Country Information on the USA 

Terrain

The United States can be divided into five geographical regions: the Atlantic Plains, the Appalachian Highlands, the central plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Alaskan Arctic Region, where the highest peak of the country, Mount McKinley (6,198m) is located.

The Death Valley National Park, which is located in the Rocky Mountains, is the lowest point (86 m below sea level). The Mississippi River is, at 6,300 km, the longest river and together with the Missouri River, it forms the country's broadest river basin.

Climate

The United States has a varied climate. In general, the east coast enjoys a continental climate due to the easterly wind masses. The exception to this is Florida, where winters are the mildest in the country and summers are the hottest and are frequently accompanied by tornadoes.

The central region has a continental climate with extreme variations of temperature. The Californian coast is influenced by Central America's mild climate. The north east of the Pacific Coast has a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.

Fauna/Flora

As a result of such a varied topography, the country has a great range of ecosystems. The different types of sequoia, which are gigantic trees, stand out on the west coast, while the eastern states have hard wood trees such as the maple, oak and elm.

The three most famous national parks are Yellowstone that is in the Rocky Mountains, the Yosemite that is in the Sierra Nevada, and the Grand Canyon that is in Arizona. Black and grizzly bears, elk and deer, roam the north-western states. The southern states are home to some interesting animals, including, for example, the marsupial opossum.

History/Politics

The current territory of the United States was occupied by peoples coming from the north-west 30,000 years before the arrival of Columbus. Among these were the Apaches, the Cherokee, the Cheyenne and the Comanches. Although first Europeans to reach the region were the Scandinavians, the Spanish were the first to settle, starting in Florida in 1565, and later in New Mexico, Texas and California. In 1607, British merchants settled on the north-west coast, turning the region into a royal province of Britain. The French and Dutch occupied territories at the same time, which gave way to the founding of new towns, the displacement of the indigenous peoples and the import of African slaves for the great cotton and tobacco plantations.

In the second half of the 18th century, the British crown established new taxes in the colonies in order to finance its wars in Europe. Its colonies opposed this and in 1776, after 6 years of armed conflict, they declared their independence. During the 19th century, the territorial expansion to the west led to wars with Spain (1810-19) and Mexico (1835 and 1846-48), but also the signing of treaties with the indigenous peoples, who were moved to the so-called "reservations." In 1860, war broke out between the northern, industrialised states that were interested in the abolition of slavery so as to widen the internal market, and the southern states that consisted of farmers who depended on slave labour.

The north gained victory when the war ended in 1865 and slavery was abolished soon afterwards. In the decades that followed, the country expanded until it reached the Pacific coast, the intercontinental railway was built and large mining deposits were discovered, which turned the country into an industrial society. In 1929, the stock market plummeted, and this caused a world economic crisis. During World War II, the United States was neutral until the Japanese bombarded Pearl Harbour in 1941. The North Americans played an important role in the victory of the Allies. After the war they became the most important Western power that supported democracy and world capitalism.

This was why they became involved in numerous conflicts with the Soviet Union over the partition of Germany (1961), in Cuba (1962), the nuclear arms and space race, and in various wars: Korea (1950-53), Vietnam (1965-74), and Iraq (1992). After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the USA became the only world power. George W. Bush Junior was sworn in as president in 2001. On 11 September of the same year, terrorist attacks took place against the Pentagon in Washington and the World Trade Centre in New York, causing over 2,900 victims. In October of the same year, the US attacked the Taliban government of Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden and the al Qaeda group, responsible for the attacks in Washington DC and in New York. The following year, Bush claimed to have evidence of terrorist connections in Iraq, which was why it gave Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to leave the country. Finally, in March 2003, US troops invaded Iraq and took Saddam prisoner. In November 2004, Bush was re-elected for a second term as President, which has until now been marked by his military and diplomatic policies in Asia.

Economy

Principally an agricultural country up until mid 19th century, the United States embarked on a major period of industrialisation after the civil war which had, by the 20th century, turned it into the most industrialised country in the world. The most important sectors are the production of power (electric and nuclear), minerals and the processing of raw materials.

Agricultural production includes the world's largest production of cheese, corn, soya beans, tobacco, barley, and sugar. The services sector, however, has the largest number of employees, reaching 72.9% in 2000. The unemployment rate reached 6.1% in 2003 and the inflation rate was 2.3%.

Culture

The USA's multiculturalism has turned it into a mosaic of peoples with different traditions. This is clearly demonstrated in the various artistic movements. An example of this is the European artists who arrived in New York after the end of the war in 1945, bringing the influence of surrealism with them. This inspired local artists and started the first movement of typical American painting, abstract impressionism.