Places of Interest in New York

Brief History of the USA

The history of the USA dates back only to the 15th century. In the 15th century there was no USA at all. The present territory of the USA was divided among some countries. In the 15th — 16th centuries some territory of the USA belonged to Great Britain (northern and western lands); southern parts (California, Florida, New Mexico, Texas) belonged to Spain, then — to Mexico; the central part, the territory was called Louisiana — to France; Alaska was possessed by Russia; some territories remained to be under Indians control.

In 18th century there were only thirteen Britain's American colonies and they broke with Great Britain in 1776 and later were recognized as the new nation of the the United States of America, following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th"and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded their frontiers across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.

There were three most dramatic experiences in the nation's history: the Civil War (1861-1865), the Great Depression of the 1930s and Vietnam War of the 1960s — 70s.
After its victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the USA remains the world's most powerful state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and great advances in technology.

Nowadays USA is world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India). It is about half the size of Russia or lightly larger than China or Brazil.

 

American Symbols

The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes,7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state. The national anthem of the United States is "The Star Spangled Banner".

The words written during the Anglo-American war of 18X2-1814and set to the music of an old song. Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.

The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (a symbol of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill.

The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. This National Monument was a present from France to the USA. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. Liberty carries the torch of freedom - in her right hand. In her left hand she is holding a tablet with the inscription "July 4, 1776" - American Independence Day.

 

Washington

Washington, the capital of the United States of America, is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any separate state but to all the states. The district is named in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America. The capital owes much to the first President of the USA -George Washington. It was G. Washington, who chose the place for the District and laid in 1790 the corner-stone of the Capitol, where Congress sits.

Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population of 900 000 people. Washington is a one-industry town. That industry is government. It does not produce anything except very much scrap paper. Every day 25 railway cars leave Washington loaded with scrap paper.

Washington has many historical places. The largest and tallest among the buildings is the Capitol with its great House of Representatives and the Senate chamber. There are no skyscrapers in Washington because no other building must be taller than the Capitol. The White House is the President's residence. All American presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time), have lived in the White House. It was built in 1799. It is a two-storied, white building.

Not far from the Capitol is the Washington Monument, which looks like a very big pencil. It rises 160 metres and is hollow inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds from where they can enjoy a wonderful view of the whole city.

The Jefferson Memorial was built in memory of the third President of the USA, Thomas Jefferson, who was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. The memorial is surrounded by cherry-trees. The Lincoln Memorial devoted to the memory of the 16th President of the US, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave freedom to Negro slaves in America.

On the other bank of the Potomac lies the Arlington National Cemetery where President Kennedy was buried. American soldiers and officers, who died in World Wars I and II are buried there too.

The beautiful city of Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States and the centre of its government. The capital was named after the first president George Washington and was founded in 1790. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has about 900 000 inhabitants.

Washington D.C. has nothing characteristically American in it, as its conception is purely French. It has long wide avenues, gardens, beautiful parks and no skyscrapers at all.

Washington is the residence of the President and the Congress of the USA. The White House is the President's residence, the Capitol — the seat of the American Congress. The largest and the tallest among the buildings is the Capitol with its great House of Representatives and Senate Chamber. There are no skyscrapers because no other building must be taller than the Capitol.

All american presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time) have lived in the White House. It was built in 1799. Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre, where there are many research institutes, five universities, the National Academy of Science and the Library of Congress.

There is one more well-known building in Washington — Pentagon, the residence of the US Military department. It is situated in the suburbs to the south of the Potomac.

Washington sprang out of a marshy wilderness. It's named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. Washington is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is outside the jurisdiction of any state and subjects only to the control of the Federal Congress.

Washington is the seat of the Federal Government of the United States. It has been the capital of the USA since 1800. It has about 900 000 inhabitants.

Washington is one of the least industrialized metropolises in the world. However, in many ways it's a typical American city. Washington often rates as "dangerous" on the scale of air pollution. The air is periodically toxic from exhaust fumes. The water in Potomac is polluted. There are traffic jams in rush hours in its streets. Washington is often called the city of underprivileged and poor blacks.

In spite of all its problems, Washington has another nickname — the American Paris. The major attractions for tourists are in the heart of Washington. Among them the National Museum of History, the National Museum of Natural History. The National Gallery of Art exhibits thousands of the world's finest canvases. The Library of Congress is the younger rival of the London Library of the British Museum. It contains a lot of books, prints and photos.

There's hardly a park, a square or a open area in the capital without monument or a memorial. The most impressive and best-known of them are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The Washington Monument is the highest structure of the city. The oldest building in Washington is the White House, the official residence of the President.

Washington's broad and long streets add to the poise of the city. Most of them are called after states — Pennsylvania Avenue, Connecticut Avenue. The capital is also proud of its two universities — Georgetown University and George Washington University.

 

Chicago

There is a huge city in the northeastern part of the USA near Lake Michigan.

In America, there are many large cities, but I would like to tell about Chicago.

Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States and one of the country's leading industrial, commercial, financial and transport centres. It extends some 47 km along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, occupying flatland traversed by two short rivers: the Chicago River and the Calumet River.

The city's rapid growth was due to its location, with ready access to markets and raw materials; it has one of the world's busiest airports — O'Hare International Airport.

Chicago is America's most important haulage centre and is a significant port for both domestic and international trade. Great Lakes freighters and river barges deliver such commodities as iron ore, coal, chemicals, oil and grain.

The Chicago metropolitan area has the highest number of manufacturing employees in the United States. City's largest employers are the electrical goods industry, followed by the steel, machinery, fabricated metals, foods, printing and publishing, chemicals and transport equipment industries.

Chicago has one of the world's most beautiful lakefronts.

The world's first skyscraper was constructed in Chicago, in 1885. The central part of the city has several of the world's tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower, which at 110 storey high is the tallest in the United States. Construction of tall office buildings continues.

Chicago is a major centre of higher education, with numerous colleges and universities. The prestigious University of Chicago founded in 1890 was the site of the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. It happened in 1942.

 

New York

New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States. New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson river. In comparison with such ancient historical cities as, say, Rome, London, Moscow or Paris, New York is quite young. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers.

There are five districts in the city: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. Manhattan is the central and the oldest part of the city. It is the district of business and finance. It is here in Wall Street that many business offices, banks and the world famous New York stock exchange are situated. The New York stock exchange dominates business life of many countries.

The total area of New York is 365 square miles or 900 square kilometres. Its population together with the population of its suburbs amounts to 16 million people. Among the inhabitants of New York one can meet people of almost all nationalities. They settled here during the immigration in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century.

A traveller who visits New York for the first time wonders at the modern architecture. The Statue of Liberty, which is on Liberty Island, was a present from France in 1876 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of American independence. This statue and a few 18th and 19th century churches, hospitals, newspaper offices and other buildings are the only examples of "old" architecture in New York. Wherever your eyes travel, everywhere you can see sky-scrapers.

New York, one of the USA leading manufacturing cities, is the home of great firms and banks. The most important branches of industry are those producing vehicles, glass, chemicals and all kinds of machinery. The city has very busy traffic. Its streets and highways are full of cars and buses. The mouth of the Hudson river makes an excellent harbour for numerous passengers and cargo ships from all over the world. Speaking about New York one can't but mention the outstanding role, the city plays, in the cultural life of the country.

New York has many museums and art galleries which have collected works of art of many peoples and of all times. Many of them are on constant display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of Art. Most of the theatres and cinemas are in or near Broadway, the longest street and the biggest shopping district in New York. The Metropolitan and Modern Arts Museums attract many visitors.

Although New York is not the capital of the United States, it is the biggest and most important city and seaport of the country. New York is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the northeastern part of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, one of the biggest in the USA. It is the financial capital of the world, the centre of the American cultural life and the national leader in fashion and entertainments. The «Big Apple» is the most popular nickname of the city. New York, with the population of more then 16 million people, is the second largest city and the biggest seaport in the world.

Dutch settlers founded this city in 1613. That time, it was called New Amsterdam, In 1664, New Amsterdam was captured by British troops and renamed in New York. Nowadays New York consists of 5 large boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond.

Brooklyn alone has so many people that if it were a separate city, it would be the fourth largest city in the United States.

There are many places of interest in New York.
The most famous of them is The Statue of Liberty, presented to the USA by France in 1886. Its torch towers about 200 feet above the harbour and can be seen at night for many miles. It is the largest statue in the world.

The Empire State Building used to be the highest building, but now it is only the third. It is a 102- storeyed building.

Broadway is the longest street in the world. It is about 12 miles long. It is the centre of entertainments.

By the present moment, the Metropolitan Museum is the richest museum in the world in objects of Art, due to what had been bought from Europe after the World War Two. Besides, we can see the works of American painters there too.

The Central Park is the largest park in the world.

There are the best houses, hotels and fashionable shops on the Fifth Avenue. There is the Rockefeller centre of 15 skyscrapers, housing several large corporations. It is also known as «RadioCity».

The United Nations Headquarters was built in New York City in 1952. The building and the grounds around contain sculptures and other works of art, donated by member nations.

New York attracts people from all over the world. You can see people of different nations and religions here: White, Black, Asian, Moslem, Christian and Jewish people. It is the city of contrasts and it is really so.