOST OF THIS REGION (WYOMING) EVEN IN THE SOUTH IN NEW MEXICO PLATEAUS ARE IN MAJORITY COMPARED TO OTHER TERRAIN STRUCTURES RIVERS: RIO GRANDE, PECOS, MISSOURI, YELLOWSTONE THIS REGION HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST POPULATIONS IN US.

11. INTERMONTANE PLATEAUS REGION OF LARGE ARID DESSERTS AND SALT FLATS FROM WEST COAST IT IS SEPARATED BY COASTAL RANGES AND SIERRA NEVADA THE BIGGEST AREA IS GREAT BASIN (SALT FLATS AND DRAINAGES) IN SOUTHWEST THERE IS LOW-LAYING DESSERT REGION IT IS THERE, WHERE WE CAN SEE THE BIGGEST CANYONS OF THE WORLD (GRAND CANYON, BRYCE CANYON, ARCHES) RIVERS: COLORADO, SNAKE, COLUMBIA CITIES: LAS VEGAS, SALT LAKE CITY, PHOENIX

13. WEST COAST THE WEST COAST RANGES FROM HILLY NORTH TO FAIRLY FLAT SOUTH A LOT OF TERRAIN STRUCTURES THERE IS OF VOLCANIC ORIGIN (CASCADE RANGES) ON THE OTHER HAND SIERRA NEVADA IS DENSE, RUGGED MOUNTAIN RANGE THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN OF CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES MT. WHITNEY 4 421 M IT IS JUST 136KM FROM THE LOWEST POINT IN US IN DEATH VALLEY (-85 M) THE CLIMATE IS MARINE AND COLD IN THE NORTH AND ALMOST MEDITERRANEAN IN THE SOUTH THIS REGION IS DENSELY POPULATED AS MANY SETTLERS WERE COMING HERE DURING THE GOLD FEVER, THIS HAS RESULTED IN A GREAT DEAL OF BIG CITIES BEING LOCATED HERE. CITIES: LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE, SAN DIEGO WEST COAST IS ALSO HOME TO SILICON VALLEY, HOME TO THE BIGGEST COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY CENTERS IN THE WORLD.

15. POLITICAL SYSTEM TYPE OF STATE: FEDERATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLIC RULING POWER IS DIVIDED INTO THREE BRANCHES EXECUTIVE POWER (PRESIDENT) LEGISLATIVE POWER (TWO HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT) JUDICIARY POWER (SUPREME COURT) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHARES SOVEREIGNTY WITH STATE GOVERNMENTS STATES HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE AMOUNT OF INDEPENDENCE, MAINLY IN TERMS OF LAWS

16. EXECUTIVE POWER PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS HOLD OF EXECUTIVE POWER HIS REAL POWER IS FAIRLY HIGH, COMPARED TO EUROPEAN PRESIDENTS HE IS THE HEAD OF STATE AND THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT. BEING THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT MEANS HE IS BASICALLY AMERICAN PRIME MINISTER. CURRENT PRESIDENT IS BARRACK OBAMA GEORGE BUSH WAS PRESIDENT BEFORE HIM THERE WILL BE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HELD SOON.(DONALD TRUMP X JEB BUSH X HILLARY CLINTON)

18. LEGISLATIVE POWER AMERICAN PARLIAMENT IS NAMED CONGRESS THERE ARE TWO HOUSES OF CONGRESS: SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE CONSISTS OF 435 VOTING MEMBERS, NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES PER STATE IS BASED ON EACH STATE‘S POPULATION, THERE ARE ALSO 6 NONVOTING MEMBERS THAT REPRESENTS US TERRITORIES SENATE IS MADE OF 100 MEMBERS TWO OF EACH STATE WITH 6-YEARS TERMS IT IS REQUIRED THAT MORE THAN HALF OF MEMBERS OF EACH HOUSE AGREES WITH A LAW IN ORDER FOR IT TO PASS ALL NEW LAWS MUST BE RATIFIED BY PRESIDENT

20. JUDICIARY POWER MAIN SEAT OF THIS BRANCH OF POWER IS SUPREME COURT IT IS THE HIGHEST COURT IN US IT PERMITS CREATION OF FEDERAL COURTS TO CONGRESS FEDERAL JUDGES ARE APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT