Geography of the United States

Source # 2

The USA is a vast country of different landscapes and cli­mates. It stretches 2,575 kilometers from north to south and 4,500 kilometers from east to west. A tremendous diversity in physical features and climate can be observed there: you find moist rain forests, and deserts and prairies. Mountain McKinley(the Aleutian Range) in Alaska is the highest peak in the USA, 6,194 meters high, while part of Death Valley in California is 89 meters below sea level.

The US territory consists of three separate parts different in size, natural features, level of development and population. The main part, the US proper, with an area of 7800000 square kilometers borders on Canada in the northand on Mexico in the south and is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Gulf of Mexico in the south-east. Alaska as a separate part occupies the north-western part of the continent of North America, including a big number of islands. Hawaii as a third part is situated in the central Pacific.In 1959 Americans welcomed Alaska, and Hawaii to the Union.

The coastline length of the US proper is about 23 000 km. The Atlantic coast is mostly lowland and greatly indented. The Pacific coast is mountainous and in the northern part it is cut by numerous fiords.

About half of the United States’ territory is covered by plateaus and mountains.In the east and south-east along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico is situated a coastal plain, a nar­row stretch of land widening near the Mississippi River. Like a great thumb the peninsulaof Florida extends into the sea. The land there is so little above sea level that it is swampy.

Almost parallel to the Atlantic Coastal Plain are the Appa­lachian mountains or they may be called the Appalachian Highlands because they are not one range of mountains but include plateausand a number of mountain ranges. Their names sound beautiful: the White Mountains in Maine, the Green mountains in Vermont, the Blue Ridge in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Some of them are associated with legends. The Catskill Mountains of New York are often described in the novels by Fennimore Cooper. They are also considered the home of legendary Rip Van Winkle (Washington Irving's hero). The Appalachian Mountains are old and not very high, about 2,000 meters. A footpath for recreationstretches for 3,200 kilometers along the Appalachians (called the Appalachian Trail).It runs through fourteen States, eight national forests and two national parks.

Between the Appalachians in the east and the Rockiesin the west is a vast area of lowland that includes the Central Lowland and the Great Plains. When you cross the Appala­chians and move to the west you see a different landscape. The land is very flat, fields of corn and grain can be seen stretch­ing as far as the horizon. It is the richest agricultural area. Long ago most of the Central Lowland was covered with forests. The area was supplied with coal and petroleum(нефть)beneath the trees. To the west of the Central Lowland are the Great Plains. Most of the Great Plains is a plateau covered with short grass prai­ries. The Black Hills rise abruptly above surrounding plains. Mount Rushmore National memorialis situated there. Moun­tain Rushmore shows carved faces of four American Presi­dents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lin­coln and Theodore Roosevelt.

Farther west are the Rocky Mountains, the backbone of the continent. They are young and high especially in the South (reaching up nearly to 4400 m) and very difficult to cross.

Between the Rockies and the Pacific mountain area lies a thinly populated region of high plateaus and deserts, canyonsand black salt lakes. The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is one of the most famous national mountains.

The Pacific coast is quite mountainous. It is formed by the deeply cut Coastal Ranges (береговыехребты) with the height of up to 2400 m. The famous Sierra Nevada(meaning "snowy range" in Spanish)witnessedthe Gold Rush in the 1850s. The Sierra Nevada are known for their magnificent scenery and for their year-round resorts.Closer to the coast is the area of volcanoes and faults(трещины, разломы)that produce earth­quakes. ThenotoriousSan Andreas Fault(РазломСанАндреас) is responsible for the earthquake in San Francisco in 1986.The San Andreas Fault is a continental transformfault that extends roughly 1300 km (810 miles) through California. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is horizontal. The fault is divided into three segments, each with different characteristics and a different degree of earthquake risk, the most significant being the southern segment, which passes within about 35 miles of Los Angeles.It is named after San Andreas Lake, a small body of water that was formed in a valley between the two plates.

The USA in rich in lakes and rivers. They have traditional­ly been used for transportation and unfortunately as public sewers (сточныетрубы, канализация).

The biggest and mighty Mississippi together with its trib­utaries the Missouri,the Ohio and others form the biggest water system. The Mississippi travels through several states. At one end of the river one can see bears in the snow, at the other alligators lying in the sun. In the South the river becomeslarger and more powerful and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans. It looks harmless and lazy but its appearance is deceptive. People living on its banks have many bitter struggles with its floods.

Another important river of the USA isthe Hudson River, which flows across the north-eastern part of the country and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at New York.The river eventually forms the boundary between New York City and the U.S. state of New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into Upper New York Bay.The other no less famous river in the country is the Potomac River, which is the fourth largest river along the Atlantic. It runs over 383 miles from Virginia to Maryland and drains (собираетводы c) 14,670 square miles of land area from four states and Washington, DC.The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C.

The Great Lakes are a very important waterway connect­ed to the Mississippi by canals. Only Lake Michigan is wholly on American territory. The other 4: the Superior, the Huron, the Eire, the Ontario are shared with Canada. The Niagara Falls, spectacular and beautifulrapids (порогиреки), are situated between Lake Eire and Lake Ontario.

In the souththe Rio Grande (river) is the longest, about 3,200 km. It forms the boundary between the USA and Mexico.

In the west the rivers of primary importance are:the Co­lumbia and the Colorado. The Columbia was wild, cutting and shaping the land. Now it flows with quiet dignity. Larger ter­ritories depend on these rivers for irrigation(орошение) and hydroelec­tric power.

The climate of the United States varies from arctic in Alas­ka to subtropical in Florida and tropical in Hawaii, though most of the territory lies in the temperate (умеренная) zone. But we shouldn't forget how far south even the northern parts of the USA are in comparison with Western Europe. New York is on about the same parallel of latitudeas Naples in Italy, Boston is no farther north thanRome.

Summers are almost everywhere hot. They are especially hot and humid in the South and East which is not pleasant. The Pacific area is different. There are no extreme tempera­tures; cool waters of the Pacific bring mild and stable air. The Pacific coast is often foggy but rainless.

Winter temperatures differ greatly from +13 to -18° C de­pending on latitude.

The Pacific coast is warm but rainy of that period of time.

Comprehension Check:

1. How many separate parts does the US consist of? What are these parts?

2. What countries does the US border on?

3. What waters is the United States washed by?

4. Where are Alaska and Hawaii situated?

5. What are the Appalachian Highlands famous for?

6. What is situated between the Appalachians in the east and the Rockiesin the west?

7. What is the Pacific coast of the USA like?

8. How does the Atlantic coast of the US differ from the Pacific coast?

9. Which is the biggest river in the US? Which are its tributaries?

10. What are the other important rivers of the US? Where do they flow? 

11. What do you know about the Hudson River and the Potomac River?

What are they famous for? Give the etymology of their names.

13. Where are the Great Lakes situated? Name all of them.

14. Where are the Niagara falls situated – between which two lakes?

15. Characterize the climate of the United States of America?