There are fifty states in the United States of America. Two of these states, Alaska and Hawaii, are not connected to the other states. The US is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west, by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, by the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico in the south. In the north there are Great Lakes. The US is a large country with many natural wonders. The US has almost every kind of weather. Also, it has many kinds of land — rocky coasts, dry empty deserts, big rivers,wide plains and grasslands, lakes of all sizes, high mountains, great forests, sunny beaches, lands of endless winter. More than 250 million people live in the US. There are a lot of parks, forests and wildlands where you can enjoy the beauty and power of wild America. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley, and Yellowstone are among the most famous. Many rivers cross the United States. But the great est is the mighty Mississippi. Native Americans called it "the father of waters” . And the Mississippi has been an important waterway since early times, when native Americans travelled on the river in canoes. Among other big rivers are the Colorado and the Missouri. The Colorado River rises in the Rocky Mountains or the Rockies that stretch from Alaska down almost to the south of the country. Another big mountain chain is the Appalachians in the east also running from north to south. The Grand Canyon is one of America’s main tourist attractions. It is so big that you must go there yourself to feel its true size and beauty. The Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon over millions of years. Slowly, the river cut down through hard rock. Today, the canyon is one mile deep and 200 miles (320 km) long. The canyon looks different at different times of day, and in different seasons and weather. The United States is a young country. Its written history is only a few hundred years old. It is sometimes, in fact, called the “New World” . Over the last four hundred years millions of people have come to start a new life in this “New World” . Americans are not afraid of new ideas. They built the first skyscrapers and they put the first man on the Moon. They like to be modern. They like exciting, modern cities, new houses, and new cars. At the same time, Americans love old things. They like to visit historic houses and museums. They build old pioneer houses and remember the days of the “Wild West” . Americans are interested in old traditions, but they are good at making new traditions too. The people of the United States are a mixture of many differentnationalities. Every American schoolchild learns that the United States is a big melting pot of countries. In one city you can find people whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents came from China, Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and every European country. These different people brought to their new land a wonderful mixture of customs and traditions. The Germans brought Christmas trees. The Irish brought St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The Scots brought Halloween.
