美国历史与文化.ppt

1、In Spring，2009,A Brief Introduction,The United States of America (commonly referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-ei

2、ght contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. T

3、he state of Hawaii is an archipelago(群岛)in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories, or insular(海岛的)areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.,In Spring，2009,A Brief Introduction,At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km) and with about 305 million people, the Unit

4、ed States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. The United States is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the largest nati

5、onal economy in the world, with an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of US$14.3 trillion (23% of the world total based on nominal GDP and almost 21% at purchasing power parity).,In Spring，2009,A Brief Introduction,The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along t

6、he Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and their formation of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of

7、independence. A federal convention adopted the current United States Constitution on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fund

8、amental civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791.,In Spring，2009,A Brief Introduction,In the 19th century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian So

9、uth and industrial North over states rights and the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked the American Civil War of the 1860s. The Norths victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the end of legal slavery in the United States. By the 1870s, the national economy was the

10、 worlds largest. The SpanishAmerican War and World War I confirmed the countrys status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a founding member of NATO. The en

11、d of the Cold War left the United States as the sole superpower. The country accounts for approximately 50% of global military spending and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the world.,In Spring，2009,The Rockies,The Rockies, the backbone of the North American Continent, is also

12、 known as the Continental Divide.,In Spring，2009,The Appalachian mountains,The Appalachian mountains are locally known by different names: the Green mountains and the white mountains in New England, the Catskills in New York, the Alleghenies along the eastern seaboard, the Cumberlands in Kentucky, t

13、he Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, the Great Smokies on the Tennessee- North Carolina border,In Spring，2009,The Mississippi,The Mississippi flows 3770 km (2340 mi) from its source at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. While the Mississippi ranks as the second lon

14、gest river in the United States after the Missouri River, it carries a greater volume of water than any other American river. This map, illustrating the three major rivers of the central United States, shows that the Missouri converges with the Mississippi near St. Louis, and the Ohio converges with

15、 the Mississippi in southern Illinois (at Cairo).,In Spring，2009,The Missouri River,The Missouri River, flowing through central South Dakota, is one of the longest rivers in the United States. This magnificent river, forced into its present course by the face of the Continental glacier , is formed b

16、y the joining of the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson rivers, near Three Forks, Montana. The Missouri River flows generally south and east, entering into the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. The Missouri River basin, including over 95 major tributary支流 rivers and streams, encompasses over

17、 338.5 million acres. The terrain in the basin ranges from the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains to the fertile soils of the central prairies. The Missouri River, prior to its modification by man, was known for its shifting channels, high turbidity混浊, , and periodic floods. This river, commonly r

18、eferred to as the Big Muddy, served as a travelway and thread of life for people and wildlife, alike. The floods that used to occur, often with destructive force, were viewed with awe敬畏and dismay by many white settlers. The floods actually served a very important function for the Missouri River vall

19、ey ecosystem . Floods provided an important exchange of nutrients between the flood plain and the river. Additionally, periodic floods replenished backwaters and scoured, as well as built, sand bar habitat critical for many wildlife species.,In Spring，2009,The Colombia,The Columbia River is the larg

20、est river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is named after the Columbia Rediviva, the first ship from the western world known to have traveled up the river. It stretches from British Columbia through Washington state, forming much of the border between Washington and Oregon before

21、 emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long.,In Spring，2009,The Colombia,The Columbia flows 1,243miles (2,000km) from its headwaters in British Columbia (BC), Canada, to the Pacific Ocean on the OregonWashington border in the United States.,In Spring，2009,The Colorado

22、river,The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use

23、 of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea.,the Hoover Dam,In Spring，2009,The Rio Grande river,Rio Grande, (Mexican: Rio Bravo del Norte), a North American river shared by th

24、e United States and Mexico. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Colorado and flows southward through New Mexico to the western tip of Texas. From there the river flows southeastward to the Gulf of Mexico, forming the boundary between Mexico and the United States. The Rio Grande is 1,885

25、 miles (3,134 km) long.,In Spring，2009,Map of the Great Lakes,the Great Lakes are Lake Superior, which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan ,the only entirely in the U.S., Lake Huron, Lake Eire and Lake Ontario. They are located between Canada and the United States except Lake

26、 Michigan.,In Spring，2009,Map of the Great Lakes,The Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are

27、sometimes referred to as inland seas, Canada and the United States Third Coast, or the Industrial Heartland.,In Spring，2009,Seven Geographical regions,Traditionally from the east to the west the United States can be divided into seven geographical regions. New England The Middle Atlantic States The

28、Midwest The South The American West The Pacific Coast The New States,In Spring，2009,New England,New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern states of Maine, New

29、Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.,In Spring，2009,New England,In one of the earliest English settlements in the New World, English Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in Europe first settled in New England in 1620, in the colony of Plymouth. In the late 18th century

30、, the New England colonies would be among the first North American British colonies to demonstrate ambitions of independence from the British Crown, although they would later oppose the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. Weather patterns are highly variable and climate varies through

31、out the region.,In Spring，2009,New England,New England contains some of the oldest and most renowned institutions of higher learning in the United States. The first such institution, subsequently named Harvard College, was founded at Cambridge, Massachusetts, to train preachers, in 1636. Yale Univer

32、sity was founded in Branford, Connecticut, in 1701, and awarded the nations first doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in 1861. Yale moved to New Haven, Connecticut, in 1718 where it has remained to the present day. Brown University, the first college in the nation to accept students of all religious affiliation

33、s and seventh-oldest institution of higher learning, was founded in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1764. Dartmouth College was founded five years later in Hanover, New Hampshire, with the mission of educating the local American Indian population as well as English youth. In addition to four out of eig

34、ht Ivy League schools, New England also contains the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Little Three, four of the original seven sisters, the bulk of institutions identified as the Little Ivies, and the Five Colleges consortium in western Massachusetts.,In Spring，2009,The Mid-Atlantic

35、States,The Mid-Atlantic States (also called Middle Atlantic States or simply Mid Atlantic) form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. In the census classification, this division is one of two making up the Nor

36、theast. The division consists of three states: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This definition corresponds with the regions traditional definition as the section of the Atlantic Seaboard between New England and the South. However, the states south of the Northeast, centered in Delaware, Mary

37、land, and Virginia (not in the census region), are also considered by some to be part of the Mid-Atlantic region. The traditional Mid-Atlantic States comprise the most densely-populated of the nine U.S. regions, and anchor the megalopolis which runs from Boston to Washington, D.C.,In Spring，2009,The

38、 Middle Atlantic states,Early settlers were mostly farmers, traders and fishermen. The region, called the Middle Colonies, served as a strategic bridge between North and South. Philadelphia, midway between the northern and southern colonies, was home to the Continental Congress, the convention of de

39、legates from the original colonies that organized the American Revolution. The same city was the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Middle Atlantic states provided the young United States with heavy industry and served as the melting pot of n

40、ew immigrants from Europe. Cities grew along major shipping routes and waterways. Such flourishing cities included New York City on the Hudson River, Philadelphia on the Delaware River, and Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay.,In Spring，2009,The Midwest,Chicago is the largest city in the region, followe

41、d by Detroit and Indianapolis. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet is the largest metropolitan statistical area, followed by Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, and Greater St. Louis.,The Midwestern United States, in the US generally referred to simply as the Midwest, is one of the four

42、geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. The region consists of twelve states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.,In Spring，2009,Th

43、e South Atlantic States,The South Atlantic States: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware The East South Central States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee The West South Central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklah

44、oma, and Texas,In Spring，2009,The South,The South, a region of the United States comprised chiefly of states which were part of the Confederacy during the American Civil War The Southern United Statescommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the Southconstitutes a large distinctiv

45、e region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the regions unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of Spanish, English and French heritage; importation of hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans; growth of a large pro

46、portion of African Americans in the population, reliance on slave labor, and legacy of the Confederacy after the American Civil War, the South developed its own customs, literature, musical styles, and varied cuisines.,In Spring，2009,the West,The Western United Statescommonly referred to as the Amer

47、ican West or simply The Westtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). Because the United States expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over

48、 time. Prior to about 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. Since about 1800, the frontier moved further west and the Mississippi River has since been referenced as the easternmost possible boundary of The West. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, The Western

49、Rivers System consists of the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Cumberland, Arkansas and White Rivers and their tributaries, and certain other rivers that flow towards the Gulf of Mexico not the Sacramento and Columbia. The West had played an important part in American history; the O

50、ld West is embedded in Americas folklore.,In Spring，2009,the West,In its most expansive definition, the western U.S. is the largest region, covering more than half the land area of the United States. It is also the most geographically diverse, incorporating geographic regions such as the Pacific Coa

51、st, the temperate rain forests of the Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, most of the tall-grass prairie eastward to Western Wisconsin, Illinois, the western Ozark plateau, the western portions of the southern forests, the Gulf Coast, and all of the desert areas located in the United S

52、tates,In Spring，2009,The Pacific Coast,The pacific Coast includes the western parts of Washington and Oregon and nearly all of California. Important cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle,In Spring，2009,American Population,The United States of the American is the third most populo

53、us county in the world after China and India. Traditionally, the mainstream American were called WASPs, that is ,White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. The population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups coming from many races, nationalities, and religions. People refer to the Unit

54、ed States as melting pot and the dominant people are British. American is made up of WASP+MM, that is, White, Anglo Saxon, Protestants plus Middle Class and Male.,In Spring，2009,Demographic features of American Population,The United States has a very diverse populationthirty-one ancestry groups have

55、 more than a million members White Americans are the largest racial group, with German Americans, Irish Americans, and English Americans constituting three of the countrys four largest ancestry groups African Americans are the nations largest racial minority and third largest ancestry group Asian Am

56、ericans are the countrys second largest racial minority; the two largest Asian American ancestry groups are Chinese and Filipino In 2007, the U.S. population included an estimated 4.5 million people with some American Indian or Alaskan native ancestry (2.9 million exclusively of such ancestry) and o

57、ver 1 million with some native Hawaiian or Pacific island ancestry (0.5 million exclusively). The demographic features of the population of the United States includes population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of

58、the population.,In Spring，2009,Demographic features of Population,The United States has a population of 306 million. It is a very urbanized nation, with 81% of the population residing in cities and suburbs as of mid-year 2005 (the worldwide urban rate was 49%). The mean population center of the Unit

59、ed States has consistently shifted westward and southward, with California and Texas currently the most populous states The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2008 is 2.1 children per woman, which is roughly the replacement level However, U.S. population growth is among the highest in industrialized countries, due to strong immigration People under 20 years of age made up over a quarter of the U.S. population (27.6%), and people age 65 and over made up one-eighth (12.6%) in 2007. The national median age was 36.7 years.,In Spring，2009,American immigration,American immigr