1. United States Research

2. Do Now Please get out your USA Research Graphic Organizer that we worked on in the library.

3. Geography Location  North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico  38 00 N, 97 00 W  about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union Capital Washington DC Largest cities  (2010 census) New York City (8,175,133); Los Angeles (3,792,621); Chicago (2,695,598); Houston (2,100,263); Philadelphia (1,526,006); Phoenix (1,445,632); San Antonio (1,327,407); San Diego (1,307,402); Dallas (1,197,816); San Jose (945,942). Population  318,892,103 (July 2014 est.)

4. Geography Area  total: 9,826,675 sq km land: 9,161,966 sq km water: 664,709 sq km Highest Elevation  Highest—Mount McKinley (Denali) 6,194 m (highest point in North America) above sea level. Lowest— Death Valley -86 m Landforms (physical features, terrain)  vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

5. Geography Bodies of Water Oceans: Atlantic, Pacific Rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Columbia, Colorado, Rio Grande, Potomac, Hudson Lakes: Great Lakes Gulf: Gulf of Mexico Natural Resources  coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

6. Geography Climate  mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains Plant Life  Douglas fir, hemlock, red cedar, evergreen, goldenrod Animal Life  bear, wolves, foxes, coyote, heron, alligator, duck, bullfrog, eagle

7. History **1492- First Europeans led by Christopher Columbus Arrive in America 1700- England had set up 13 separate colonies **1763- British helped the colonist fight the French- Indian War 1774- The First Continental Congress meet in Philadelphia to challenge British rule. April 19, 1775- American Revolution begins

8. History **May 1775- Second Continental congress meets and forms an army led by George Washington. **July 4, 1776- Declaration of Independence 1781- End of the Revolutionary War **Sept. 3, 1783- British and American leaders sign the Treaty of Paris May1787- Congress called for a Constitutional Convention to make changes to the first Constitution.

9. History **1788- US Constitution was approved 1803- US Purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. 1853- The US controlled all the land that would be the 48 contiguous states. **1861- The start of the Civil War between the North and the South (States Rights) **1900- US Obtained Hawaii and Alaska(1959) and was involved in two World Wars. (1914- 1918) (1939-1945) 1920- More people live in US cities than on farms

10. Government Type of Government  constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition Administrative Division  50 states and 1 district Independence  4 July 1776 (declared); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain) Executive Branch  President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, and Cabinet Legislative Branch  bicameral congress consists of Senate and House of Representatives

11. Government Judicial Branch  United States Supreme Court (consists of 9 justices - the chief justice and 8 associate justices), Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories Political Parties  Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party

12. Economy Gross Domestic Product  $16.72 trillion (2013 est.)  $52,800 (2013 est.) per capita Unemployment Rate  7.3% (2013 est.) Service Industries  education and health care, data processing and legal services, the operation of hotels and recreational facilities. finance, insurance, real estate, trade, transportation, communication, government services, retail trade, automobile dealerships, department stores, and supermarkets

13. Economy Manufacturing  motor vehicles and parts; processed foods and beverages; chemicals; fabricated metal products; machinery; paper products; aluminum, steel, and other metals; wood products Agriculture  Soybeans, fruit, corn Import Partners  China 19%, Canada 14.1%, Mexico 12% Import Products: agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) Export Partners  Canada 18.9%, Mexico 14%, China 7.2% Export Products: agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) Currency  United States Dollar (USD)

14. Culture Ethnic Groups  white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) Language  English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census). The US has no official language Religion  Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.) Holidays  Independence Day (July 4), Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

15. Culture Food Hot dogs, Cheese Steak, Cheeseburger, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Apple Pie, Fried Chicken, Baked Ham Attractions/Places to Visit  Grand Canyon, Walt Disney World, Times Square, Las Vegas Strip National anthem Star Spangled Banner National symbols: Bald Eagle, Flag of United States, United States Seal