GEOGRAPHY THE USA WARM-UP SPEAKING Conosci gli Stati Uniti? Sapresti collocare le seguenti città negli stati corretti? Mettiti alla prova! Dallas San Diego Las Vegas Philadelphia Boston Miami a. Nevada b. Florida c. Pennsylvania d. Texas e. California f. Massachusetts The United States of America is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and Canada, and has four time zones. It is a Federal Republic of 50 states: 48 are continental while Alaska is in the northwest corner of the American Continent and Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital is Washington D.C. but the most populated city is New York. English is the official language but, being a land of immigration, many other languages are spoken. Spanish is the second most spoken language and, in some States, especially in the south, official documents are written in both languages. Geographical features The US borders with Canada to the north, Mexico to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Being so big, the United States has a varied and unique territory. The main mountain chains are the Appalachians in the east, the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Coast Ranges on the west coast. The Great Lakes, which include Lake Ontario, Erie and Michigan, are the world’s largest group of freshwater lakes. Another important lake is Great Salt Lake in Utah, which is six times saltier than the ocean. The most important rivers are the Mississippi (one of the longest in the world), the Rio Grande and the Colorado. In the Midwest States there is a wide portion of territory called The Great Plains, dominated by prairies and hills. Natural beauties There are landscapes that you can find only in the USA. is a desert in eastern California: it is the lowest point on earth (86 m below the sea level) with the hottest temperature recorded (50°C). Its name comes from a group of pioneers who died here in the winter of 1849. Death Valley was formed by the erosion of the Colorado River in Arizona. It is beautiful and rich in geological and archeological treasures . The Grand Canyon is a chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It has hundreds of islands but only eight are inhabited. Hawaii is surfers’ paradise, with beautiful, sandy beaches surrounded by green volcanic mountains. Hawaii is a group of three waterfalls on the border of New York and Canada. They are the second largest waterfalls in the world after Victoria Falls in Africa. Niagara Falls GLOSSARY : : : : : : : : : : cougar puma drought siccità management gestione to provide fornire sandy sabbioso pioneer pioniere prairie prateria treasure tesoro to threaten minacciare waterfall cascata