The United States occupies the south of the continent of North America, located between two oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic. Half of the country’s territory is plateaus and mountains. McKinley in Alaska is the highest mountain in the United States (6193 m). Major rivers: Colorado, Mississippi, Rio Grande and Columbia. Of the lakes, the largest are the Great Salt Lake, the Great Lakes group and the Okeechobee. See United States abbreviations.
The territory of the country is conditionally divided into 3 parts – the main continental, Alaska and Hawaii. It borders Mexico and Canada and also has a maritime border with Russia. Owns several islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, leases a military base in Cuba. In terms of area, the country is in fourth place in the world – 9.3 thousand square meters. km. In terms of population, the United States is the third largest in the world – 290.34 million people.
According to the relief, the territory of the country is divided into eight parts: the Pacific Coast Ranges, the Intermountain Plateaus, the Rocky Mountains, the Upland at the Upper Lake, the Interior Plains, the Interior Uplands, the Coastal Plains and the Appalachians.
The Coast Ranges, which cover the mountains of Los Angeles and the coast of California, often experience the most powerful and dangerous earthquakes. They appear most clearly along a geological fault that runs from the area just north of San Francisco and all the way to Mexico.
Intermountain plateaus are located between the rocky mountains and the Pacific Coast Ranges. Mostly there are plateaus, but you can find hills, valleys, basins and even mountain ranges. There are a lot of picturesque landforms in these places, many of which have the status of natural monuments. Here is the famous Colorado Plateau, the Arizona Desert, the Great Salt Lake with mineral water and much more.
The Rocky Mountains are a fairly high and heavily dissected landform. In the 19th century, this is where the Oregon Trail passed. It was along it that the settlers first went to the west of the continent. Also in the Rocky Mountains is the Yellowstone Plateau, on which there is a national park with the same name. Earthquakes sometimes occur in the west of this region.
The interior plains are located in the center of the United States. These plains are divided into the Great Plains, the Central Plain, and the Low Inner Plateau, which are highly fertile. There are many underground cavities and caves here, including the famous Mammoth Cave.
The coastal plains occupy the territories of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Appalachians are the mountains in which all the highest peaks of the eastern United States are located.
Climate
Due to the large area of the country, the climate in the United States is very diverse. Conventionally, there are Eastern and Western climatic regions on the territory of the country.
According to 800zipcodes, the eastern region, due to the influence of the Gulf of Mexico, is characterized by a rather humid climate. Temperatures fluctuate depending on latitude, but not on the height of the surface, and smoothly, without jumps, drop from south to north. Therefore, in the north, summers are warm and short, and winters are long and cold. In the south, winters are short and mild, and summers are hot and long.
The western region is covered by mountains, due to which the amount of precipitation varies greatly throughout the territory. Temperatures are affected by both altitude and latitude, and the climate softens in areas close to the ocean. Winter always reigns on the mountain tops, while in the southern deserts, protected from the north by the Rocky Mountains, the hot season prevails.
January temperatures range from -25°C in Alaska to +25°C in the Florida region. In the west, the average July temperatures range from +14 to +22°С, in the east – from +15 to +24°С.
Capital: Washington
Major cities: New York, San Francisco, Miami, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle.
Ski resorts: Killington, Lake Placid, Heavenly
Beach resorts: Hawaii, Miami
US Cuisine
American cuisine is practically devoid of originality, since over the centuries it has adopted the culinary traditions of other countries whose inhabitants came to live in the United States. English, Native American, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Slavic and other cuisines have shaped the international American cuisine. Restaurants of one or another national cuisine can be found in America on almost every corner.
Cafe bars, fast food eateries, and vending machines have become favorite catering establishments for Americans with their dynamic pace of life.
It should be borne in mind that in different regions of a vast country, culinary features may be different. It depends both on the climate of a particular region, and on the influence of the dominant ethnic group in this region.
So, the north-east of the country gravitates towards the culinary traditions of Britain and some other Western European countries, and the southern states are influenced by African and Mediterranean cuisines ( deep-fried chicken, beef schnitzels, cornmeal pastries, crab dishes are popular ).
The states of the southwest and west are known for their Mexican culinary traditions: fajitas, tacos, burritos, chili con carne, and other spicy foods. The dishes of the Midwest have been heavily influenced by Italian cuisine.
The main products used by Americans in cooking are meat (most often beef), seafood (but very rarely fish) and poultry (chicken and turkey). Vegetables are usually used as side dishes, primarily varieties of legumes, corn, asparagus, cauliflower (but not stewed cabbage), potatoes in various forms, less often rice. Cereals and pasta for side dishes are rarely used.
The first courses are light broths or mashed soups, but in general they are not very popular. Also, almost no bread is consumed in the USA.
A characteristic feature of the national cuisine is the use of the culinary traditions of the indigenous people of the American continent. This is manifested in the spread of dishes with the participation of beans, pumpkin, the famous maple syrup, pecans, sweet potatoes.
Food (this applies to both meat and vegetables) is most often rather insipid, but it is always accompanied by a large number of different spices that anyone can add to food to taste. Among them are garlic powder, pepper, nutmeg, oregano, cinnamon, ginger, peanut butter, etc.
Various types of salads are extremely popular among Americans. Most often, they use coarsely chopped green lettuce leaves, which are then seasoned with various sauces. In restaurants, a salad is often automatically added to the price of a meal.
An important and world-famous element of American nutrition is fast food, which includes the most popular burgers, sandwiches, french fries, etc., and is offered by companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, etc.
Americans usually have breakfast with oatmeal or rice porridge, one of the many varieties of scrambled eggs, corn flakes, muesli or buns. For the second breakfast ( lunch ) there are salads and any kind of sandwiches.
The main, densest and plentiful meal is dinner. It is here that those dishes that the Americans themselves call national are most often presented. This is grilled or oven-roasted chicken, roast beef with blood, stuffed turkey (which is a must for the Thanksgiving holiday table), pork ribs.
Also popular on the American table are meatloaf, baked beans, as well as apple pies and pancakes with syrup. And without steaks and roast beef, almost no American can imagine a good meal. However, it is worth noting that the American menu always offers a wide selection of dishes for vegetarians.
Plentiful and desserts. These are different types of fruits with caramel and whipped cream, muffins (muffins), chocolate cookies, various types of donuts, cheesecakes, puddings. Also popular are banana bread, pecan and pumpkin pies, and more.
Americans consume a wide variety of beverages. Juices from all kinds of fruits and vegetables are very popular, as are milkshakes. Tea is most often drunk chilled, with ice, without added sugar, but with lemon or milk. Different types of carbonated water are very popular, first of all, cola, a popular American drink that has become international today.
Almost all Americans often drink coffee, although here it differs significantly from the traditional European drink, most often like the same cola, only hot and with milk or cream. There are very few places where real coffee is brewed.
As for spirits, the country makes excellent wines (in California), high-quality bourbon and whiskey (central regions of the country), as well as local beers ( Budweiser, Miller, Philadelphia’s Yuengling, Purple Haze, Fat Tire, etc.) and rum. Alcoholic cocktails are extremely popular, which Americans drink almost more often than pure alcoholic drinks.
Ice is gladly put into most cold drinks, a jug with which is an indispensable element of almost any table.
