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Extensible Markup Language | 1995-06-15 | 20KB | 19 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>50166</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>36278</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>13</id> <text>UNITED STATES OF AMERICAOfficial name: The United States of AmericaMember of: UN, NATO, OAS, OECD, NAFTA, OSCE, G7, ANZUS, ApecArea: 9529063 km2 (3679192 sq mi)Population: 256561000 (1993 est)Capital: Washington D.C. 3924000 (city 598000; 1990 census)Other major cities: New York 18087000 (city 7323000, Newark 275000), Los Angeles 14532000 (city 3485000, Long Beach 429000, Anaheim 266000), Chicago 8066000 (city 2784000), San Francisco 6253000 (city 724000, San Jose 782000, Oakland 372000), Philadelphia 5899000 (city 1586000), Detroit 4665000 (city 1028000), Boston 4172000 (city 574000), Dallas 3885000 (city 1007000, Fort Worth 478000), Houston 3711000 (city 1631000), Miami 3193000 (city 359000), Atlanta 2834000 (city 394000), Cleveland 2760000 (city 506000), Seattle 2559000 (city 516000), San Diego 2498000 (city 1111000), Minneapolis-St Paul 2464000 (city 368000, St Paul 272000), St Louis 2444000 (city 397000), Baltimore 2382000 (city 736000), Pittsburgh 2243000 (city 370000), Phoenix 2122000 (city 983000), Tampa 2068000 (city 280000), Denver 1848000 (city 468000), Cincinnati 1744000 (city 364000), Milwaukee 1607000 (city 628000), Kansas City 1566000 (city 435000), Sacramento 1481000 (city 369000), Portland 1478000 (city 437000), Norfolk 1396000 (city 261000), Columbus 1377000 (city 633000), San Antonio 1302000 (city 936000), Indianapolis 1250000 (city 742000), New Orleans 1239000 (city 497000), Buffalo 1189000 (city 328000), Charlotte 1162000 (city 396000), Providence 1142000 (city 161000), Hartford 1086000 (city 140000), Orlando 1073000 (city 165000), Salt Lake City 1072000 (city 160000), Rochester 1002000 (city 232000) (1990 census)Languages: English (official), Spanish (6%, as a first language)Religions: Roman Catholic (23%), Baptist (10%), Methodist (5%), Lutheran (3%), Judaism (2%), Orthodox (2%), Presbyterian (2%), Mormons (2%)US STATES(with areas, populations ΓÇô 1993 est ΓÇô and capitals):Alabama ΓÇô 133915 km2 (51705 sq mi), 4187000, Montgomery.Alaska ΓÇô 1530693 km2 (591004 sq mi), 599000, Juneau.Arizona ΓÇô 295259 km2 (114000 sq mi), 3936000, Phoenix.Arkansas ΓÇô 137754 km2 (53187 sq mi), 2424000, Little Rock.California ΓÇô 411047 km2 (158706 sq mi), 31211000, Sacramento.Colorado ΓÇô 269594 km2 (104091 sq mi), 3566000, Denver.Connecticut ΓÇô 12997 km2 (5018 sq mi), 3277000, Hartford.Delaware ΓÇô 5294 km2 (2045 sq mi), 700000, Dover.Florida ΓÇô 151939 km2 (58664 sq mi), 13679000, Tallahassee.Georgia ΓÇô 152576 km2 (58910 sq mi), 6917000, Atlanta.Hawaii ΓÇô 16760 km2 (6471 sq mi), 1172000, Honolulu.Idaho ΓÇô 216430 km2 (83564 sq mi), 1099000, Boise.Illinois ΓÇô 149885 km2 (57871 sq mi), 11697000, Springfield.Indiana ΓÇô 94309 km2 (36413 sq mi), 5713000, Indianapolis.Iowa ΓÇô 145752 km2 (56275 sq mi), 2814000, Des Moines.Kansas ΓÇô 213096 km2 (82277 sq mi), 2531000, Topeka.Kentucky ΓÇô 104659 km2 (40410 sq mi), 3789000, Frankfort.Louisiana ΓÇô 123677 km2 (47752 sq mi), 4295000, Baton Rouge.Maine ΓÇô 86156 km2 (33265 sq mi), 1239000, Augusta.Maryland ΓÇô 27091 km2 (10460 sq mi), 4965000, Annapolis.Massachusetts ΓÇô 21455 km2 (8284 sq mi), 6012000, Boston.Michigan ΓÇô 251493 km2 (97102 sq mi), 9476000, Lansing.Minnesota ΓÇô 224329 km2 (86614 sq mi), 4517000, St Paul.Mississippi ΓÇô 123514 km2 (47689 sq mi), 2643000, Jackson.Missouri ΓÇô 180514 km2 (69697 sq mi), 5234000, Jefferson City.Montana ΓÇô 380847 km2 (147046 sq mi), 839000, Helena.Nebraska ΓÇô 200349 km2 (77355 sq mi), 1607000, Lincoln.Nevada ΓÇô 286352 km2 (110561 sq mi), 1389000, Carson City.New Hampshire ΓÇô 24032 km2 (9279 sq mi), 1125000, Concord.New Jersey ΓÇô 20168 km2 (7787 sq mi), 7879000, Trenton.New Mexico ΓÇô 314924 km2 (121593 sq mi), 1616000, Santa Fe.New York ΓÇô 136583 km2 (52735 sq mi), 18197000, Albany.North Carolina ΓÇô 136412 km2 (52669 sq mi), 6945000, Rayleigh.North Dakota ΓÇô 183117 km2 (70702 sq mi), 635000, Bismarck.Ohio ΓÇô 115998 km2 (44787 sq mi), 11091000, Columbus.Oklahoma ΓÇô 181185 km2 (69956 sq mi), 3231000, Oklahoma City.Oregon ΓÇô 251418 km2 (97073 sq mi), 3032000, Salem.Pennsylvania ΓÇô 119251 km2 (46043 sq mi), 12048000, Harrisburg.Rhode Island ΓÇô 3139 km2 (1212 sq mi), 1000000, Providence.South Carolina ΓÇô 80582 km2 (31113 sq mi), 3643000, Columbia.South Dakota ΓÇô 199730 km2 (77116 sq mi), 715000, Pierre.Tennessee ΓÇô 109152 km2 (42144 sq mi), 5099000, Nashville.Texas ΓÇô 691027 km2 (266807 sq mi), 18031000, Austin.Utah ΓÇô 219887 km2 (84899 sq mi), 1860000, Salt Lake City.Vermont ΓÇô 24900 km2 (9614 sq mi), 576000, Montpelier.Virginia ΓÇô 105586 km2 (40767 sq mi), 6491000, Richmond.Washington ΓÇô 176479 km2 (68139 sq mi), 5255000, Olympia.West Virginia ΓÇô 62758 km2 (24323 sq mi), 1820000, Charleston.Wisconsin ΓÇô 171496 km2 (66215 sq mi), 5038000, Madison.Wyoming ΓÇô 253324 km2 (97809 sq mi), 470000, Cheyenne.District of Columbia ΓÇô 179 km2 (69 sq mi), 578000, Washington.DEPENDENCIESCommonwealth Territories in Association with the USA (with areas, populations and capitals):North Mariana Islands ΓÇô 471 km2 (184 sq mi), 43300 (1990 census), Chalan Kanoa (on Saipan).Puerto Rico ΓÇô 9104 km2 (3515 sq mi), 3612000 (1993 est), San Juan.External TerritoriesAmerican Samoa ΓÇô 197 km2 (96 sq mi), 47000 (1990 est), Pago Pago.Guam ΓÇô 541 km2 (209 sq mi), 133000 (1990 census), Aga├▒a.United States Virgin Islands ΓÇô 352 km2 (136 sq mi), 102000 (1990 census), Charlotte Amalie.Territories administered by US Department of Defense Johnston Atoll ΓÇô 1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi), no permanent population.Kingman Reef ΓÇô 0.03 km2 (0.01 sq mi), uninhabited.Midway Islands ΓÇô 5 km2 (2 sq mi), no permanent population.Wake Island ΓÇô 8 km2 (3 sq mi), no permanent population.Other territoryHowland, Baker and Jarvis Islands (administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service) ΓÇô 5 km2 (2 sq mi), uninhabited.GOVERNMENTCongress comprises the Senate (the Upper House) and the House of Representatives (the Lower House). The Senate has 100 members ΓÇô two from each state ΓÇô elected by universal adult suffrage for six years, with one third of the senators retiring every two years. The 435-member House of Representatives is directly elected for a two-year term from single-member constituencies. Additional non-voting members of the House are returned by the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Executive federal power is vested in the President, who serves a maximum of two four-year terms. The President and Vice President are elected by an electoral college of delegates pledged to support individual presidential candidates ΓÇô the college itself is elected by universal adult suffrage. Upon the approval of the Senate, the President appoints a Cabinet of Secretaries. Each of the 50 states has a separate constitution and legislature with wide-ranging powers. Executive power in each state is held by a directly elected Governor.GEOGRAPHYThe Atlantic coastal plain stretches along the entire east coast, including the lowland peninsula of Florida, and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where it reaches up to 800 km (500 mi) inland. The Blue Ridge escarpment rises sharply to the west of the plain. This is the most easterly part of the forested Appalachian Mountains, which stretch for some 2400 km (1500 mi) and reach 2037 m (6684 ft) at Mount Mitchell. The largest physical region of the USA is a vast interior plain drained by the Mississippi and major tributaries, including the Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Ohio and Red River. This lowland stretches from the Great Lakes in the north to the coastal plain in the south, and from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Appalachians in the east. The Central Lowlands ΓÇô the eastern part of the lowland ΓÇô comprise the Cotton Belt in the south and the Corn (maize) Belt in the north. The Great Plains ΓÇô the drier western part of the lowland ΓÇô begin some 480 km (300 mi) west of the Mississippi. The west of the USA is the countryΓÇÖs highest region and includes the Rocky Mountains in the east and the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Ranges in the west. The mountains continue north into Alaska, where Mount McKinley ΓÇô the highest peak in the USA ΓÇô reaches 6194 m (20320 ft). The western mountainous belt is prone to earthquakes, in particular along the line of the San Andreas Fault in California. Within the mountains are deserts ΓÇô including the Mojave and the Arizona Deserts ΓÇô and the large Intermontane Plateau containing the Great Basin, an area of internal drainage around the Great Salt Lake. The 20 islands of Hawaii are volcanic in origin and contain active volcanoes. The USAΓÇÖs natural vegetation ranges from tundra in Alaska to tropical vegetation in Hawaii, and includes coniferous forest in the northwest, Mediterranean scrub in south California, desert in the Intermontane Plateau, and prairie grasslands on the Great Plains. Principal rivers: Mississippi (with Missouri and Red Rock) 6020 km (3741 mi), Rio Grande 3035 km (1885 mi), Yukon (with Nisutlin) 3185 km (1979 mi). Climate: The mountains behind the Pacific northwest coast are the wettest region of the USA. Coastal California has a warm Mediterranean climate. Desert or semidesert conditions prevail in mountain basins. The continental Great Plains receive 250ΓÇô750 mm (10ΓÇô30 in) of rain a year, while the Central Lowlands to the east are generally wetter. Extremes of temperature are experienced in the north of the continental interior. The east is generally temperate. The Appalachians and the east coastal plain are humid, with temperatures rising in the south, where Florida is subtropical. Coastal Alaska has a cold maritime climate while the north and interior is polar. Hawaii has a Pacific climate with high temperatures and little seasonal variation.ECONOMYThe position of the USA as the worldΓÇÖs leading economic power is threatened by Japan. The USA is self-sufficient in most products apart from petroleum, chemicals, certain metals and manufactured machinery, and newsprint. Agriculture is heavily mechanized and produces considerable surpluses for export. The main crops include maize, wheat, soyabeans, sugar cane, barley, cotton, potatoes and a wide variety of fruit (including citrus fruit in Florida and California). More than 25% of the USA is pastureland, and cattle and sheep are important in the Great Plains. Forests cover over 30% of the country and are the basis of the worldΓÇÖs second largest timber industry. The USA has great natural resources, including coal (mainly in the Appalachians), iron ore, petroleum and natural gas (mainly in Texas, Alaska and California), copper, bauxite, lead and silver, and major rivers that have proved suitable for hydroelectric power plants. The industrial base of the USA is diverse. Principal industries include iron and steel, motor vehicles, electrical and electronic engineering, food processing, chemicals, cement, aluminium, aerospace industries, telecommunications, textiles and clothing, and consumer goods. Tourism is a major foreign-currency earner. Service industries involve over three quarters of the labor force. Finance, insurance and banking are important, and Wall Street (New York) is one the worldΓÇÖs major stock exchanges. US economic policy exerts an influence throughout the world, thus a revival of pressure for trade protectionism since the late 1980s has caused international concern. Currency: US dollar.HISTORYThe earliest human settlement in America was probably around 10 000 bc, when descendants of hunters from Siberia moved south. Nearly all the American Indians spring from this ancestry. The Vikings may have reached Maine and even Cape Cod, but the first recorded European landing was by the Spaniard Juan Ponce de Le├│n in Florida (1513). After abortive attempts at colonization, continuous European settlement began in the 17th century. The Spanish settled in Florida (which they retained until the early 19th century); the French gradually took possession of a vast territory (Louisiana) stretching from New Orleans to the Great Lakes; Dutch colonists were active in New York (originally New Amsterdam); and a Swedish colony was founded in Delaware (1638ΓÇô55). However, it was the British who gained mastery of the region.The Virginia plantation, based on Jamestown, began in 1607, and in 1620 the Puritans (the Pilgrim Fathers) reached Cape Cod. By 1700 there were 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of what is now the USA. Throughout the 18th century discontent with British rule grew in the colonies, leading to the American War of Independence (1775ΓÇô83). For details of the birth of the USA see Disk 1 of The Guinness Encyclopedia. The USA grew rapidly. The Louisiana Purchase (1803), from France, doubled the size of the country, taking its frontier deep into the Central Lowlands. Expansion to the west was part of the transformation of the USA from an underdeveloped rural nation into a world power stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. As a result of wars against Mexico in the 1840s vast new territories were added to the Union ΓÇô Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. Strains appeared between the increasingly industrial North and the plantation South over the issue of slavery. This led to the Civil War under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln (1809ΓÇô65). The North was victorious, but after federal troops were withdrawn from the South (1877) racial segregation returned to the South until after World War II.Between 1880 and 1900 the USA emerged as an industrial giant. At the same time, the population increased dramatically, as immigrants flocked to the New World, in particular from Germany, eastern Europe and Russia. Interest in world trade increased American involvement abroad. The Cuban revolt against Spanish rule led the USA into a war against Spain (1898) and brought US rule to the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam. American participation in World War I from 1917 hastened the Allied victory, but the idealistic principles favored by President Woodrow Wilson (1856ΓÇô1924) were compromised in the post-war settlement. After the war the USA retreated into isolationism and protectionism in trade. The imposition of Prohibition (1919ΓÇô33) increased smuggling and the activities of criminal gangs, but the 1920s were prosperous until the Depression began in 1929 with the collapse of the stock market. Federal investment and intervention brought relief through the New Deal program of President Franklin Roosevelt (1882ΓÇô1945). The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the USA into World War II (1941). American involvement in the European and Pacific theaters of war was decisive and committed the USA to a world role as a superpower in 1945. US assistance was instrumental in rebuilding Europe (through the Marshall Plan) and Japan.From the late 1940s to the end of the 1980s, the USA confronted the Soviet UnionΓÇÖs perceived global threat in the Cold War. As the leader of the Western alliance, the USA established bases in Europe, the Far East and the Indian and Pacific Oceans, so encircling the Soviet bloc. The USA was involved in the Korean War (1950ΓÇô53) against Chinese and North Korean forces, and in direct military intervention in Guatemala (1954), Lebanon (1958 and 1983ΓÇô85), the Dominican Republic (1965), Panama (1968 and 1989) and Grenada (1983). The greatest commitment, however, was in Vietnam, where from 1964 to 1973 US forces attempted to hold back a Communist takeover of Indochina, but a growing disenchantment with the war forced an American withdrawal.From the 1950s the civil rights movement ΓÇô led by Martin Luther King (1929ΓÇô68) ΓÇô campaigned for full political rights for Blacks and for desegregation of schools, hospitals, buses, etc. In the early 1960s President John F. Kennedy (1917ΓÇô63) made racial discrimination illegal. Kennedy supported the unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by right-wing exiles (1961) and was assassinated in 1963. Growing economic problems in the 1970s led to the election of a monetarist President, Ronald Reagan (1911ΓÇô ), in 1981. The USA continued to support movements and governments perceived as being in the Western interest ΓÇô for example, backing Israel in the Middle East, providing weapons to the UNITA guerrillas in Angola and the Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua, and leading the coalition against Iraq (1990ΓÇô91) after the latterΓÇÖs invasion of Kuwait. However, the increasing economic challenge from Japan, and the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe (1989) and the USSR (1991), raised questions about the USAΓÇÖs future world role. From 1990ΓÇô91 some overseas bases were closed and stocks of nuclear weapons were cut. In 1992, American forces led relief efforts in Somalia and in 1994 intervened in Haiti as part of an international effort to restore the deposed president. However, since 1993, under President Bill Clinton, domestic issues have taken priority over foreign affairs.American political life is dominated by two parties ΓÇô the Republicans and the Democrats. The Republican Party (formed in 1854) began as a party dedicated to national rather than statesΓÇÖ rights. The older Democratic Party, which was traditionally anti-federalist, was the dominant force in US politics from 1800 to 1856. From the Civil War to the 1930s the Republicans were usually the dominant party. Both parties are coalitions of shifting interests. In the 1990s the Republicans have been characterized as anti-statist, in particular with regard to welfare, while the Democrats (who draw much of their support from liberals and minorities) have sought to extend the arm of government.</text> </content> <name>United States</name> <script></script> </card>