The Unites States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast - by the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometres. The population of the USA is about 323 million people; most of the population lives in towns and cities. The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate. The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The northern state of Minnesota is a land of 10 000 lakes. The longest rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is a highly-developed industrial and agricultural country. There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3,4 million. Washington was built in the late eighteenth century as the centre of government. It was named after George Washington. The USA became the world leading country at the beginning of the twentieth century.