dimanche 28 septembre 2008

A PRESENTATION OF THE USA - ADRIEN BRUMONT (3°7)

The United States are a constitutional republic with a presidential regime , and a federal state of North America.

Constituted of fifty states, the USA are located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from East to West, then bordered in the North by Canada and in the South by Mexico. The state of Alaska is situated to the West of Canada while Hawaii is an island state located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Besides, the country is composed of 14 island territories disseminated in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific. The federal capital town of Washington is situated in the District of Columbia (DC), a federal district out of the fifty states.

In 2008, the USA count more than 302 million inhabitants and constitute the third most populated country in the world, after China and India.
The USA cover an area of 9,4 million km2, which makes it the fourth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada and China. Immigration to the USA is very abundant and the population is one of the most diverse in the world.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was proclaimed on July 4th 1776 by the thirteen colonies in North America. However, the United States really acquired their independence from England in 1783 following the war of American Independence. Then , they adopted the Constitution of the United States of America in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention. The Declaration of Rights (United States Bill of Rights) was signed by the first American Congress in 1791.

The development of the territory was mostly achieved in the 19th century with the conquest of the Wild West and Indian wars, but also thanks to alliances with other European and North American nations.

In 1865, the Civil War ends to the advantage of the Northern States which were protectionist and egalitarian and which disagreed with the Southern States, in favour of free trade and slavery. The Spanish-American War of 1898 and The First World War later confirmed the military potency of the country. Since the Second world War, the hegemony of the United States is that of a superpower, notably during the Cold War.

1 commentaire:

Anonyme a dit…

Great way to synthesize 400 years of American History. In terms of financial and military hegemony, I think those days are going to be over soon! I also think that many politicians are ashamed about the kind of examples those Wall Street shark are giving to the rest of the world. This is not what democracy should mean!!