1.What is the key to understanding America?

The most important key to understanding America is to know the history of the USA. If you look back on the grounds of today’s America, you can see that it had been influenced by the native features of the English, the Dutch, the French, the Spanish and other colonists discovering the continent. The most influential nation was obviously English. Thus, the legislatures of the states for a long period of time subjected to the king (queen) of the UK. So, many aspects of law and politics, as well as some cultural traditions are similar to those of the UK. When the boundaries were set and the USA became independent, it started to develop its own law and politics, moreover, drew up a set of principles of a democratic state.

So, the US is characterized by its historical roots and the consequent development of democracy. We know it as the most democratic, English-speaking and rather distinctive country.

2.Describe the flag of the USAThe flag of the United States of

America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British Crown and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner. Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton is called the "union". This part of the national flag can stand alone as a maritime flag called the Union Jack.

The flag of the United States is one of the nation's widely recognized and used symbols. Within the U.S. it is frequently displayed, not only on public buildings, but on private residences, and clothing ornaments such as badges. Throughout the world it is used in public discourse to refer to the U.S., both as a nation state, government, and set of policies, but also as an ideology and set of ideas.

Many understand the flag to represent the national government established in the U.S. Constitution.

Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag as long as it does not deface the flag proper. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, often use fringe to enhance the beauty of the flag.

3.Why is this area known as “the melting pot”?

The melting pot is an analogy for the way in which homogeneous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures, races and religions) are combined so as to develop a multi-ethnic society.

Northeastern areas provided the young United States with heavy industry and served as the "melting pot" of new immigrants from Europe. Cities grew along major shipping routes and waterways. Such flourishing cities included Philadelphia on the Delaware River and New York City on the Hudson River. Dutch immigrants moved into the lower Hudson River Valley in what is now New Jersey and New York State. An English Protestant sect, the Friends (Quakers), settled Pennsylvania. In time, all these settlements came under English control. With the great shipping ports of Philadelphia and, secondly, New York City, the region continued to be a magnet for people of diverse nationalities.

Early settlers were mostly farmers and traders, and the region served as a bridge between North and South. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania midway between the northern and southern colonies, was the site of the Continental Congress, the convention of delegates from the original colonies that organized the American Revolution. The same city was the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

The Mid-Atlantic, with two of America's largest cities, New York City and Philadelphia, has been an industrial powerhouse and major center for international trade. With New York as the center of finance, it continues as important economically. A major center of finance, pharmaceutical industry, technology, universities (including four of the eight Ivy League universities), business, media, education, the arts, and cuisine, the area is one of America's most prominent regions. Many immigrants are attracted to the region. New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are rich in immigrant culture. Still rich in cultures influenced by European heritage, the region has recently attracted more Asian and Hispanic immigrants. African immigrants also have many centers in urban and suburban areas.

4.Why is corn the most important of all American crops?

It would be difficult to imagine our lives without corn, and even more difficult to overstate the important role that corn plays in today’s world. The United States grows 40 percent of the world’s corn, but China and Brazil are also big producers.

Much of the remaining crop will be used to produce barrels full of corn sweeteners and ethanol fuels. Some will be used to create plastics from cornstarch in an industry that is relatively new, but already enormous and growing rapidly. Even the corn stalks and foliage left after the ears are harvested will be used to make vast quantities of silage food products for livestock and millions of gallons of syrup for human consumption.

There are two main reasons why corn has become the basic crop of American agriculture. One is that it grows so well. A hectare of corn requires only one-twelfth as much seed as a hectare of wheat, for instance. Yet the yield of grain from the hectare of corn is several times as high as that from the hectare of wheat.

The other reason is that farmers have worked out high-yield mechanized product ion methods in all the important corn-producing areas. The Corn Belt farmer uses machines for every step of his operation-planting, enriching the soil, cultivating, spraying, killing weeds, harvesting the ears, removing the thick natural wrappings, shelling the kernels from the long cobs on which they grow, and cutting the stalks. Because of this extensive use of machinery, the average farmer can cultivate as many as 140 hectares and care for a large herd of livestock with no more help.

5.What states are in the Southeast?The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the

Southern United States. The states in the Southeast are: Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia.

6.What territory is often called the land of tragedy and promise?

The land of tragedy and promise is The Great Plains.

7.What is the climate in Great Plains?

Great Plains, physiographic region in central Canada and the United States. The region has a vast, generally high plateau, called the plains, extending from northwestern Canada through parts of the Northwest Territories. In the United States the plains continue south through sections of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. The region is bordered on the east by the Canadian Shield and the Central Lowland of the United States and on the west by the Rocky Mountains. The area of the Great Plains is 3.2 million sq km.

The Great Plains cover a wide area of the North American continent. In general, the Plains closer to the Rocky Mountains are drier because they are in the rain shadow of the mountains; these are the short grass prairies. Farther east, where it is more humid and there is more rain, there are tall grass prairies.

In general, the Great Plains have a wide variety of weather throughout the year with very cold winters and very hot summers. There is usually plenty of wind, too. The prairies support abundant wildlife in undisturbed settings, but people have easily converted much of the prairies for agricultural purposes or pastures.

8.How did agriculture begin in the Rockies?

The Rockies are among the earth’s youngest mountains. They have steep slopes and many peaks and picturesque valleys. The region is very sparsely populated. Most of the population is engaged in mining, cattle-breeding and farming. The Rocky Mountain region includes five states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.

Agriculture and forestry are major industries. Agriculture includes dryland and irrigated farming and livestock grazing. Livestock are frequently moved between high-elevation summer pastures and low-elevation winter pastures, a practice known as transhumance.

9.How is magnificent wilderness preserved?

Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. Wilderness areas and protected parks are considered important for the survival of certain species, ecological studies, conservation, solitude, and recreation.

The United States was the first country to officially designate land as "wilderness" through the Wilderness Act of 1964. Wilderness designation helps preserve the natural state of the land and protects flora and fauna by prohibiting development and providing for non-motorized recreation only. The first wilderness refuge designation was for the Great Swamp in New Jersey. Properties in the swamp had been acquired by residents of the area who donated it to the federal government as a park for perpetual protection.

Wilderness designations are granted by an Act of Congress for Federal land that retains a "primeval character" and that has no human habitation or development. Approximately 400,000 km² are designated as wilderness in the United States.

10.Into what regions is Alaska divided?

Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait.

Alaska divided into: South Central Alaska is the southern coastal

region and contains most of the state's population.

The Alaska Panhandle, also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater glaciers, the many islands and channels of the Alexander Archipelago and extensive forests.

Southwest Alaska is largely coastal, bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. It is sparsely populated, and unconnected to the road system, but very important to the fishing industry.

The Alaska Interior is home to Fairbanks. The geography is marked by large braided rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim

River, as well as Arctic tundra lands and shorelines.

The Alaskan Bush is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns such as Nome, Bethel, Kotzebue and, most famously, Barrow, the northernmost town in the United States, as well as the northern most town on the contiguous North American continent.

11.Where is Hawaii?Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an

archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

This state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi.

1.What principles has the US been founded upon?

Principles of US foundation are: Representative government Equality before the law The legitimacy of private property Liberty and opportunity for individuals

to prove their circumstances

2.Describe the seal of the USA.

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself, and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782.

The design on the obverse of the great seal is the national coat of arms of the United States. It is officially used on documents such as United States passports, military insignia, embassy placards, and various flags.

Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal appear on the reverse of the one-dollar bill.

Obverse. The main figure on the obverse (or front) of the seal is the coat of arms of the United States, a bald eagle with its wings outstretched. From the eagle's perspective, it holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon, (referring to the 13 original states), and an olive branch, in its right talon, together symbolizing that the United States of America has "a strong desire for peace, but will always be ready for war.". Although not specified by law, the olive branch is usually depicted with 13 leaves and 13 olives, again representing the 13 original

states. The eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch, said to symbolize a preference for peace. In its beak, the eagle clutches the motto E pluribus unum ("Out of Many, One"). Over its head there appears a "glory" with 13 mullets (stars) on a blue field.

Reverse. The 1782 resolution adopting the seal blazons the image on the reverse as "A pyramid unfinished. In the zenith an eye in a triangle, surrounded by a glory, proper." The pyramid is conventionally shown as consisting of 13 layers of blocks to refer to the 13 original states. There are also 13 sides shown on the ribbon.

3.What do mottos can of the states express?

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottos of governments.Ohio - With God, all things are possible

 Hawaii - Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ̒ Āina i ka Pono - The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness Illinois - State sovereignty, national unionMontana - Oro y plata - Gold and silverAlaska - North to the future

Colorado - Nil sine numine - Nothing without God's willFlorida - In God We Trust

New York - Excelsior - Ever upward!

California - Eureka - I have found it

Idaho - Esto perpetua - Let it be perpetualWashington - Al-ki (unofficial) - By and by Tennessee - Agriculture and commerce

Kansas - Ad astra per aspera - To the stars through adversity

4.Why is the US Northeast a good market area?

The North East is the cradle of America. The small rural villages of New England, where not much has changed from the 17th century, contrast with the sophisticated and historically rich cities of the coast, Boston, New York, and Washington. Northeast states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New-York, Washington DC, Acadia, Maine.

Northeast is a good market area because it has such state as New-York that has a god industry (for example until 1970s years New-York was the nation’s foremost industrial state ranking first in virtually every general category). New-York has a very good stock exchange and it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. And it is also a financial centre of the USA.

5.What are the states of the central Basin known as?States of the central Basin are: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota.

6.What is the river curves through the Central Basin?

The river curve through the Central Basin is Missouri. It is a heart of Central Basin. The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States of America.

The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers in Montana, and flows through its valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St. Louis, Missouri.

7.Why was there a conflict between the first homesteaders, Indians and cowboys?

There was a conflict between the first homesteaders, Indians and cowboys because the first homesteaders were settled on the Indian’s lands that lived in North, South and Central America and cowboys grazed cattle there and also used the lands of the Indians as pasture.

8.Describe the climate in the desert region.

Deserts are areas where the rainfall is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or only very scanty scrub. The rainfall in desert areas is less than 250 mm or 10 inches per year, and some years may experience no rainfall at all. The hot deserts are situated in the subtropical climate zone where there is unbroken sunshine for the whole year due to the stable descending air and high pressure. Such areas

include the Sahara, Saudi Arabia, large parts of Iran and Iraq, northwest India, California, South Africa and much of Australia. Here, maximum temperatures of 40 to 45°C are common, although during colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing or below due to the exceptional radiation loss under the clear skies.

The Gobi desert in Mongolia is an example of a cool desert. Though hot in summer, it shares the very cold winters of central Asia. The Arctic and Antarctic regions, too, receive very little precipitation during the year, owing to the exceptionally cold dry air, but are more usually classified as types of polar climate. Semi-desert areas include the Steppes of southern Russia and central Asia, and the Parries of Canada.

The list of North American deserts. There are four major deserts in North America, all located in the western United States and northern Mexico. These are:

The Great Basin Desert – the largest desert in North America, located primarily in Nevada

The Mojave Desert – a desert located primarily in southeastern California

The Chihuahuan Desert – the second largest desert in North America, located in the southwest US and northern Mexico

The Sonoran Desert – a desert located in the southwest US and northwest Mexico.

9.What do you know about ghost towns?

A ghost town is a town or city that has been abandoned, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as flood, government action, uncontrolled lawlessness or war.

A true ghost town is totally abandoned by regular inhabitants. Often a ghost town will still have significant art and architecture.

There are many ghost towns, or semi-ghost towns in the American Great Plains, whose rural areas have lost a third of their population since 1920. Thousands of communities in the northern plains states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska became railroad ghost towns when a rail-line failed to materialize. Hundreds more were abandoned when the US Highway System replaced the railroads as America's favorite mode of travel. Ghost towns are common in mining or old mill town areas: Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, and California in the western United States and West Virginia in the eastern USA. They can be observed as far south as Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida. When the resources that had created an employment boom in these towns played out, eventually the businesses ceased to exist, and the people moved on to more productive areas. Sometimes a ghost town consists of many old abandoned buildings (like in Bodie, California), other times there are simply structures or foundations of former buildings (e.g., Graysonia, Arkansas).

A more recent ghost town is Centralia, Pennsylvania, which at its peak had over 2,600 residents in either the borough itself or in immediately adjacent areas and was over 1,000 as recent as 1981 but as of 2007 is down to nine residents as a result of a underground mine fire that started in the 1960s when a landfill created from an abandoned strip mine was set on fire.

10.What states belong to the Newest states?

Alaska and Hawaii belong to the Newest states. Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait.

Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast

of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

11.What crops are grown in Hawaii?Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an

archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

The climate of Hawaii is typical for a tropical area, although temperatures and humidity tend to be a bit less extreme than other tropical locales due to the constant trade winds blowing from the east. Summer highs are usually in the upper 31°C during the day and around 24 °C at night. Winter temperatures during the day are usually in the low to around 28 °C and seldom dipping below 18 °C at night. Snow, although not usually associated with tropics. Most of Hawaii has only two seasons: summer from May to October, and winter from October to April.

Thanks to Hawaii’s mild, year-round climate, it is a fertile place that sustains many different types of agriculture. Approximately 40 percent of land on Hawaii is farmland. The state is home to approximately 3,600 crop farms and 1,100 livestock farms that include cattle, hogs, milk, eggs and honey. The average agriculture sales per year in Hawaii are around $357 million dollars.

When most people think about agriculture in Hawaii the crops that come to mind are sugarcane, pineapple, macadamia nuts and coffee. While these are very important crops for the islands, there are many other crops that help sustain Hawaii’s economy. Among these many crops are ginger, banana, onions, sweet potato, lettuce and seed crops.

1.What are the attributes of any country and what do they serve for?

The main attributes of any country is flag, anthem and the emblem.

A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification.

The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields, and flags have since evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signaling and identification, it was especially used in environments where communication is similarly challenging. National flags are potent patriotic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes

The term anthem means a song (or composition) of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem".

An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.

2.What do the colors of the American flag embody?

The flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British Crown and became the first states in the Union.

Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner. Because of its symbolism, the starred blue canton is called the "union". This part of the national flag can stand alone as a maritime flag called the Union Jack.

The American flag was adopted in 1777 and originally called The Stars and Stripes. Over the years, tradition has given meaning to the colors. RED is for hardiness and valourWHITE is for purity and innocenceBLUE is for vigilance, perseverance and justice

3.Do states have their own flags and mottos?

Yes, of course, they do. Each state expresses their motivations and intentions in mottos. And their flags reflect the economic peculiarities as well as some other features, characterizing the state. The mottos and flags can distinct them from each other and show their uniqueness.

4.What states belong to the territory of the Northeast?

The Northeast is a region of the United States. The Northeast region covers nine states which are: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The Northeast is the richest region of the United States, including three states with the highest median household income: New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Together the region accounts for approximately 25% of U.S. gross domestic product as of 2007. The region is also home to all eight Ivy League schools. They generate income by knowledge industries. Only New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts rank in the top 15 states in terms of population.

5.What are the leading centers in the Northeast?

The leading centers in the Northeast are Washington and New-York.

The White House, Supreme Court, The Pentagon, Congress, Washington Monument and many other political and historical sites are located in D.C. This is the home of

the U.S. President, along with thousands of government employees and foreign diplomats from around the world. With its many impressive memorials, world-renowned museums, sprawling parks and cherry-blossom lined avenues, the District of Columbia is filled with a variety of treasures.

New York City is known the world over for its Broadway shows, big businesses, historical sites, distinctive neighborhoods and financial center. However, there is more to this intriguing state than just the Big Apple! Upstate New York is filled with quaint towns and small villages, while Niagara Falls, the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains are found here too.

6.Who were frontier farmers?The USA is divided into distinct regions based on

agriculture. The frontier farmers are those which territory includes several parts of this different regions. The frontier farmers are the owners of these lands and so obtain such meaning.

7.What is the typical to rural America?

Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and the country is a net exporter of food.

Corn, turkeys, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, and sunflower seeds constitute some of the major holdovers from the agricultural endowment of the Americas.

European agriculture practices greatly affected the New England landscape, leaving behind many physical foot prints. Colonists brought livestock over from Europe which caused many changes to the land. Grazing animals required a lot of land and food to sustain them and due to grazing, native grasses were destroyed and European species began to replace them. New species of weeds were introduced and began to thrive as they were capable of withstanding the grazing of animals, whereas native species could not.

Along with livestock changing the plant species in New England from the original native species to European species they also contributed to the deterioration of the forests and fields. Colonists would cut down the trees and then allow their cattle and livestock to graze freely in the forest and never plant more trees. The animals trampled and tore up the ground so much as to cause long-term destruction and damage.

Soil exhaustion was a huge problem in New England agriculture. Plowing with oxen did allow the colonist to farm more land but it did increase erosion and decreased soils fertility. Due to the plow cutting deep into the soil and allowing the soil more contact with oxygen and depleting it’s nutrients. With the large amounts of cattle on the New England landscape the soil was being compacted due to the weight of the cattle and this didn’t give the soil enough oxygen to sustain life.

In the U.S., farms spread from the colonies westward along with the settlers. In cooler regions, wheat was often the crop of choice when lands were newly settled, leading to a "wheat frontier" that moved westward over the course of years. Also very common in the antebellum

Midwest was farming corn while raising hogs, complementing each other especially since it was difficult to get grain to market before the canals and railroads. After the "wheat frontier" had passed through an area, more diversified farms including dairy cattle generally took its place. Warmer regions saw plantings of cotton and herds of beef cattle. In the early colonial south, raising tobacco and cotton was common, especially through the use of slave labor until the Civil War. In the northeast, slaves were used in agriculture until the early 19th century. In the Midwest, slavery was prohibited by the Freedom Ordinance of 1787.

The introduction and broad adoption of scientific agriculture since the mid nineteenth century has made a large improvement in the USA's economic growth. This development was facilitated by the Morrill Act and the Hatch Act of 1887 which established in each state a land-grant university (with a mission to teach and study agriculture) and a federally-funded system of agricultural experiment stations and cooperative extension networks which place extension agents in each state.

Soybeans were not widely cultivated in the United States until the 1950s, when soybeans began to replace oats and wheat.

Significant areas of farmland were abandoned during the Great Depression and incorporated into nascent national forests. Later, "Sodbuster" and "Swampbuster" restrictions written into federal farm programs starting in the 1970s reversed a decades-long trend of habitat destruction that began in 1942 when farmers were encouraged to plant all possible land in support of the war effort. In the United States, federal programs administered through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts provide technical assistance and partial funding to farmers who wish to implement management practices to conserve soil and limit erosion.

8.What was the tragedy of 1934?The Great Depression was a worldwide economic

downturn starting in most places and ending at different times for different countries. It was the largest and most important economic depression in modern history. The Great Depression originated in the United States; historians most often use as a starting date the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. The end of the depression in the U.S is associated with the onset of the war economy of World War II.

The depression had devastating effects in the developed and developing worlds. International trade was deeply affected, as were personal incomes, tax revenues, prices, and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by roughly 60 percent.

Effects of depression in the United States: 13 million people became unemployed. Industrial production fell by nearly 45%. Home-building dropped by 80%. About 5,000 banks went out of business.

1.What Latin mottos can you read on the seal?

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottos of governments.

Mississippi - Virtute et armis - By valor and arms

Virginia - Sic semper tyrannis - Thus always to tyrants

Colorado -Nil sine numine - Nothing without God's will

Oklahoma - Labor omnia vincit - Labor conquers all things

Arizona - Ditat Deus - God enriches

New Mexico - Crescit eundo - It grows as it goes

Alabama - Audemus jura nostra defendere - We Dare Defend Our Rights

Oregon - Alis volat propriis, and The Union - She flies with her own wings

2.Give examples of states mottosA motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the

general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottos of governments.Ohio - With God, all things are possible

 Hawaii - Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ̒ Āina i ka Pono - The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness Illinois - State sovereignty, national unionMontana - Oro y plata - Gold and silverAlaska - North to the future

Colorado - Nil sine numine - Nothing without God's willFlorida - In God We Trust

New York - Excelsior - Ever upward!

California - Eureka - I have found it

Idaho - Esto perpetua - Let it be perpetualWashington - Al-ki (unofficial) - By and by Tennessee - Agriculture and commerce

Kansas - Ad astra per aspera - To the stars through adversity

3.What economical, geographical and cultural divisions of the USA?

Geographical division. The United States is a federal union of fifty states. The original thirteen states were the successors of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against

British rule. Most of the rest have been carved from territory obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. One set of exceptions comprises Vermont, Texas, and Hawaii: each was an independent republic before joining the union. Another set of exceptions comprises those states created out of the territory of the original thirteen. Early in the country's history, three states were created in this manner: Kentucky from Virginia; Tennessee from North Carolina; and Maine from Massachusetts. During the American Civil War, West Virginia broke away from Virginia. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959. The states do not have the right to secede from the union.

The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the two other areas considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the federal district where the capital, Washington, is located; and Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited but incorporated territory in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Those born in the territories (except for American Samoa) possess U.S. citizenship.

Economy. The United States is a country of highly developed economy. Heavy industry includes

such branches as mining, metallurgical engineering and chemical industries. Detroit is a large motor-car industry centre. Shipbuilding is developed along the Atlantic coast and in San Francisco on the Pacific coast.

Textile industry is also well-developed, especial -ly in the South near large cotton plantations.

Agriculture is very wide-spread, above all in the prairie regions, where wheat and other grain crops are grown.

Cotton is grown in the Mississippi Valley, tobacco in Maryland and Virginia.

California is famous for its fruit plantations, and the West — for its cattle-farming.

Poultry-farming is wide-spread in the countryside near all big cities.

Culture. The United States is a great centre of culture. Its largest cities (New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles) have many concert halls, exhibition halls and theatres. Smaller cities also regularly hold concerts, exhibitions, lec tures, theatrical performances, both professional and amateur. The United States has the world's greatest museums, theatres, concert halls and orchestras. A lot of people usually attend performances and exhibitions, in spite of the high prices of the tickets.

4.What are the states of the Central Basin? States of the central Basin are: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota.

5.What were the farming problems of the first setters in the Central Basin?1.Climate problem;2.lack of mechanization;3.criminal situation;4.lack of medical support;5.crashes with Indians.

6.What agricultural traditions did immigrants bring to America?

Most Americans emigrated from other lands. Many brought favorite plants from home, changing the land forever.

Daylilies were cultivated in China in early times. Daylilies traveled by caravan to Europe from the Far East. Beloved by English gardeners, daylilies were among the

first flowers brought to the colonies. By 1695, daylilies could be found near doorways from New England to Virginia.

The United States Patent Office introduced crabgrass in 1849 as forage for cattle, sheep, hogs, and horses. The experiment failed, but crabgrass got another chance 50 years later when Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, and Hungarians brought the New World a foolproof grain to feed their families. Manna grits, as they called crabgrass, was a form of millet native to central Europe. It had the great advantage of producing a large crop on any soil even when planted late in the season. The new immigrants rapidly discovered that wheat and corn could be grown as easily and sold for more money. Within ten years crabgrass was abandoned as a crop.

Lettuce developed in Egypt and was cultivated in Greece 500 years before Christ. Columbus is credited with introducing lettuce, peas, and beans to the New World in 1493.

Cabbages were brought to the New World by the colonists from England, with the first written record of them in 1669.   By the 1700s, cabbage was grown widespread by both colonists and native peoples.  The first record of cabbage in Canada was in 1542, planted by Jacques Cartier on his third voyage.  Russian kale was brought to Canada (and then the U.S.) by Russian traders in the 19th century.

Like human immigrants to our country, plants have arrived at different times and for different reasons. Some have adapted remarkably well while others struggled for a place, but they have added to the richness of life we enjoy as Americans.

7.What was cowboys’ life like?A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on

ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century became a figure of special significance and legend.

The cowboy has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest settlers of the Americas. Over the centuries, differences in terrain, climate and the influence of cattle-handling traditions from multiple cultures created several distinct styles of equipment, clothing and animal handling. As the ever-practical cowboy adapted to the modern world, the cowboy's equipment and techniques also adapted to some degree, though many classic traditions are still preserved today.

The land of the West was used not only for farms. The wide open plains provided plenty of grass for large herds of cattle. And with every new discovery of gold and silver, more people rushed west, hoping to make thei r f or tunes from th is new ri ch land.

Many people went to Texas and bred cattle there. Their small one-floor houses with flat roofs were called ranches, and they themselves — ranchers. There was a lot of land grown with good long grass, where catt le grazed. Cowboys — men w i t h s t e t s o n h a t s o n their heads and long lassos in their hands rode a r o u n d o n h o r s e b ac k , looking after the cattle.

L i f e w a s h a r d f o r t h e s e c o w b o y s . T h e y lived out in the open for months at a time. They slept on the ground and ate poor food, work ing in rain and in sunshine.

One of the cowboys’ most di ff icult jobs was the ca t t le dr ive — ge t t ing the catt le to

market. To get the catt le to mar ket in Chicago , they had to dr ive f rom Texas t o Abilene in Kansas. From there the cattle was taken by train to Chicago. In order to reach the railroad in Abilene, cowboys drove the cattle north. They could

usually expect some kind of trouble during these long cattle drives. Often cattle thieves tried to steal the cattle. Sometimes the cattle got frightened and ran wildly for kilometres. Also, cattle could easily drown while crossing rivers.

8.How did the gold rush to California help the continent?

A workman, James Marshall by name, was working in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Suddenly he saw something shining on the bottom of a shallow river. It was gold.

Suddenly people in California got "gold fever". In 1848 San Francisco was a town of 800 people. When people heard about the discovery of gold, half the populat ion of San Franc isco lef t the i r homes and went to look for gold.

In the rush for gold, sai lors deserted their ships when they arrived in San Francisco. Soon there were empty ships lying at anchor in San Francisco Bay. There are stories about ships wh e r e t h e o n l y t h i n g l e f t o n b o a rd w a s t h e captain's cat!

Gold fever soon spread to the East. People left their jobs and homes and started for California. The journey to California took five months by ship. Ships had to go all the way around the tip of South Amer ica and then up the Pacific coast to California.

Others tried a short cut. They got off ships in the Central American land of Panama and walked through the jungle to the Pacific Ocean. Many fell ill and died.

Most people came by wagon train. Thousands of wagons moved west across American Indian lands in the spring of 1849. The gold rush brought more than 80,000 people to California. These people were called forty-niners, and they all dreamed of making their fortune. They came from all over. Some came from South America and Mexico. More than 25,000 came from China.

Miners had a hard life with few comforts. They lived in huts and tents. There was not much law and order in the mining towns. To protect themselves from thieves, most miners slept with their guns beside them.

Some people became rich by selling goods to the miners. One person who made his fortune was a German businessman named Levi Strauss. Strauss bought strong denim canvas and used it to make sturdy overalls. He called them Levis. Today, more than a century later, these blue denim pants are worn all over the world.

The gold rush helped to change California from a frontier area into a state. In 1850 California became the thirty-first state.

9.What states belong to the territory of the West Coast Valley?

The states that belongs to the West Coast Valley are California, Washington, Oregon.

10.What do you know about Alaska?Alaska is the largest state of the United States of

America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait.

The area that became Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire.

Alaska is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state. Alaska has more coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. It is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States.

11.When was Hawaii admitted to the US?

Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

This state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi.