Chapter7 Land，People and Economy
》》Key Words
■geographical features
■rivers and lakes
■climate
■natural resources
■forests
■mineral resources
■population
■ethnicity and race，market economy
■government regulation
■financial services
■trade
■government services
■manufacturing industry
The United States of America is located in North America with its national capital in Washington D.C.（the District of Columbia）.With an area of around 9.4 million square kilometers，it is the fourth largest country in size in the world after Russia，Canada and China.It is composed of 48 contiguous states and the two noncontiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii.The 50 states vary greatly in size;the largest state is Alaska and the smallest is Rhode Island.Besides the 50 states，the United States also governs some dependent territories such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea，and the islands of Samoa and Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
The U.S.national flag is popularly called the American Flag，and has 13 red and white horizontal stripes and 50 white stars（one for each state）in a rectangular blue square in the upper left corner of the flag.The national anthem is the“Star Spangled Banner”，which was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814.
the American Flag
The U.S.is the third⁃most populous country in the world after China and India.It is a country of immigrants，with a population made up of more than 100 ethnic groups from all over the world.With only about 4.5％ of the world’s population，it produced about 20％ of global GDP（gross domestic product）as of 2014，which ranks the highest among national economies.The U.S.has the world’s largest national economy and leads the world in technological development.