Chapter 10

1. Chapter 10 United States

2. United States • Country name: United States of America, United States • Capital: Washington, DC • Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico • Border countries: Canada, Mexico

4. Government type: Constitution-based federal republic • Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district; District of Columbia • Population: 290,342,554 (July 2003 est.) • Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority) • Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%

5. GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity - $36,300 (2002 est.) (2nd in the world after Luxembourg) • Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining • Currency: US dollar (USD) (CIA, World Fact Book)

6. Important Facts • One of the top destinations in the world • 41,9 million international tourist arrivals (3rd after France and Spain) • 66,5 international tourism receipts (the highest in the world) (WTO, 2003) • Coastline: 19,924 km • Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

7. Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains (CIA, World Fact Book

8. Selling Points • Historical sites, world-class museums, Boston, vibrant nightlife, beaches and resorts, New York City, Manhattan, The Statue of Liberty, Broadway, Niagara Falls, country music and blues, Orlando and the Disney theme parks, Mardi Gras, skiing, Florida, Miami, Chicago, Native American history and culture, lakes, outdoor activities, spectacular scenery, Waikiki, national parks, mountains and deserts, casino gambling, Las Vegas, California.

9. Brief History • Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognised as the new nation of 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 across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.

10. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s.

12. New England

13. Boston • State capital of Massachusetts • one of the oldest cities in US; founded in 1630 • named as “Cradle of Liberty” - led the American colonies in their struggle for independence • home to many leading colleges and universities including Harvard university and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) • abundance of restaurants, especially for seafood lovers

14. many theatres, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet • New England Aquarium • John F. Kennedy Library and Museum • Museum of Fine Arts with a rich collection of impressionists and Egyptian collection

16. Washington, DC • A sophisticated, world-class city with top-notch entertainment and fine restaurants • Smithsonian Institutions Museums (many museums each devoted to a different area of interest or study - natural history, US history, air and space) • U. S. Capitol (towering rotunda, the Statuary Hall and the famous reception room of the Senate. Most congressional hearings are open to the public)

17. National Gallery of Art (one of the world’s premier art museums - surrounded by Rembrandts) • Lincoln Memorial (the sculpture of seated Lincoln, inside wall engraved with Lincoln’s speech) • Jefferson Memorial (a dome and colonnaded white-marble rotunda, the statue of Jefferson) • White House (visitors can take a brief free public tour, Oval Office or presidential living quarters are close to visitors)

18. New York • A vibrant metropolis that has something for everyone every hour of the day • It is divided into 5 parts (boroughs), most visitors spend all their time in Manhattan • Some buildings and street names are famous to those who never go there (e.g. Wall Street, 5th avenue) • Famous for evening entertainment and most trendiest clubs and discos of the nation

19. Times Square • Statue of Liberty • Ellis Island - Museum of Immigration • Wall Street • Brooklyn Bridge • Chinatown • Little Italy • Soho • The Empire State Building (observation deck)

20. The Chrysler Building (art deco architecture) • Grand Central Station (one of the nation’s great public spaces) • Rockefeller Center ( home to restaurants, ice-skating rink, gigantic Christmas tree) • Broadway (theatrical extravaganzas) • Carnegie Hall • Lincoln Center (home to the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and American Ballet Theater)

21. Museum of Modern Art • Central Park • the American Museum of Natural History (one of the world’s greatest museums) • the Guggenheim Museum • the Metropolitan Museum of Art • Harlem (African-American community) • Manhattan Island • Brooklyn (Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn Heights)

22. Yankee Stadium (in Bronx) • Long Island (Jones Beach - a popular recreation area, Hamptons - summer homes of rich and famous)

23. Niagara Falls • One of the world’s most famous tourist sights • falls are 55-m-high on the border of the U.S. and Canada • combination of natural wonder and commercial tackiness • a destination for honeymooners

25. Florida State • Florida is the sunshine state and one of the top tourist destinations • the state offers hundreds of miles of gorgeous beaches, theme parks • among the most famous cities of Florida are Miami and Orlando

26. Miami • An international city, with ethnic diversity • Bayside Marketplace • Little Havana (sidewalk vendors, restaurants, Cuban-American atmosphere) • Art Deco District (hottest restaurant and clubs in the U.S)

27. Orlando • One of the top tourist destinations in the world • closely associated with Walt Disney World • Magic Kingdom (best known theme park, especially appealing to families with children) • Tomorrowland • Adventureland • Disney - MGM Studios • EPCOT complex (Future World, World Showcase) • Animal Kingdom

28. Universal Studios Escape • Jurassic Park • Lost Continent • Roller Coasters • Sea World • Splendid China • Kennedy Space Center (the launch site of all U.S. manned space flights since the early 1960s) • rocket displays • moon rock specimens

29. New Orleans • State of Louisiana • Louisiana’s party town • place for gambling on casino river boats. • French Quarter -Vieux Carre (a mix of clubs, souvenir shops, restaurants, antique stores, beautiful homes, bars, voodoo vendors)

31. Mt. Rushmore National Memorial • located in the Black Hills, South Dakota • The likenesses of four US presidents – Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt carved into this mountain • 18 meter tall

32. Chicago • State of Illinois • a city at the coast of Lake Michigan • renown for its architecture, art, world-class museums • Chicago is where the skyscraper was born. It boosts some of the tallest buildings in the world (e.g. Sears Tower). They have observation decks • cruise tours on Lake Michigan or Chicago River.

33. Art Institute of Chicago (home to one of the best collections of impressionist paintings outside the Louvre) • Museum of Science (coal mine tour, submarine tour) • Field Museum of Natural History • Adler Planetarium • Astronomy Museum • Shedd Aquarium • Oceanarium • Theatre shows, traditional musicals, Chicago Symphony • Blues and folk-music clubs

34. Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld performed in Zanies comedy club • huge sculptures by Chagall, Picasso and Calder stand in the city’s plazas.

36. Los Angeles • State of California • city of a rich culture • Watts Towers (made of discarded steel, cement, tile and whatever else came along) • Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, the Jewish traditions of Fairfax, South Central with an African-American culture, Latino flavor of Olvera Street • Malibu (for surfing and beaches, also home to many movie stars)

37. Santa Monica (haven for shoppers) • Venice Beach (carnival-like atmosphere, roller skaters, body builders and street performers) • Beverly Hills • Rodeo Drive (exclusive boutiques) • Getty Center (a complex with five pavilions of paintings, sculpture, decorative art, furniture, illuminated manuscripts and photography; gardens) • Hollywood (Hollywood walk of fame with 2000 star-shaped plaques embedded in the side-walk) • Universal Studios • Anaheim (a suburb of Los Angeles with Disneyland)

38. San Francisco • A physically beautiful, culturally and historically stimulating city with great restaurants • Golden Gate Bridge • Little cable car climbing, not only symbol of the city but also a very efficient means of transportation by running between several major attractions • Chinatown (city within a city, great Chinese restaurants, Buddha’s Universal Church is the largest Buddhist temple in the U.S)

39. Fisherman’s Wharf • Alcatraz, once an impregnable fortress-style prison, now a very popular tourist destination, • Golden Gate Park, a green oasis with artificial lakes, Dutch windmills, museums, Japanese Tea Garden

40. Palm Springs • a giant sandbox offering adults their favorite games • golf courses • tennis courts • horseback riding • lavish spas • a lot of accommodation, affordable also for families

41. Yosemite National Park • one of the most beautiful places in the country, • nearby is Sequoia National Park extremely overcrowded • waterfalls • Half Dome • Cathedral Spires • El Capitan (the largest pure-granite outcropping in the world)

42. State of Hawaii • the daydream of resort vacations • four major islands are Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Oahuwhichvary greatly in flavor, weather, population and natural wonders • an active volcano attracts outdoor lovers • Hawaii; • also known as the Big Island, home to rural areas, deserts, volcanoes (Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano), rain forests

43. has colorful beaches - golden, green, gray, black and white • deep-sea fishing, snorkeling • nightlife and shopping are limited on this island • gorgeous flowers than one can imagine, mostly orchids • the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kohala is a very expensive resort • Kauai; • is the most beautiful, most tropical and most romantic island, known also as the Garden Isle.

44. Captain Cook’s first landing point (in 1778) is on this island • Oahu; • is where Honolulu and Waikiki are located • the island for nightlife together with other activities available in other islands • Honolulu; • is the Hawaii State capital and the largest city • Pearl Harbor and the airport are located here, with the Arizona Memorial • Hawaii Maritime Center (exhibits on whaling, underwater archeology and Pacific Canoes)

46. State of Arizona • Grand Canyon National Park; • a national treasure, cut by the Colorado River, measures 446 km in length and averages 1.6 km in depth • draws more than 5 million visitors a year • hiking the canyon is only for those in good physical condition • mules, rafts, steam trains and helicopters/light planes are alternatives to see explore the canyon

47. Phoenix; • the fastest growing metropolitan of the country with more than 140 golf courses, 1000 tennis courts and dozens of resorts • a magnet for both leisure travelers and conventions and conferences

48. State of Colorado • Rocky Mountain National Park; • northwest of Denver, area of peaks, valleys and nature trails, among the most visited parks in the U.S • Ski Resorts; • Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride, Steamboat Springs are top-quality ski resorts • Aspen is the haven for the rich and famous. • steamboat Springs is extremely popular among families attracted to the kids-ski-free program

49. Las Vegas • State of Nevada • gambling and themed resorts are what underwrites the Las Vegas’ extravagance • Las Vegas Boulevards is known as the Strip • on the Strip are the miniversions of great cities: New York, Paris, Venice • replicas of Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty are present

50. MGM Grand Hotel (among the top 2 or 3 largest hotels of the world with more than 5000 rooms) • The Luxor Hotel (having the shape of a pyramid, King Tut’s Tomb and the Sphinx) • Caesars Palace (with pricey dining and entertainment shows) • Bellagio (with a 3 hectares lake and a collection of the works of Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet)