英语国家概况PPT-美国.ppt

The United States of America Geography and People Contents Watch the following map carefully and find clues to the following items location (bordering neighbors ) States (the smallest the largest state) Size and Location In the central part of North America (except Alaska and Hawaii) Canada on the north Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south Atlantic Ocean on the east Pacific Ocean on the west total area—9.5 million square kilometers; The whole country includes 50 states and a federal district, the District of Columbia—the seat of the Federal Government. States original 48 states Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th in 1867 and 50th states in 1959. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada Hawaii lies in the central Pacific Ocean Alaska—the largest (1717,854 sq km) Rhode Island—the smallest Texas—the largest on the mainland (695,621 sq km) 1. Three Geographical Divisions The Eastern Part The eastern part—the highlands formed by the Appalachian Range (阿巴拉挈亚山系). one sixth of the national territory relatively low, with an average altitude of 800 meters above sea level The Western Part High plateaus (高原) and mountains—formed by the Great Cordillera Range（科迪勒拉山系）, extending from Canada through the western part of the United States to Mexico and further south. One third of the country’s territory Rocky mountains with an average altitude of more than 3000 meters above sea levels. The Great Central Plain（中部大平原） Between the Appalachians in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west half of America’s landmass on the continent stretch from the Great Lakes in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south five great lakes and Niagara Falls The five Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario. Lake Superior: the largest freshwater lake of its kind Lake Michigan: wholly within United States Niagara Falls(尼亚加拉大瀑布) Niagara Falls 2. Main Geographical Regions