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1、 The United States of America 美国概况 Geography 美国地理I. Location and SizeA. Namea. the United States of Americab. the United Statesc. the U.S.d. AmericaB. LocationThe 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
2、 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 locationThe Uni
3、ted 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 PacificOceans served as natural barriers between the
4、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 worl
5、d.D. Land areaa. 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: largestRhode Island: smallestTexas: the largest
6、on the main land. TopographyThe Face of the LandA. 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 southwestolder, lowernoted for forests and minesseven 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
7、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/ the Rockies落基山脉走向：from the northwest of southeastyounger, higheras young as the Himalayas 喜玛拉雅山脉the highest peak: the Elbert 坎尔伯特峰Known as the backbone of the North A
8、merican continent北美大陆的脊梁the Continental Divide大陆分水岭The tops of the RockyMountain chain form the imaginery north-south line known as the Continental Divide. It separates the major river systems of the United States. The rivers that descend from the eastern slopes of the Rockies flow into the Mississi
9、ppi and the Gulf of Mexico. Those that begin on the western slopes of the Rockies flow to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California.B. Rivers and Lakesa. Rivers The Mississippi 密西西比河The Mississippi, lying between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains is one of the worlds great contine
10、ntal rivers.The Mississippi proper (干流) rises in the lake region in North Minnesota (明尼苏达州北部) and flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. It is 3,782 kilometres long.The Missouri 密苏里河the chief headstream of the MississippiThe Missouri rises in southwest Montana among the Rocky mountains. It runs 3,725 ki
11、lometres before it joins the Mississippi at St. Louis.The Ohio 俄亥俄河It flows from the rainy east at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and joins the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. It is about 1,500 kilometres long.The Ohio River has been called the American Ruhr (after the Ruhr River 鲁尔河in Germany). As in Ger
12、many, the area along the river is rich in valuable deposits of high-grade coking coal and is well-known for its steel industry. The river provides cheap water transportation for raw materials.The Colorado 科罗拉多河The Columbia 哥伦比亚河：rises in CanadaThe Colorado River rises in the snow-capped Rocky Mounta
13、ins. It flows 2,330 kilometres and empties into the Gulf of California (加利福尼亚湾). In the dry western country, both rivers are vital sources of life. The Colorado drains an enormous area. All the farms and cities of the southwestern corner of the country depend on its water. Today a system of dams hav
14、e been built on the river to supply water and electricity for farms, factories and homes.The Rio Grande River 格兰德河The Rio GrandeRiver rises in the southern Rocky mountains and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 3,200 kilometres long and forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United St
15、ates.The Hudson 哈得孙河The Potomac 波托马克河b. LakesThe Great Lakes (五大湖区)：They are all located between Canada and the U.S. except Lake Michigan.Lake Superior 苏必利尔湖：the largest fresh waterlake in the world 全世界第一大淡水湖 Lake Michigan 密歇根湖：the only one entirely in the U.S. Lake Huron 休伦湖 Lake Erie 伊利湖 Lake Onta
16、rio 安大略湖The Importance of the Great Lakes五大湖的重要性These lakes are joined together by canals and are linked to the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the Interior Plains and the Atlantic Ocean forming a complete system of waterways. The Great Lakes are the economic lifeline of the Midwest. They provide che
