The influence of the geography of the USA on the economics.

The vast and varied territory of the United States of America stretched from the heavily industrialized, metropolitan Atlantic seaboard, across the rich flat farms of the central plains, over the majestic Rocky Mountains to the fertile, densely populated west coast, then halfway across the Pacific to the semi-tropical island of Hawaii.

The USA is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, by the Pacific Ocean in the west. In the south there is the Gulf of Mexico and the border with Mexico. In the north the USA borders with Canada. Alaska is separated from the other territory of the country and it is situated in the north-west of the continent. This state is washed by the Arctic Ocean in the north. There are two huge mountain ranges in the USA – the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west. There are also several less ranges - the Smoky Mountains, the Cascade Range and some others situated in the west of the country. The highest mount of the USA is McKinley of almost 6,5 km high in Alaska.

Because of the vast territories travelling by air is the most convenient, comfortable and fast. So airlines service 854 cities throughout the country. A flight from New York to San Francisco takes five-and-a-half hours. Train service is also available: the most frequent service is between Washington, D.C., New York and Boston in the East; St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee in the Midwest; and San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the West. A coast-to-coast trip by train takes three days. The major means of intercity transportation is by automobile.

America is a land of a lot of rivers and lakes that are often used as a means of cheap transportation. The broad Mississippi River system, of great historic and economic importance to the USA, runs 5,969 kilometres from the borders with Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This system connects many states. A canal south of Chicago joins one of the tributaries of the Mississippi to the Great Lakes – making it the world's largest transportation route and the biggest body of fresh water in the world. The St. Lawrence Seaway, which the U.S. shares with Canada, connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean allowing sea ships to travel almost 4,000 kilometres inland in the shipping season.

Underground, a wealth of minerals provides a solid base for American industry. Along the mountain ranges with their rich deposits of ferrous and non-ferrous ores, coal, gold and silver, asbestos, phosphates, clay, uranium ores, and other mineral resources are the oldest American industrial centres. One of the most developed agricultural states earlier, Texas, is nowadays the centre of pumping of petroleum and natural gas. But the reserves of oil and gas range from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska's North Slope.

America is a land of physical contrasts, including the weather. The South of the country has a subtropical climate. Even the northern states are situated lower than the greater part of Russia. For example, the capital of the USA is southerner than Tashkent. And only Alaska has a severe climate because of the neighbourhood of the Arctic Ocean. So, America has very good conditions for agriculture. As America expanded westward, the farmers and ranchers cultivated the grasslands of the Great Plains and finally the fertile valleys of the Pacific Coast. American farmers plant spring wheat on the cold western plains; raise corn, wheat and fine beef cattle in the Midwest, and rice in the damp heat of Louisiana and cotton in the dry heat of Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Florida and California are famous for their vegetables and fruit production, and the cool, rainy north-western states are known for apples, pears, berries and vegetables.

 

Find in the text the English equivalents of the following:

Обширная территория; протянулись от; величественные Скалистые горы; плодородное побережье; омывается; Мексиканский залив; огромные горные цепи; по всей стране; средство дешевой перевозки; транспортный маршрут; к югу от; самый большой бассейн пресной воды; твердая основа; руды цветных металлов; соседство Северного Ледовитого океана; яровая пшеница; влажная жара.

Translate into Russian the following words and word combinations:

Metropolitan Atlantic seaboard; densely populated west coast; semi-tropical island; airlines service 854 cities; a coast-to-coast trip; the major means of transportation; in the shipping season; a wealth of minerals; the centre of pumping of petroleum and natural gas; as America expanded westward; the grasslands of Great Plains; raise corn.