Conversational topic: The United States of America

The United States of America is situated in the central part of the North America. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific to the west, Canada to the north and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. The total area of the USA is 9,364 million sq.km. Its population is more than 250 million people. The capital of the country is Washington. Although there is no official language at the federal level in the United States, English is the de facto national language.

At the beginning of the 17^th century European colonies began to be founded on the territory of the USA. The colonies mostly belonged to Britain. The development of trade, industry and agriculture conflicted with the economic policy of Britain.

The War of Independence of the American began in April 1775.

On July, 4, 1776, the Congress declared the united colonies to be independent of Great Britain. The new state was called the United States of America and July 4 became its national holiday. The Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the equality of all people, their right to “life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.” George Washington was elected first President of the new republic.

The USA is a bourgeois federative republic.

From 1959 the federation comprises 50 states and District of Columbia. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.

The USA has a federal system of government. It is composed of three co-ordinate branches – the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The President is the head of the executive department. He is also Commander- in- Chief of the Army and Navy of the USA. He is elected for a term of four years. No person can be elected more than twice. The head of the legislative power is the Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each State sends two senators to the Congress. The third branch is judicial. It is represented by the US Supreme Court.

The form of the US government is based on the Constitution of 1787. The philosophy of government proclaims that private property is the backbone of liberty.

The main political parties in the USA are the Democratic (founded in 1783) and the Republican (founded in 1854). There is no principal difference between their political lines.

The flag of the United States is called "Stars and Stripes". The 50 stars — white on a blue field — represent the 50 states, and the 13 stripes represent 13 original English colonies becoming in 1776 free and independent.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. Large reserves of oil, coal, iron and other minerals are solid base of development of Americans industry. Heavy industry prevails in USA, including such branches as the mining, metallurgical, engineering, chemical and high-tech industries. The economy is dominated by the biggest in the world manufacturing companies: “Standard Oil”, “DuPont”, “General Motors “, “Ford Motor” etc. USA has also well-developed light and food industry, shipbuilding, electronics and many others. The USA is the leading producer of electrical energy, aluminum, copper. Modern means of transportation, communication, and advertising have all combined to create a giant new industry - tourism, which has become one of the features of modern life. Advertising has played a major role in the growth of different industries and trade.

Its agriculture is also highly mechanized and commercialized. The achievements of this sector of the economy are extraordinary. U. S. farmers produce enough food for domestic consumption and still supply 15% of the world's food need.