1. THE USA
The USA is in North America (between Canada in the North and Mexico in the South)
It’s a very big country: there are four different time zones between the east and west coasts
There are 50 states
The flag is called the Stars and Stripes (it’s got 50 stars and 13 stripes on it: the stars represent the 50 states of the USA and the stripes represent the 13 original states of the USA)

3. STATES AND THEIR NICKNAMES
Every state in the USA has its own symbol and a nickname (they usually come from features of the state, or events in the state’s history).
Florida: “the Sunshine State” (warm, sunny climate)
Hawaii: “the Aloha State” (well-known greeting)
Arizona: “the Grand Canyon State” (natural feature)
West Virginia: “the Mountain State”
Michigan: “the Great Lakes State” (on the border with Canada)
New Jersey: “the Garden State” (it produces a lot of flowers, fruit and vegetables)
Georgia: “the Peach State” (there are a lot of peach farms)
California: “the Golden State” (there were a lot of gold mines)
Delaware: “the First State” (it was the first state to sign the Constitution in 1787)

4. AMERICAN CITIES
The capital of the USA is Washington DC. It’s a very important political centre (the American President lives in Washington, in the White House)
San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego (on the west coast)
New York, Boston (on the east coast)

5. GOVERNMENT IN THE USA
The USA is a constitutional republic with the oldest written constitution of the world
The federal government is made up of the Congress, the President and the Supreme Court
The Congress is the legislative branch of the government. It has two chambers (the House of Representatives and the Senate)
The Supreme Court is the judicial branch of the federal government
The President is the Head of State; he’s elected by the citizens. Americans have elections every four years. The first President of the USA was George Washington

6. THE NATURAL WONDERS OF THE USA
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: it is located in the state of Wyomings; it is known for its wildlife.It was the first national park in the world.
GRAND CANYON: it is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK:it is located east of the Sierra Nevada,in the desert area of California. It is the hottest and driest park of all.
MOUNT MCKINLEY: it is the highest mountain in North America (it is in Alaska, the biggest state in the USA) and it’s one of the coldest mountains in the world
REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK: it is located in California and it is famous because it hosts the tallest tree in the world