USA – geography
The USA is situated in the southern part of North America. Its neighbours are Canada in the north and Mexico in south. East of the USA is the Atlantic Ocean and west the Pacific. In the south-east the American shore is washed by the Gulf of Mexico. The east coast is washed by the Labrador Stream which is cold as the California Stream is. The largest American state is Alaska, which is situated in the north-west. The Hawaiian Islands also belong to the USA. They are situated in the Pacific Ocean, south-west of California.
On the eastern coast there are the Appalachian Mountains. These are geologically the oldest ones. The highest mountain is Mt. Mitchell. West of the Appalachian Highlands there is the Mississippi River which is probably the most famous American river, most of all thanks to Mark Twain and his Huckleberry Finn. Its name is probably of Indian origin and means „great water.“
Probably half of the USA is created by the Cordilleras in the west. On the shore there are the Coast Mountains. Inland there are the Rocky Mountains which are higher than 4000 m.
In the north, on the border with Canada, there are the Niagara Falls and the five Great Lakes – Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior. They are the largest natural basins of fresh water in the world. The biggest river of Alaska is the Yukon which is often ice-bound. Another big river is the Missouri. It is a tributary[1] of the Mississippi. The Rio Grande river is a natural border between Texas and Mexico. The famous Great Canyon can be found on the Colorado River.
[1] přítok
