The USA
- 1. THE USA (The United States of America)
- 2. A bit of geography The United States is a very big country located in North America.
- 3. It´s got 50 states and a federal district, Washington DC, its capital city. It lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It´s bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
- 4. Over 312 million people live in the United States. It is the third largest country in the world.
- 5. Mountains Largest mountain range: Rocky Mountains
- 6. Rivers Largest river system: Mississippi River
- 7. Lakes Largest lake system: The Great Lakes
- 8. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, because of the inmigration from many countries.
- 9. Languages The most spoken language in the United States is English. The second language is Spanish.
- 10. President and currency The president of the US is Mr. Barack Obama. The currency is the dollar.
- 12. The flag The colours of the flag are red, white and blue. There are 50 stars to represent 50 states. The 13 stripes represent the first thirteen colonies.
- 13. The Statue of Liberty She was a gift from France. She stands in New York Harbour. She´s also known as Lady Liberty because she is a symbol of freedom and democracy. She represented hope and freedom to the immigrants who came here from other countries.
- 14. The Bald Eagle The bald eagle is the symbol of the USA because it symbolizes courage, strength, and freedom. The bald eagle can be seen in many places like the President’s flag, and on a one dollar bill.
- 15. The Liberty Bell The liberty bell is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It rang when Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1846 a crack appeared.
- 16. Mount Rushmore Memorial in honour of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. It is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
- 17. The White House It is the home of the President. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. George Washington is the only President who didn’t live there. The President’s Office is called the Oval Office.
- 18. Uncle Sam Congress adopted Uncle Sam as an official symbol in 1961. He is best known for his army recruiting posters, which said… I want you!
- 19. The Washington Monument It was built as a memorial to the first President, George Washington. Its image is mirrored in the reflecting pond.
- 21. Good or bad luck? Are these good luck or bad luck for Northamericans?
- 22. Celebrities
- 23. Singers
- 25. Sports
- 26. TRADITIONS Thanksgiving Day. Christmas. Independence Day.
- 27. THANKSGIVING DAY Thanksgiving day is celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
- 28. On Thanksgiving families get together and have a big harvest feast! They eat turkey, corn, stuffing, potatoes, pumpkin pie, ... Everyone gets a BIG stomach ache!
- 29. One of the customs on Thanksgiving is being thankful for people coming to your house. In turns, each one says: “I´m thankful for…”
- 30. A bit of History Thanksgiving became a holiday almost 400 years ago, in 1621, when a group of English Pilgrims arrived to America and settled in 1620. They were a group of Puritans who escaped from England due to their religion believes. .
- 31. The pilgrims travelled to America on a ship called the “Mayflower.” The trip to America was long and hard. There were storms and the ship was really crowded.
- 32. When they got to America, it was winter and there were no food or houses. Many of the pilgrims died from sickness, starvation and freezing to death.
- 33. There were some people who lived in America already: Indians. They saw the Pilgrims suffering and they decided to help them.
- 34. They showed them how to hunt and fish. They showed them how to grow different plants, like corn and pumpkins. They helped them build houses out of the trees there.
- 35. When it was winter again, the Pilgrims had food and a place to live. They were so happy that they decided to have a feast and invite their friends, the Indians.”
- 36. So they had a great feast that lasted for a whole week. They ate the typical autumn food: turkey, fish, deer, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkin.
- 37. But the first thing they did was to say thanks for having friends, food, houses and a place to live.
- 38. And this tradition continues today .
- 39. CHRISTMAS IN THE USA
- 40. Outdoor decorations The Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving Day. People decorate their houses with Christmas lights, wreaths and evergreen branches.
- 41. Indoor decorations People decorate the insides of their houses too. The most popular decoration is the Christmas tree, with lots of lights, tinsel and ornaments, especially candy canes. At the top, they put a star or an angel.
- 42. Stockings People also hang stockings by the fireplace or on the staircase.
- 43. Carol singers Some people go door to door singing Christmas carols too.
- 44. Christmas cookies Another tradition is to bake Christmas cookies. People eat them all over the season, but children leave Christmas cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.
- 45. Mistletoe Another tradition says that if you stands under the mistletoe, you can be kissed or you can kiss someone.
- 46. New year´s Eve The Christmas season ends with New year´s. On New Year´s Eve in Times Square in New York, there is a large ball that drops and counts down (10 seconds) to the new year at midnight. This is broadcasted so that people all over the country can watch it on TV.
- 47. Virginia