Geography(美国地理).doc

Geography（美国地理） I. Location and Size 1.??? What is the full name of the United States? United States of America. Often we call it the United States, the U.S., U.S.A., or America. 2.??? What is the geographical location of the US? 2.1? The continental United States The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. 2.2? The 2 newest states Alaska and Hawaii are separated from continental United States: Alaska borders on northwestern Canada, and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 3.??? What are the advantages of the location of the US? The US has an ideal location for its development. 3.1? 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 and Australasia（澳大拉西亚，一般指澳大利亚、新西兰及附近南太平洋诸岛，有时也泛指大洋洲Oceania和太平洋岛屿） 3.2? In the past the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans served as natural barriers between the US and the rest of the world. This allowed the US to grow and become strong with little outside interference. And today the development of means of communication and transportation makes the US well connected to the rest of the world. 4.??? What is the size of the US? 4.1? What is the size of the US? The US has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It stretches 2,575 kilometres from north to south and 4,500 kilometres from east to west. 4.2? How large is the US compared with the other countries? It is the 4th largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China. 4.3? How many states are there in the US? The US is a federal republic with many states. All together there are 50 states in the US. 4.4? Which are the 2 newest states in US (the 49th and 50th states)? For a long time there were 48 states, then in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states. 4.5? What do you know about the largest and smallest states in t