美国概况地理人文.doc

The United States of America 美国概况 Geography 美国地理 I. Location and Size A. Name a. the United States of America b. the United States c. the U.S. d. America B. Location The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada (加拿大) to its north, Mexico (墨西哥) and the Gulf of Mexico (墨西哥湾) to its south, the Atlantic Ocean (大西洋) to its east and the Pacific Ocean (太平洋) to its west. The two newest states Alaska (阿拉斯加) and Hawaii (夏威夷) are separated from the continental United States: Alaska borders on northwestern Canada, and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. C. Benefit of its location The United States has an ideal location for trade. Its Atlantic coast faces the developed countries of Western Europe and its Pacific coast and Hawaii give the nation an approach to the Far East (远东) and Australasia (澳大利西亚). In the past the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans served as natural barriers between the United States and the rest of the world. This allowed the United States to grow and become strong with little outside interference. Today with the development of the means of communication and transportation the world has become smaller and the United States is well connected to the rest of the world. D. Land area a. The U.S. has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China. b. The U.S. is a federal republic with many states. 48 states +Alaska +Hawaii (1959) Alaska: largest Rhode Island: smallest Texas: the largest on the main land Ⅱ. Topography——The Face of the Land A. Two mountain ranges 两大山脉 a. the Appalachian mountains/ the Appalachians 阿巴拉契亚山脉 走向：from the northeast to southwest older, lower noted for forests and mines seven different local names: 阿巴拉契亚山脉在不同地区的七个名称： the Green Mountains 格林山脉 the White Mountains 怀特山脉 the Catskills 卡茨基尔山脉 the Alleghenies 阿勒格民山脉 the Cumberlands 坎伯兰山脉 the Blue Ridge mountains 蓝山山脉 the Great Smokies 大雾山脉 b. the Rocky mountains/ t