Fantastic Facts about America

· The United States of America is called by several different names: the USA, the United States, the US, the States and America. Americans also use informal names like the US of A and Stateside, especially when they are out of the country. The official name, the United States of America, first appeared in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, when the country was called «the thirteen united States of America».

· Many people think that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Scientists, however, believe that he was about 500 years too late. They think that Leif Ericson, the Viking explorer, landed in North America first. It happened in 999.

· The first settlers in America were from Spain. Other Europeans followed soon – from England, Ireland and Germany and then from Italy, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Greece and other countries. People from Africa were first brought to America as slaves. Today, the biggest number of immigrants to the USA come from Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico.

· When Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492, he thought that he had reached India. That is why he called the Native Americans «Indians». He continued to believe that it was India for the rest of his life.

· America was named after an Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed to South America between 1499 and 1502. Vespucci believed that the land he had discovered was a new continent, not part of Asia as Columbus had thought.

· The United States’ flag is called “the Stars and Stripes”. It has thirteen red and white stripes and fifty white stars on a blue square. One star is for each state of the United States now, and the stripes are for the first thirteen states of the union. The Stars and Stripes stand by the president’s desk. The flag hangs in every classroom in America, and every day school-children salute it before the school day begins.

· Hawaii is the newest of all American states. It became the 50^th state in 1959. Hawaii is also the only US state made up of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Barack Obama, the 44^th president of the US, was born in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.

· Alaska is the largest and coldest of all American states. It was bought from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7.2 million ($113 million in today's dollars).

· The USA has some of the biggest cities in the world, and more than three quarters of its people live in cities or towns. This means that there are also some very empty places, which have not changed much since the first Europeans arrived. Some of them are kept as national parks, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories.

· Most tornadoes – the strongest of all storms - happen in the USA. They can destroy everything – trees, cars and even buildings.

· Rhode Island is the smallest US state. It was the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule on the 4^thof May, 1776. It is famous for Brown University, one of the best American universities. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potterfilm series is a student there.

· Death Valley is the hottest place in the USA. In fact, it's one of the hottest places in the world, and many pio­neers died trying to cross it.

· Washington, the capital of the United States, was named after George Washington, the first American president. The city has wide streets, parks and beautiful buildings. The most famous building is the White House, the home of the president. Another important building is the Capitol. This is where Congress meets to make the laws of the country.

· New York is the biggest city in the USA. This is America's cultural capital. No matter what you're interested in, you'll find it in New York - whether it's art, theatre, music or museums. It's also a great place for shopping and restaurants.

· Skyscrapers were invented in America. They were first built in Chicago after the great fire of 1871. Today, the Willis Tower (called Sears Tower until recently) in Chicago is the tallest building in the USA.

· The Library of Congress in Washington is the largest library in the world. The library doesn't just collect books, they also have a large collection of films, maps and sheet music. All in all, it has 147 million items in its collection. You can find books in 470 languages there!

· The first state to have its own police force was Texas. This police force was called the Texas Rangers. They were organized in 1835. The name “cop” is an American slang word for a police officer. No one knows the exact origin of «cop». Perhaps this word came from the letters C.O.P.: «Constable on Patrol». Or perhaps «cop» is the short form of copper. The star-shaped badges policemen wore were made of copper.

· The supermarket first appeared in America. The idea of a self-service shop belongs to an American businessman named Clarence Sounders. His first self-service shop opened in Memphis in 1916. Today, most supermarkets in the States are open 24 hours.

· The Statue of Liberty in New York has become a symbol of freedom. It was the first American sight seen by many people who went to the USfor a better life. It was given to the US people by France in 1884. The statue is 46 metres tall (93 m with the pedestal). Its waist is 10.6 m wide, its right arm is 12.8 m long, its nose is 1.48 m long.