8. What is the official language?

The official language is English. The language Americans speak is called American English. It is different from British English in vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling.

9. What are the largest cities?

The largest city is New York. The Big Apple is and the popular nickname. It is the gateway to the US for many immigrants. The famous ethnic neighborhoods include Chinatown, Little Italy and others. There are five boroughs in the city among which are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

The Empire State Building (one of the tallest buildings in the world) stands in the centre of New York on Manhattan.

Broadway is the centre of the theatres and night life. It is known as «the Great White Way» because of the electric signs which turn night into day.

Time Square is the heart of the Theatre District with first–run cinemas, playhouses, restaurants, hotels and shop. On December 31 a lighted globe comes down a pole on the top of the building announcing the arrival of the New Year. People come to see the event.

Major museums are Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, Ellis Island Immigration Museum (European immigrants arrived at Ellis Island).

New York’s Best bridges are the Brooklyn Bridge, the double-decker George Washington Bridge.

Wall Street in New York City is the centre of the New York Stock Exchange and the centre of the world financial life.

The main headquarters of the United Nations (a world organization of nations) are in New York City.

The second largest city is Los Angeles (LA). Tourists, are attracted by its suburbs like Hollywood (the center of the movie industry) and Beverly Hills (famous actors and other celebrities live here).

Chicago is the third largest city. It is an industrial center and a port.

Detroit is the centre of automobile industry.

Four American’s greatest Presidents (G. Washington, Th. Jefferson, Th. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln) are carved on the face of Mount Rushmore in the state of South Dakota.

10. What is the official religion?

There is no official religion in the United States, and there is a strict separation of church and state. The freedom of religion is a basic right, as written in the First Amendment of the US Constitution (1791). People of different faiths live side by side. 56% of the present American population are Protestants, 25% - Roman Catholic, 11% - none, 2% - Jewish, 6% - other religions (Muslims, Buddhists, Christian groups).

11. What industries are developed in the country?

The US has one of the strongest economies in the world. It is the world leader in aeronautics, space technology, electronics, computer hardware and software. Many Americans work in the service sector.

High-tech industries are developed in the US. Universities and research institutes work closely with industry. Among which are MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Stanford University and Caltech (California Institute of Technology). The fastest-growing industry in the United States is developing computer hardware and software. Silicon Valley (south of San Francisco) is famous because it has many companies that specialize in computer technology. Aerospace industries are also developed here.