The United States of America (abbreviated U.S.A. or U.S.) is located in the northern hemisphere and lies between the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Canada forms the northern border while Mexico forms the southern. The U.S.A. is the fourth largest country in the world with a total area of 3,618,773 square miles. There are 260 million people spread out over fifty states. The terrain is varied with vast plains in the central part of the country and high mountains in the west. These include the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada and the Coast and Cascade ranges. All of these mountains are part of a much larger system of mountains that extend down to the western part of Central and South America. Between the Rockies and the Pacific Ranges lie the hot deserts of the southwest. This desert area is called the Great Basin. Along the pacific coast the mountains often plunge directly down into the sea.

           In the east, the landscape is less dramatic. There are rolling hills and lower mountains. In the northeast is a group of six states called New England. Some of these states have rocky coasts that border the Atlantic Ocean. Fishermen sometimes still have risky lives when they go out in their boats and meet with unexpected storms at sea. There are many large lakes and long rivers throughout the country, including the famous Mississippi River that has supported so much commerce and a rich river life since the earliest days of the founding of the United States.

           Even though the United States has a technologically advanced economy, there are vast areas where agriculture plays an important part in contributing to the wealth of the country. For instance, many of the central plains are covered with fields that cultivate wheat. But before the farmers began planting wheat, the plains were covered with wild grasses and herds of buffalo and antelope that grazed there.

           If you travel to Alaska, the most northern state, you will find a cold tundra. This state, like Hawaii, has no direct border with any other of the United States. Hawaii, the last state to join the union, is made up of a group of islands found in the Pacific Ocean. These islands were formed by volcanoes that rose up from the ocean floor.