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U. S. A. United States Of America

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.U.S.A.

The United States of America, commonly shortened in the United States, also known as The States United States or (acronym and abbreviation of the original official name in English United States of America), are a democratic federal republic of North America. Confinano north with Canada and south with Mexico, while in the east and west respectively are wet from the Atlantic Ocean and from the Pacific. The territorial waters of Alaska bordering Russia (Bering Strait).

Already highly developed at the end of the nineteenth century, after the Second World War have become an economic superpower, military and cultural, the first in the world for gross domestic product. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, remained the only superpower.


United States and America

The noun America derives from the name dell'esploratore Italian Amerigo Vespucci, who first recognized to be faced with a new continent and not, as it was believed, for some Asian islands. The first time the name appeared in America was Cosmographiae Introductio, published in 1507 by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, which propose to give the "new continent" the name of Vespucci.

Initially the name "America" was used for the southern continent. Later it was extended to the Northern part, but it was Benjamin Franklin, through thick reports correspondence with personality of each class, to spread the word Americans (word individuante one people) for it to become customary. [Citation needed]
USA


The United States of America is a federal republic presidential, which extends in the sub-continent North America between Canada to the north and south to Mexico for 9,629,091 km ² with 302,713,700 inhabitants. The capital is Washington. The major cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore.

The union is made up of 50 states in 49 and 1 continental island, the archipelago of Hawaii. Other territories linked to the U.S. with special status are: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa or Eastern, Northern Mariana, Caroline Oriental and other islands in the Pacific.

Geography

The United States include, in addition to the 48 contiguous states (the lower 48), Alaska (the largest state), Hawaii and various territories in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, which is linked to the U.S. in an association called the Commonwealth. The District of Columbia contains the capital Washington, and originally belonged to Maryland (and until the civil war also included a piece of Virginia).

The main states are divided into those on the east coast (East Coast), south (South), the Midwest, the mountain area (Mountain states, including Southwest), and the west coast (West Coast). The states of the east coast are, from north to south, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont (which is not on the coast), Massachusetts, Rhode Island (the smallest states), Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania (which is near the coast and whose western half is often regarded as part of the Midwest), New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida. The last 5 (from Virginia) are also counted as states of the South.

Geographically this area includes low mountains and very old, the Appalachians, with a trend generally from the north-east to south-west, as well as many local phenomena, including glacial phenomena in the north, the tectonic faults in the valley dell'Hudson, and limestone area of origin (coral) of Florida. The course of the rivers is generally from west to east. Rivers tend to be of limited length but wide and the regular flow. The tides are often strong, especially in the north. The winters are cold (in the north) or moderate (south) and wet, humid summers equally.



The states of South include the aforementioned Virginia, North Carolina or South, Georgia, Florida, and West Virginia (often considered part of the Midwest, since it was from the north in the civil war), Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas (often considered among the states of the south-west). This area includes the southern part (and peaks higher) of the Appalachians, and further west the Ozark mountains. The rivers include the mouth of the Mississippi and Rio Grande. The greatest influence climate comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and includes mild winters, humidity, and from time to time hurricanes.

The Midwest states include Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. They are mostly agricultural and industrial states (including the "rust belt", the industrial zone "arrugginita" in the seventies and eighties from competition, especially Japanese), cold in winter, hot in summer, with climate from wet (to East) to dry (west). This is where is the "heart" ( "heartland") of the United States, and is considered a center of moral values (serious work, home and family, pioneers on the prairie, and so on) for the rest of the country.

The states of mountain areas include Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico. The last four often considered the states of the south-west. Especially in the south the area is dry, with many deserts (Sonorano desert) and the Rocky Mountains. To the north there are very cold winters and mild summers, while south winters are mild and summers hot. This is the least populated area of the country, and where there are many scenic destinations in the United States, for example, the Grand Canyon (Arizona) and Yellowstone (Wyoming). The geography of the west coast (Washington, Oregon, California) includes high mountains (Sierra Nevada), several volcanoes, deserts (Death Valley), and very humid areas (the coast, especially north).

Population

With more than 300 million inhabitants of the United States is the third country in the world population, after China and India.

The area most populated country is that north-east, ancient urbanization. Recently have also expanded the urban areas of the Pacific coast, particularly in California.

According to the latest official census (2000), 75.1% of the population is white, black or 12.3% of origin afroamericana, 3.6% Asian, and only 0.9% of origin amerindia. It should be noted that the 5.5% has declared that other ethnic groups, while 2.4% of mixed origin.

The Latin American of any ethnicity are, again according to the last census, 12.5% of the population. Percentualmente are immediately after the residents of German ancestry (15.2%), but before those of Irish origin (10.9%) and English (8.7%). Significant minorities are also the Asian, especially Chinese. The residents of Italian descent account for 5.6% of the total population. The group commonly identified as a WASP, White, Anglosassone, Anglican, while still holding the levers of political and economic power, is no longer the majority of the population of the country.

The population is generally growing, especially thanks to a strong immigration, resulting largely from Latin America and South-East Asia. The presence of immigrants - or their direct descendants - is very relevant in the south west of the country.

The Affirmative Action, a policy of racial discrimination "positive" against the white population in favour of minority groups, has allowed in recent decades to ethnic minority, easier access to universities, many jobs that previously were their precluded and positions of great responsibility in politics and high finance.

Economy



Manhattan, a symbol of U.S. economic power.

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Socio-economic Data:
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unemployed: 5.0% (January 2008)
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GDP per capita: 43,500 $ (2006)
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Index of poverty: 12% of the population
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GDP: 13,049 billion U.S. dollars (2006) [1]

As regards the public deficit in the balance sheet of the fiscal year 2006, the U.S. Court of Auditors has found a deficit of 8,500 billion dollars, in relation to cutting of taxation.
Rapportando this value to inflation, the value exceeds the threshold of 46,000 billion USD.

The U.S. economy consists primarily services (banking, insurance, commerce, media, tourism). Important are also industry (auto, aerospace, weapons, electronics, oil, consumer) and the primary sector (corn, wheat, soybean farms).
Trade deficit

It is down the U.S. trade deficit to the outside, After reaching a record of almost 7% of national GDP in 2005, largely due to strong devaluation of the dollar in 2007 fell below the critical threshold and is currently (January 2008) to 4.8%, a figure still high according to economists. Approximately one third of this deficit is with China, which has aroused protectionist voices in Washington.
Internal Public Debt

The U.S. Court of Auditors has launched the alarm for public debt out of control. The fiscal year 2006 ended with a deficit of 8500 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to 6472 billion euros. Highest the figure in real terms but relative to GDP (-1.7% in January 2008) remains in line with that of other western nations.

The polls say that the public has a very vague on both of its public that the real long-term consequences. But when the issue of deficit is explicitly mentioned, 42% of respondents said it should be a priority for the administration, while 38% considered of secondary importance.

Of total debt, 3500 billion are held by public bodies USA, 2800 billion from private U.S. citizens, and the remaining 2200 by individuals and non-US [2].
Livestock and Agriculture

The areas for rearing include the Texas and western mountain ranges where there is great availability of grassland for grazing. These meats are more suitable for slaughter.

The areas where farming has as its purpose the production of milk, however, are the Northeast, the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Lakes area, this part of territory is called "dairy belt."

Regarding agriculture, is a favoured technique intensive. The crops are divided in so-called belt. The "wheat belt" is the wheat belt, which includes the central part of the United States, is an area characterized by a dry climate, so it's not suitable for other types of cultivation. The cultivation of wheat is also practised in some Northern states like Minnesota, Dakota and Montana. This crop is also widespread in some areas like South Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, where the wheat is grown in the autumn.
The corn belt ", the maize belt, which includes those countries which enjoy a mild climate throughout the year, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, led by all'altissima production, U.S. to be the first world producer of maize. The "cotton belt", that there is almost over, included areas of the deep South, is now limited to Texas, Mississippi, Arizona and California.

In most areas south cultivation has been replaced by other products required in the market and requiring the same climatic conditions such as tobacco, rice, groundnuts and sugar cane. Horticulture is also very important and is practiced in the north-east near the great megalopolis where there is a huge demand for perishable products; horticulture is also widespread in California and Florida. [3].

Remarkable is also the production of timber, thanks to over 300 million hectares of forests, which allow a production of 500 million cubic metres of timber a year.

Fishing

With 5.6 million tons of fish products, the U.S. has the 6 th country world's most fish after Russia, China, Peru, Japan and Chile. In California and the Gulf of Mexico is also flourishing farming of oysters and crustaceans.

Industry

The industry is another area where the U.S. is extremely competitive, although 1970 is still down, replaced by the services and products with high added value. It was favoured since the nineteenth century by the rich mineral resources that have made developing the industry. The "manufacturing belt" (the belt manufacturing), extends across the north east, but is also expanding towards the south and west. The U.S. industry self is the second in the world after that of Japan, by number of vehicles produced and the first for turnover. Very developed is the production of air and space assets, despite the recent European competition. Important are also the fashion industry (New York, Baltimore, Chicago), sportswear (Portland), chemicals (especially oil refineries in Texas, tyres, plastics, pharmaceuticals, consumer products), food ( productions of various kinds, dominated by large companies like Coca Cola, Altria, Procter and Gamble), tobacco, cement and weapons. In the U.S. the electronics industry, mostly located on the west coasts, mainly specializes in products related to data. Of the production of basic metallurgy is undergoing restructuring. The U.S. industry is favored mainly by three factors: abundance of capital, technology and spread worldwide by the end of the nineteenth century.

Tertiary

The tertiary sector is the field where the United States are more advanced. The 72.1% of GDP comes from the service sector and 73.3% of workers are employed in this sector. Great importance is given to transport more than 300,000 km of rail network, more than anything used for freight and is integrated with un'efficientissima road network, the railway and road network covering the whole of favoring the transport of goods and travel. Despite the attacks of September 11 transport plane, with its 16,000 airports, is one of the favourites of U.S., both for domestic trips and abroad. Also shipping are extremely developed. The sviluppatissima transport network has encouraged the emergence of commercial activities related to it as the motel, insurance, freight forwarders and service areas. Another area of tertiary very efficient is the private school: it offers a high degree of education and security, while public schools are still struggling with various problems such as illiteracy return and shootings, but also services ancillary businesses, such as studies of legal assistance, marketing and advertising. A weight sectors have high entertainment (television, cinema, music, cultural activities) and publishing. It is also important tourism: every year the U.S. receive 30 million visitors.

International trade

International trade sees at the top industrial exports (cars, airplanes, space assets, weapons, chemicals and foodstuffs, computers and peripherals, software, microelectronics, clothing), followed by tobacco, soybean, corn, cotton, while the country Energy imports, finished products, manufactured goods (for most clothing) from Asia and even lesser importance of high range. The main U.S. trading partners are Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, Germany, Britain and Saudi Arabia. The internal trade is driven by large and powerful distribution networks, which mostly sell through shopping malls (department stores) and are spread throughout the territory. The area where the U.S. has less competition at the international level is that of telecommunications, despite the incentives also state. Almost everyone has access to satellite and cable, as the Internet connections to high speed.

Policy

The political system in the United States of America includes the federal system that unites states, and the system of each state.

Despite the theoretical possibility of broad independence, they tend to assomigliarsi systems of government, and generally are based on federal system with a head of state (the U.S. president or the governor of each state), a legislative assembly ( usually bicameral, with a Senate and a House of Representatives - "House" or "House of Representatives") and a system of judges and courts, federal and state, each with its own jurisdiction.

The relationship between the federal government and states is governed by the U.S. Constitution, interpreted by the Supreme Court.

The federal government, for the Constitution, has the sole power to regulate commerce between states, to protect the rights of citizens, and to defend the country. In fact, and with the backing of the Supreme Court, over time has acquired major powers, which carries through the federal bodies such as regulating the circulation of drugs or capture of criminals, but also education and the rights of the disabled.

Each state congress to elect two senators and a number of representatives proportional to the population (at least one), a system that offers greater weight to smaller states.

The U.S. political system is bipolar and assigns the power to those who received more votes between the two major parties, the Democratic party (usually closer to the left) and the Republican party (usually closer to right).

The election of President takes place every four years, the first Tuesday after first Monday in November. The election of President takes place in an indirect way. The citizens elect the great voters who in turn meet and elect the President. Each state has a large number of electors equal to the number of members and senators that the state expresses.

With few exceptions in each major state voters are assigned to the list that takes the most votes (the winner takes all). The electoral mechanism urges candidates to focus their efforts to secure the votes of a few crucial states where the outcome is uncertain, however neglecting the states in which with reasonable certainty the final result is granted. The choice of candidate for the presidency comes through primary elections that take place over several weeks, according to a schedule that reflects tradition and sees nell'Iowa and New Hampshire first been affected by this type of vote.

In the Senate a three-fifths majority is needed to put an end to debate. This means that a substantial minority to block legislation particularly unfavourable, with a process called "filibuster". Also, if the president refuses to sign a law (by placing his right to "veto"), two thirds majorities in both the House and the Senate can pass a law without the signature of the President, superandone his "veto". Sometimes, laws passed by the Senate and the House are different. In this case, a committee made up of senators and representatives ( "conference committee") shall meet to seek a compromise acceptable to both chambers: compromise which often expresses more preferences committee of both chambers. Despite laws often are approved anyway. In these political battles often the conflict is not open to face: in fact, often the president signed a law approved by two thirds of each of two rooms ( "a veto-proof majority") while expressing its opposite.

Regarding the constitution, this can be amended through two procedures:

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with the first, Congress, with the approval of two thirds of each of Chambers, proposed the amendment to the States in question;
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with the second (which has never been applied) the Congress, at the request of legislative assemblies of two thirds of the States, convene a National Convention to discuss and submit the amendment.

At this point, in both cases, it is necessary that three fourths of the states approve the amendment. This approval may be of the legislative work of the State, or a special convention. Except in one case, the approval of the amendments has always been by the legislative assemblies of the states.

Several amendments have succeeded in U.S. history. They are famous changes after the civil war to prohibit slavery. Clamoroso the eighteenth amendment that prohibits the consumption of alcohol, subsequently repealed dall'XXI, that amendment was the only one to be approved by state conventions, and the only one to repeal an earlier amendment (XVIII, precisely).

City

The main cities in the United States of America:
Member

The declaration of independence, originally was signed by thirteen of the fifty states that currently constitute the United States (the date in brackets indicates the time of their entry into the confederation):

A separate district, under the direct authority of Congress, is the District of Columbia, namely Washington, which is also the capital of the nation. In addition, there are also some islands of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea that depend on United States:


Art and culture



Although the leadership has mostly British origins (the first settlers arrived on the coast east of the current United States following the repression of Puritani after the restoration stuartiana), most Americans have German origins. The ethnic composition of the nation varies greatly depending on the region. The U.S. culture comes from a combination of many cultures: European, African blacks, and Native Americans ispanoparlanti.

Important to report - which is often poorly understood by aliens - are the major cultural and philosophical differences between the various American regions. Often viewed from abroad as a single nation and "unity", the reality is far from the U.S.. On the coasts prevail Americans "progressive", while in the great center (with the exception of large cities like Chicago and Denver) remains a more traditional, more linked to religion, which are part of the so-called "Bible Belt" or Bible belt , Perhaps the region less accessible to the philosophical mentality prevailing in Europe.

It uses the acronym WASP (White Anglo-Saxon-Protestant) to indicate a specific type of American, without ambiguity: White, Anglosassone, Protestant. Nevertheless the percentage of American Catholics is massive, made up of Irish, Italians and Poles in Europe and Latin America (mainly from Mexico in first place followed by Colombia and the Dominican Republic).

When the American Revolution (1775) over the refusal to taxes imposed by the regime, the new nation there is the problem of having a culture distinct from that of England, which until then had ruled those territories. This problem is addressed by Ralph Waldo Emerson in one of the essays critical of American literature, "The American scholar," which O. W. Holmes called "the Declaration of Independence American intellectual." The same problem is addressed throughout the work of Emerson, so that today the Harold Bloom calls "the central figure in American culture."

Over the decades the contributions of other cultures have made to feel, as the migration flows that have followed: they contributed Ireland, Italy, Eastern Europe (mainly as a result of the strong Jewish immigration from Russia, Poland , Ukraine, Belarus, etc..), And to a lesser proportion but not less important-Greece.

In the meantime, has developed into U.S. territory, tra mille contradictions and lacerations, an African-American culture, linked to the peculiar and troubled history of American descendants of slaves. One of the most representative of this culture is jazz, the largest U.S. and innovative contribution in the field of music. And even more difficult and dramatic, begins to leave isolated culture of Native Americans, reduced to 0.8% of the population and confined in the reserves but where have the opportunity to profess their religion and continue to live in accordance with its traditions.

Immigration from Mexico above all, and secondly from other countries Spanish-speaking Latin American, Eastern Europe, Asia and India helping to ensure that the American culture assume (not without resistance and misunderstandings), even non-Europeans.

The latest immigrant wave is from Latin American and Islamic countries, which still can not be said to have marked the U.S. culture as a whole (as Islam has spread in a rebellious already starting from 1930 among African-Americans ). Despite the rise, however, is little known that as much as 55% of immigrants from Arab countries are of Christian faith.

With regard to the U.S. culture that immediately jumps the eye is the immoderate use of entertainment (or entertainment), the spectacular events. All, or almost, in the USA is made public in the form of entertainment. Even the recent elections were extremely spettacolarizzate, with lavish conventions and rallies that seemed more of TV shows.

An important component of American culture is putting in question between the progressives in the film and the American dream where the idea that with hard work, courage and self-a person can earn a better life. [4]

Sports

Sport is very important in American culture. In college you can make progress in studies based on the results sports, as did the cestista Michael Jordan (North Carolina) and the fighter of Brock Lesnar wrestling (Minnesota).

The sport with the largest number of viewers are in order:

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Basketball (U.S., Basketball), the main professional league is the NBA (National Basketball Association)
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American Football (U.S., Football), the main professional league is the NFL (National Football League)
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Baseball, the main professional league is that MLB (Major League Baseball)
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NASCAR (Motor), in addition to Indicar and ChampCar
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Ice hockey, the main professional league is the NHL (National Hockey League)

Football (known as soccer in the U.S.) is very practised by young people and sport is practiced by more girls (the U.S. national has also won 2 of 5 women's world championships are played so far), but does not count many spectators. Nevertheless, the organisation by U.S. World 1994 has generated a discreet interest in sport and the local league, Major League Soccer, founded in 1993. The U.S. national soccer in recent years has become much more competitive, even with altalenanti trends (for example, reached the quarter-finals in 2002, but came out 4 years after the first round).

Eight Olympic Games were held in the U.S., the United States is third in the medals all-time at Winter Olympics with 218 medals won (78 gold, 81 silver and 59 bronze), [5] [6] and first in all-time medals at the Summer Olympics, won 2321 medals (943 gold, 736 silver and 642 bronze). [7] [8]

Large may be considerations on religion. The U.S. are indicated by an especially strong as varied religious spirit may be explained by reference to the history and material constitution of the country. In fact, it is noted that continually arise many religious confessions. The religious values are an important part of life for U.S., as exemplified by the recent elections won by Republican candidate George Bush, focusing on family values of society. [9]

Christianity is present in all its major spin-offs: majority Protestant (49.1%), followed by Catholics (25.9%), Mormons (1.4%), and Orthodox Christians (0.3%).

The confessions Protestant traditions are more those of Calvinist tradition-reformed (Presbyterian, congregazionalista and Baptists) and the Episcopal, the latter dell'Anglicanesimo American branch, which traditionally refer classes high (it is the confession of the Bush family). The confessions are most widespread in the Baptist (17.2%), Methodist (7.2%), faith embraced by President George W. Bush after their marriage, the Lutheran (4.9%), Presbyterian (2.8%) and Episcopal (1.8%), in addition to a myriad of Evangelical Churches, Pentecostal and minors. The single most widespread church is Catholic, Hispanic reinforced by immigration in recent 30 years. [10]

There are also Jewish presences (1.4%), Muslim (0.6%), Jehovah's Witnesses (0.7%), Buddhists (0.5%), Hindus (0.4%), Sikhs, caodaisti, Shinto, and Bahai, with the huge variety of ethnic groups present every religion is represented. [11]

In recent decades has developed the phenomenon of TV and Web Churches, led the so-called tele-preachers, among whom vain remember Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, leaders of the Christian Right, which is crucial for the electoral victories of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, and for those of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Alongside were born and grew so-called megachurches, huge non-evangelical churches denominazionali.

Often religion is behind many issues and political disputes concerning racism (the movement for the desegregation of blacks was led by Martin Luther King), pacifism (the same war in Iraq has divided the religious landscape between favour and against), the death penalty (supported by churches of Protestant evangelical mold and strongly challenged by Catholics), bioethics, homosexuality, the teaching of the theory of evolution of species and the Neodarwinismo.

Phenomenon minority although strong growth is the Neopaganism [12], which has many religions are all present in the United States. The U.S. neo-pagans are wiccani majority, but there are also large communities of eteni, celtisti and dodecateici. In clear minority are the neo-pagans Romans. The neo-pagan religions have found in the United States, fertile ground for the establishment of countless organizations, called Churches in most cases, as required by religious politics

Language

Even if the U.S. does not have an official language, English is de facto national language. In 2003, approximately 215 million, namely 82% of the population of school age, spoke only English at home. [13] In addition to English languages spoken at home most common are: Spanish, used by 29.7 million ; Chinese, from 2.2 million; French, from 1.4 million (with the Creole-French 1.9 million), tagalog, from 1.3 million, the Vietnamese, from 1.1 million; German , From 1 million; Italian, from 0.8 million. The indigenous languages (Indian and Inuit of America are spoken by less than 0.5% of the population. [14] [15]