3. The geographical reasons for diversity in America. The main cultural regions: the location, the most important cities, places of interest, the most interesting cultural facts, the people.

The United States is divided into five regions. These regions are the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and the West. The Northeastern United States, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, covers nine states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Climate: Much of the region has hot, humid summers and moderately cold, snowy winters. It’s dominated by rocky uplands and sandy outwash plains. Boston. It contains the highest concentration of Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans in the United States and high numbers of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. It has a generally low number of Native Americans. Mid Atlantic States (Magalopolis) Here the 1st settlements were established. Washington. New York. the geography – coastal plains, the northern part of the Appalachian Mountains. Infrastructure is well developed. South East Favorable climate. Florida. Agricultural products. Mineral production. Oil and natural gas. Miami. Atlanta. Urban areas are very well developed. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. Specific from all possible points of view. 1/6 of all the land in the USA. Scarcely populated. Climate – very long winters, short summers, in the northern part – harsh arctic. Fishing industry is well developed. Reindeer Herding, logging activities, oil, gas production. Eskimos. Military people. Juneau is the capital city of Alaska Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). Far away lying state – long range of islands. tropical climate. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean. To the south-west of California. Military men. Had a military base. The capital of Hawaii, Honolulu.

4. The development of American culture in the 20-s of the XX-th century.

The 1920s saw the flowering of African American culture in the arts. In music, black culture expressed itself through jazz, an improvisational and spontaneous musical form derived in part from slave songs and African spirituals. Jazz first emerged in the early 1900s in New Orleans then spread to Chicago, New York City, and elsewhere. The 1920s is often called the Jazz Age because jazz flourished and gained widespread appeal during the decade. The improvisational character of the music was often associated with the “loose” morals and relaxed social codes of the time. Among the famous jazz performers of the period were Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington. The flowering of black literature in the Northeast, especially in Harlem in New York City, was known as the Harlem Renaissance. Black artists explored the African American perspective through poetry and novels. One of the most famous authors of the time was the poet Langston Hughes, who published “The Weary Blues,” in 1926. Harlem was the site of social activity as well as intellectual activity, as prominent and wealthy blacks hosted extravagant gatherings for Harlem Renaissance figures. The 1920s saw the growth of popular recreation, in part because of higher wages and increased leisure time. Just as automobiles were mass-produced, so was recreation during the 1920s. Mass-circulations magazines like Reader’s Digest and Time (established 1923) enjoyed enormous success. Radio also rose to prominence as a source of news and entertainment during the 1920s: NBC was founded in 1926 and CBS a year later. Movies were the most popular leisure attraction of the times, making stars out of Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, and Mary Pickford. In 1927, with The Jazz Singer, movies began to include sound, and 1928 saw the first animated sound film, Steamboat Willy. Professional sports gained a new popularity, as well. Baseball star Babe Ruth enjoyed massive fame, as did boxers such as Jack Dempsey. College sports rose to national attention, as demonstrated by the fame of the Notre Dame football team’s “four horsemen.” The 1920s also saw the emergence of nonsporting national heroes like Charles Lindbergh, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in May 1927.