Major geographic regions and populaon of the United States of America

Major geographic regions and populaon of the United States of America Lesson plan (Polish) Lesson plan (English) Major geographic regions and populaon of the United States of America

Link to the lesson

Before you start you should know

that the United Stated is an economically developed country; that the United States is an immigrant country founded mainly by immigrants from Europe and slaves brought from Africa; that a region’s natural environment influences its economic development.

You will learn

to show the great regions on a map of the United States; to name the major population groups inhabiting the United States; to name the reasons for the decline of the Native American culture.

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Nagranie dźwiękowe abstraktu

Major geographic regions of the United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world, with a surface area of 9,526,5 thousand sq. km, and the third most populous one, with 322 million inhabitants in 2010. This vast country is made up of continental states that lie in the central part of the North American continent, between the 25th parallel north and the 49th parallel north. Two more states, Alaska in the northwest extremity of North America and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, are located outside the main part of the United States. One of the crucial features of the natural environment of the United States is the meridional layout of its major geographic regions, which differ in altitude above sea level and landscape. Terrain and climate variations influence also other aspects of the natural environment of each region. In the past, the natural boundaries of those regions created barriers to further settlement on the continent. Even today they have a significant effect on the economic development of certain areas.

United States Hypsometric map Source: Wydawnictwo Edukacyjne Wiking, licencja: CC BY 2.5.

Geologic cross secon of North America along the 40th parallel north Source: licencja: CC BY 2.5. Task 1

Enter below the most important features of the regions.

Atlanc Plain

Gulf Coastal Plain

Appalachian Mountains

Interior Lowlands

Great Plains

Pacific Mountains

The Cordillera East and south coasts of the United States are covered by coastal plains: the Atlantic Plain with numerous lower sections of rivers, bays and marshlands in the east and the much broader Gulf Coastal Plain in the south. The central part of the Gulf Coastal Plain is where the growing Mississippi River Delta lies. The Atlantic Plain is bordered to the west by the Appalachians – fold mountains with glacial landforms in the northern part. The section going through the United States is about 2300 km long. The highest peak of the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell, located in the southern part of the range. Its elevation is 2037 m a.s.l.

To the west of the Appalachians there are Inner Plains also known as Central Plains. In the northern part of the region there are 5 Great Lakes, which are the largest freshwater reservoir in the world. In the middle part there is a karst carving with numerous caves. The northern part of the region was glaciated up to the valleys of the Ohio and Missouri rivers, the tributaries of the Mississippi River, which drains waters from this region to the Gulf of Mexico. Moving west, we encounter the Great Plains, also called Plains, stretching from the border with Canada to the border with Mexico. The terrain rises here gently to the base of the Rocky Mountains. It is dissected by numerous deep river valleys with a latitudinal course whose rivers drain water to Missouri and Mississippi. The western part of the country is occupied by the young Cordillera Mountains. To the east are the Rocky Mountains, and to the west along the Pacific there is a band formed by the Coastal Mountains, Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada. Between them there are plateaus and basins: the Colombian Upland, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. The Cordilleras belt in the west of the USA is about 1700 km wide. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains and other bands reach over 4,000. m.a.s.l. Whitney's highest peak (4418 m above sea level) is located in the Sierra Nevada.

The territory of the United States lies in 4 different climate zones:

the north coast of Alaska is characterised by a polar climate, whereas its central part is dominated by a subarctic climate and the south coast by a cool temperate climate; the latitudinal strip of land along the Canadian border is characterised by a warm temperate climate; further to the south, the belt stretching from the Pacific Mountains to the Atlantic Plain lies subtropical climate zone; the Hawaiian Islands, the Florida peninsula and the southern parts of the Gulf Coastal Plain are located in the tropical climate zone. Populaon of the United States of America

The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. Currently the US is inhabited by 322 million people, which makes for 4.4% of the world’s population.

The population of the United States is constantly growing, which sets it apart from other developed countries of the world. This growth is achieved thanks to a relatively high rate of natural infcrease and positive net migration. In recent years, about 1.2 million people have come to the US per year. The estimated number of illegal immigrants is 250 thousand.

Nowadays, the population of United States is composed of several large groups:

White population – 66.9%; Latinos, i.e. people having their origins in Latin America – 14,4% (officially known as the Hispanic population since 2000); African Americans – 12.8%; Asians and Pacific Islanders – 4,5%; Indigenous Americans and the Inuit – 1,0%; others – 0.4%; this group includes people of various ethnic backgrounds who do not identify with any of the above groups.

One tendency of the US population structure that has been observed for decades is the constant growth of population originating from Latin America. Due to its ethnic diversity, American society is known as multicultural.

Nowadays, the urban population comprises about 81.6% of the entire population. Population density is significantly higher in the eastern and central parts of the country as well as on its western coast. The most sparsely populated areas are the Cordillera and the Great Plains. In the United States there are 51 metropolitan areas and cities inhabited by more than 1 million people. The largest one is the New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island metropolitan area with a population of 21 million. The second‐largest one is the metropolitan area of Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana inhabited by 14 million people and located on the West Coast.

The employment structure in the US is typical for an economically developed country. United States populaon distribuon Source: licencja: CC BY 3.0.

Task 2

Use what you have learnt to complete the exercises below.

Exercise 1

Using data available on the internet complete the text with the correct words.

Guadalupe, second, emigrant, fourth, 48, immigrant, third, Indian, 50, Hawaii, Atlanc, third

The United States is the ...... largest country in the world. The mainland part of its territory consists of ...... connental states lying between the ...... Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, in central North America. Two more states – Alaska and ...... – are located outside that connuous area. The USA is the largest ...... country and the ...... most populous naon in the world. Exercise 2

Put the names of cies in the correct order, starng with the most populous one.

Los Angeles Philadelphia Chicago Houston New York

Exercise 3

Match the characterisc features to the United States regions.

old mountains characterised by glacial landforms, located in the north of the United States. They are approx. 2300 km long., the 5 great lakes located in the northern part of the region are the largest fresh water reservoir in the world. Its central part is characterised by a karst landscape with numerous caves., the growing Mississippi river delta is located in its central part, a vast area spreading from the Canadian border all the way down to Mexico. It is broken by numerous deep latudinal valleys of rivers that flow into the Missouri and the Mississippi.

Gulf Coastal

Plain

Appalachians

Great Plains

Interior

Lowlands

Summary

The United States of America has the fourth largest surface area of all countries in the world. The mainland part of its territory consists of 48 continental states lying between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in the central part of North America. Two more states – Alaska and Hawaii – are located outside that continuous area. The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. It is now the third most populous country in the world. Keywords

Inuit, Latinos, Gulf Coastal Plain

Glossary

Lanos

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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Latynosi - określenie narodów zamieszkujących Amerykę Łacińską i ich potomków na całym świecie. Termin Latynos odnosi się raczej do stylu życia i specyficznej kultury niż do kategorii rasowych. Ludność pochodząca z Ameryki Łacińskiej – 14,4% .Od 2000 roku tę grupę ludności określa się jako Hispanies.

Inuit

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Inuici - grupa rdzennych ludów obszarów arktycznych i subarktycznych Grenlandii, Kanady, Alaski i Syberii. Lesson plan (Polish)

Temat: Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki – wielkie regiony geograficzne. Ludność Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki

Adresat

Uczniowie klasy VIII szkoły podstawowej

Podstawa programowa

XVI. Wybrane problemy i regiony geograficzne Ameryki Północnej i Południowej: rozciągłość południkowa i ukształtowanie powierzchni…sytuacja rdzennej ludności; slumsy w wielkich miastach; megalopolis, Dolina Krzemowa jako przykład technologii

Uczeń:

5. ocenia sytuację rdzennej ludności oraz wyjaśnia przyczyny zanikania kultur pierwotnych na przykładzie Ameryki Północnej lub Południowej;

Ogólny cel kształcenia

Uczeń pozna wielkie regiony USA oraz scharakteryzuje ludność Stanów Zjednoczonych.

Kompetencje kluczowe

porozumiewanie się w językach obcych; kompetencje informatyczne; umiejętność uczenia się.

Kryteria sukcesu Uczeń nauczy się:

wskazywać wielkie regiony na mapie Stanów Zjednoczonych; wymieniać główne grupy ludności mieszkające w Stanach Zjednoczonych; określać przyczyny zanikania kultur pierwotnych rdzennej ludności Ameryki.

Metody/techniki kształcenia

aktywizujące dyskusja. podające pogadanka. eksponujące film. programowane z użyciem komputera; z użyciem e‐podręcznika. praktyczne ćwiczeń przedmiotowych.

Formy pracy

praca indywidualna; praca w parach; praca w grupach; praca całego zespołu klasowego.

Środki dydaktyczne

e‐podręcznik; zeszyt i kredki lub pisaki; tablica interaktywna, tablety/komputery; nagranie abstraktu „Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America”.

Przebieg lekcji

Przed lekcją

Nauczyciel prosi wybranego ucznia lub uczniów o zapoznanie się z materiałem abstraktu i przygotowanie materiału ilustracyjnego do lekcji „Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America”. Ochotnicy przygotowują referaty poświęcone zagadnieniom ujętym w abstrakcie.

Faza wstępna

Prowadzący lekcję określa cel zajęć i wspólnie z uczniami ustala kryteria sukcesu. Nauczyciel prosi ucznia o uruchomienie na tablicy interaktywnej Google Maps i wyświetlenie obszaru, którego będzie dotyczyła lekcja, w widoku satelitarnym. Uczniowie wspólnie analizują zdjęcie. Ochotnicy przedstawiają swoje referaty. Prowadzący lekcję w razie potrzeby uzupełnia wypowiedzi uczniów. Uczniowie interpretują ilustrację okładkową, wskazując na jej powiązania z tematem lekcji. Wybrani uczniowie prezentują przygotowany przez siebie przed lekcją materiał ilustracyjny. Nauczyciel zachęca klasę do zadawania pytań prezentującym, np. Dlaczego wybrałeś takie przykłady? Z czym wiąże się to zdjęcie? O czym mówi ta ilustracja? Dlaczego ważny jest ten schemat?

Faza realizacyjna

Nauczyciel wyświetla mapę z e‐podręcznika Ukształtowanie powierzchni Stanów Zjednoczonych, z której uczniowie odczytują obiekty składające się na pionowe ukształtowanie powierzchni ziemi. Nauczyciel zwraca uwagę na południkowe ułożenie wielkich form - regionów geograficznych. Nauczyciel wyświetla na tablicy interaktywnej profil terenu Ameryki Północnej wzdłuż równoleżnika 40. Interpretacja schematu przez cały zespół klasowy. Nauczyciel wyświetla mapę z e‐podręcznika Ameryka Północna - regiony fizjograficzne. Wspólna analiza całego zespołu klasowego, dotycząca położenia wielkich regionów, ich wysokości oraz cech charakterystycznych. Uczniowie korzystają z podręczników oraz z atlasów geograficznych odczytując cechy charakterystyczne regionów. Praca w grupach. Uczniowie, korzystając z materiałów źródłowych takich jak podręcznik do nauczania geografii, e‐podręcznik, atlas geograficzny oraz internet, opracowują wylosowany obszar tematyczny. Uczniowie dzielą się zadaniami w obrębie grupy. Przedstawiciele każdej grupy omawiają opracowane informacje. Po każdej prezentacji chętni uczniowie uzupełniają na tablicy mapę myśli, która jest wspólną notatką z lekcji dla całej klasy. Nauczyciel wykorzystuje nagranie „Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America” do pracy w parach lub w grupach według następujących kroków: 1) wysłuchanie nagrania, 2) postawienie pytań, 3) ponowne wysłuchanie nagrania, 4) streszczenie poszczególnych jego części, 5) powtórzenie treści lub ponowne wysłuchanie nagrania. Praca całego zespołu klasowego. Uczniowie ustawiają się w okręgu. Nauczyciel zachęca ich do zabawy: rzuca piłkę lub maskotkę do jednego z uczniów, wypowiadając po angielsku słówko‐pojęcie poznane na lekcji. Uczeń podaje polski odpowiednik, wymienia kolejne słówko po angielsku i rzuca piłką lub maskotką do kolegi lub koleżanki.

Faza podsumowująca

Na zakończenie zajęć nauczyciel pyta: Gdyby z przedstawionego na lekcji materiału miałaby odbyć się kartkówka, jakie pytania waszym zdaniem powinny zostać zadane? Gdyby uczniowie nie wyczerpali najistotniejszych zagadnień, nauczyciel może uzupełnić ich propozycje. Na zakończenie zajęć nauczyciel zadaje uczniom pytania: Co na zajęciach wydało wam się ważne i ciekawe? Co było łatwe, a co trudne? Jak możecie wykorzystać wiadomości i umiejętności, które dziś zdobyliście?

Chętni lub wybrani uczniowie podsumowują zajęcia Praca domowa

Wykonaj w domu notatkę z lekcji metodą sketchnotingu.

W tej lekcji zostaną użyte m.in. następujące pojęcia oraz nagrania

Pojęcia

Lanos

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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Latynosi - określenie narodów zamieszkujących Amerykę Łacińską i ich potomków na całym świecie. Termin Latynos odnosi się raczej do stylu życia i specyficznej kultury niż do kategorii rasowych. Ludność pochodząca z Ameryki Łacińskiej – 14,4% .Od 2000 roku tę grupę ludności określa się jako Hispanies.

Inuit

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Inuici - grupa rdzennych ludów obszarów arktycznych i subarktycznych Grenlandii, Kanady, Alaski i Syberii.

Teksty i nagrania

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Nagranie dźwiękowe abstraktu

Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world, with a surface area of 9,526,5 thousand sq. km, and the third most populous one, with 322 million inhabitants in 2010. This vast country is made up of continental states that lie in the central part of the North American continent, between the 25th parallel north and the 49th parallel north. Two more states, Alaska in the northwest extremity of North America and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, are located outside the main part of the United States. One of the crucial features of the natural environment of the United States is the meridional layout of its major geographic regions, which differ in altitude above sea level and landscape. Terrain and climate variations influence also other aspects of the natural environment of each region. In the past, the natural boundaries of those regions created barriers to further settlement on the continent. Even today they have a significant effect on the economic development of certain areas.

East and south coasts of the United States are covered by coastal plains: the Atlantic Plain with numerous lower sections of rivers, bays and marshlands in the east and the much broader Gulf Coastal Plain in the south. The central part of the Gulf Coastal Plain is where the growing Mississippi River Delta lies. The Atlantic Plain is bordered to the west by the Appalachians – fold mountains with glacial landforms in the northern part. The section going through the United States is about 2300 km long. The highest peak of the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell, located in the southern part of the range. Its elevation is 2037 m a.s.l.

To the west of the Appalachians there are Inner Plains also known as Central Plains. In the northern part of the region there are 5 Great Lakes, which are the largest freshwater reservoir in the world. In the middle part there is a karst carving with numerous caves. The northern part of the region was glaciated up to the valleys of the Ohio and Missouri rivers, the tributaries of the Mississippi River, which drains waters from this region to the Gulf of Mexico. Moving west, we encounter the Great Plains, also called Plains, stretching from the border with Canada to the border with Mexico. The terrain rises here gently to the base of the Rocky Mountains. It is dissected by numerous deep river valleys with a latitudinal course whose rivers drain water to Missouri and Mississippi. The western part of the country is occupied by the young Cordillera Mountains. To the east are the Rocky Mountains, and to the west along the Pacific there is a band formed by the Coastal Mountains, Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada. Between them there are plateaus and basins: the Colombian Upland, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. The Cordilleras belt in the west of the USA is about 1700 km wide. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains and other bands reach over 4,000. m.a.s.l. Whitney's highest peak (4418 m above sea level) is located in the Sierra Nevada.

The territory of the United States lies in 4 different climate zones:

the north coast of Alaska is characterised by a polar climate, whereas its central part is dominated by a subarctic climate and the south coast by a cool temperate climate; the latitudinal strip of land along the Canadian border is characterised by a warm temperate climate; further to the south, the belt stretching from the Pacific Mountains to the Atlantic Plain lies subtropical climate zone; the Hawaiian Islands, the Florida peninsula and the southern parts of the Gulf Coastal Plain are located in the tropical climate zone.

The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. Currently the US is inhabited by 322 million people, which makes for 4.4% of the world’s population.

The population of the United States is constantly growing, which sets it apart from other developed countries of the world. This growth is achieved thanks to a relatively high rate of natural infcrease and positive net migration. In recent years, about 1.2 million people have come to the US per year. The estimated number of illegal immigrants is 250 thousand.

Nowadays, the population of United States is composed of several large groups:

White population – 66.9%; Latinos, i.e. people having their origins in Latin America – 14,4% (officially known as the Hispanic population since 2000); African Americans – 12.8%; Asians and Pacific Islanders – 4,5%; Indigenous Americans and the Inuit – 1,0%; others – 0.4%; this group includes people of various ethnic backgrounds who do not identify with any of the above groups.

One tendency of the US population structure that has been observed for decades is the constant growth of population originating from Latin America. Due to its ethnic diversity, American society is known as multicultural.

Nowadays, the urban population comprises about 81.6% of the entire population. Population density is significantly higher in the eastern and central parts of the country as well as on its western coast. The most sparsely populated areas are the Cordillera and the Great Plains. In the United States there are 51 metropolitan areas and cities inhabited by more than 1 million people. The largest one is the New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island metropolitan area with a population of 21 million. The second‐largest one is the metropolitan area of Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana inhabited by 14 million people and located on the West Coast.

The employment structure in the US is typical for an economically developed country.

The United States of America has the fourth largest surface area of all countries in the world. The mainland part of its territory consists of 48 continental states lying between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in the central part of North America. Two more states – Alaska and Hawaii – are located outside that continuous area. The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. It is now the third most populous country in the world. Lesson plan (English)

Topic: Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America

Target group

8th‐grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XVI. Selected problems and geographic regions of North and South America: meridional extent and surface formation ... situation of indigenous people; slums in big cities; megalopolis, Silicon Valley as an example of technology

Student:

5. assesses the situation of indigenous people and explains the reasons for the disappearance of primary cultures on the example of North or South America;

General aim of education

The student will learn about the great regions of the USA and characterize the population of the United States.

Key competences

communication in foreign languages; digital competence; learning to learn.

Criteria for success The student will learn:

point large regions on the map of the United States; exchange the main population groups living in the United States; identify the causes of disappearance of the native cultures of the indigenous population of America.

Methods/techniques

activating discussion. expository talk. exposing film. programmed with computer; with e‐textbook. practical exercices concerned.

Forms of work

individual activity; activity in pairs; activity in groups; collective activity.

Teaching aids

e‐textbook; notebook and crayons/felt‐tip pens; interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers; recording of abstract „Major geographic regions and the United States of America”.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

The teacher asks the selected student or students to familiarize themselves with the material of the abstract and to prepare the illustrative material for the lesson „Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America”. Volunteers prepare papers dedicated to issues included in the abstract.

Introduction

The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved. The teacher asks the student to launch the Google Maps on the interactive whiteboard and display the area to be covered by the lesson in the satellite view. Students analyze the photo together. Volunteers present their papers. If necessary, the teacher completes the student's statements. Students interpret the cover illustration, indicating its relationship with the subject and goals of the lesson. Selected students present the illustrative material prepared by them before the lesson. The teacher encourages the class to ask questions to the presenters, e.g. Why did you choose such examples? What does this photo involve? What does this illustration tell us? Why is this scheme important?

Realization

The teacher displays a map from the e‐textbook. The surface structure of the United States, from which students read objects that make up the vertical shape of the earth's surface. The teacher draws attention to the meridional arrangement of great forms - geographical regions. The teacher displays on the interactive whiteboard the North American terrain profile along par 40. Interpretation of the scheme by the whole class team. The teacher displays a map from the e‐textbook North America - physiographic regions. Joint analysis of the entire class team regarding the location of large regions, their heights and characteristics. Students use textbooks and geographical atlases, reading the characteristics of the regions. Work in groups. Students using source materials such as the geography book, the e‐textbook, the historical atlas and the internet, work on a drawn thematic area. Students share tasks within the group. Representatives of each group discuss the elaborated information. After each presentation, willing students complete the mind map on the board, which is a common note from the lesson for the whole class. The teacher uses the recording „Major geographic regions and the United States of America” to work in pairs or in groups according to the following steps: 1) listening to the recording, 2) asking the questions, 3) listening to the recording, 4) a summary of its parts, 5) repetition or listening to the recording. Work of the whole class team. Students stand in a circle. The teacher encourages them to play: throws a ball or mascot to one of the students, saying the English word or notion learned in the lesson. The student gives the Polish equivalent, mentions another word in English and throws a ball or mascot to a friend or colleague.

Summary

The teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer? If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions. The teacher asks the students questions: What did you find important and interesting in class? What was easy and what was difficult? How can you use the knowledge and skills you have gained today?

Willing/selected students summarize the lesson.

Homework Make at home a note from the lesson using the sketchnoting method.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Lanos

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Latynosi - określenie narodów zamieszkujących Amerykę Łacińską i ich potomków na całym świecie. Termin Latynos odnosi się raczej do stylu życia i specyficznej kultury niż do kategorii rasowych. Ludność pochodząca z Ameryki Łacińskiej – 14,4% .Od 2000 roku tę grupę ludności określa się jako Hispanies.

Inuit

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka

Inuici - grupa rdzennych ludów obszarów arktycznych i subarktycznych Grenlandii, Kanady, Alaski i Syberii.

Texts and recordings

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie dźwiękowe abstraktu

Major geographic regions and population of the United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world, with a surface area of 9,526,5 thousand sq. km, and the third most populous one, with 322 million inhabitants in 2010. This vast country is made up of continental states that lie in the central part of the North American continent, between the 25th parallel north and the 49th parallel north. Two more states, Alaska in the northwest extremity of North America and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, are located outside the main part of the United States. One of the crucial features of the natural environment of the United States is the meridional layout of its major geographic regions, which differ in altitude above sea level and landscape. Terrain and climate variations influence also other aspects of the natural environment of each region. In the past, the natural boundaries of those regions created barriers to further settlement on the continent. Even today they have a significant effect on the economic development of certain areas.

East and south coasts of the United States are covered by coastal plains: the Atlantic Plain with numerous lower sections of rivers, bays and marshlands in the east and the much broader Gulf Coastal Plain in the south. The central part of the Gulf Coastal Plain is where the growing Mississippi River Delta lies. The Atlantic Plain is bordered to the west by the Appalachians – fold mountains with glacial landforms in the northern part. The section going through the United States is about 2300 km long. The highest peak of the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell, located in the southern part of the range. Its elevation is 2037 m a.s.l.

To the west of the Appalachians there are Inner Plains also known as Central Plains. In the northern part of the region there are 5 Great Lakes, which are the largest freshwater reservoir in the world. In the middle part there is a karst carving with numerous caves. The northern part of the region was glaciated up to the valleys of the Ohio and Missouri rivers, the tributaries of the Mississippi River, which drains waters from this region to the Gulf of Mexico. Moving west, we encounter the Great Plains, also called Plains, stretching from the border with Canada to the border with Mexico. The terrain rises here gently to the base of the Rocky Mountains. It is dissected by numerous deep river valleys with a latitudinal course whose rivers drain water to Missouri and Mississippi. The western part of the country is occupied by the young Cordillera Mountains. To the east are the Rocky Mountains, and to the west along the Pacific there is a band formed by the Coastal Mountains, Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada. Between them there are plateaus and basins: the Colombian Upland, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. The Cordilleras belt in the west of the USA is about 1700 km wide. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains and other bands reach over 4,000. m.a.s.l. Whitney's highest peak (4418 m above sea level) is located in the Sierra Nevada.

The territory of the United States lies in 4 different climate zones:

the north coast of Alaska is characterised by a polar climate, whereas its central part is dominated by a subarctic climate and the south coast by a cool temperate climate; the latitudinal strip of land along the Canadian border is characterised by a warm temperate climate; further to the south, the belt stretching from the Pacific Mountains to the Atlantic Plain lies subtropical climate zone; the Hawaiian Islands, the Florida peninsula and the southern parts of the Gulf Coastal Plain are located in the tropical climate zone.

The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. Currently the US is inhabited by 322 million people, which makes for 4.4% of the world’s population.

The population of the United States is constantly growing, which sets it apart from other developed countries of the world. This growth is achieved thanks to a relatively high rate of natural infcrease and positive net migration. In recent years, about 1.2 million people have come to the US per year. The estimated number of illegal immigrants is 250 thousand.

Nowadays, the population of United States is composed of several large groups:

White population – 66.9%; Latinos, i.e. people having their origins in Latin America – 14,4% (officially known as the Hispanic population since 2000); African Americans – 12.8%; Asians and Pacific Islanders – 4,5%; Indigenous Americans and the Inuit – 1,0%; others – 0.4%; this group includes people of various ethnic backgrounds who do not identify with any of the above groups.

One tendency of the US population structure that has been observed for decades is the constant growth of population originating from Latin America. Due to its ethnic diversity, American society is known as multicultural.

Nowadays, the urban population comprises about 81.6% of the entire population. Population density is significantly higher in the eastern and central parts of the country as well as on its western coast. The most sparsely populated areas are the Cordillera and the Great Plains. In the United States there are 51 metropolitan areas and cities inhabited by more than 1 million people. The largest one is the New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island metropolitan area with a population of 21 million. The second‐largest one is the metropolitan area of Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana inhabited by 14 million people and located on the West Coast.

The employment structure in the US is typical for an economically developed country.

The United States of America has the fourth largest surface area of all countries in the world. The mainland part of its territory consists of 48 continental states lying between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in the central part of North America. Two more states – Alaska and Hawaii – are located outside that continuous area. The United States of America is the largest immigrant country in the world. People coming to live there originated from diverse national and ethnic backgrounds. It is now the third most populous country in the world.