This document provides information about the US government system and different states. It discusses the 15 federal departments and their roles, as well as independent agencies. It also profiles the President as the head of the executive branch and commander-in-chief. Finally, it summarizes each of the 50 US states, covering their location, capital, population, industries, history and key facts.

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There are 15 federal government departments,
each with its own area of activity. The Department
of Defense, for example, runs the military services.
The Department of Health and Human Services
runs programmes such as Social Security,
Medicare and Medicaid.
The State Department advises the President on
relations with foreign countries and runs the
embassies. In addition, there are a number of
independent agencies within the executive branch.
Each department has offices in Washington, DC
and throughout the country.
Government departments and agencies

4. The President of US
The President is the head of state of the
US and is part of the executive branch of
government.
The president decides US policy on foreign
affairs and is the commander-in-chief of the
armed forces. He can appoint heads of
government departments and federal judges.
Congress must ask the President to approve
new laws, although it is possible to pass a law
without the President’s approval.

5. The Constitution requires that a president
should be at least 35 years old, and have been
born in the US. It is often said that the
President is directly elected by the people.
Americans have a lot of respect for the
office of President, and they are shocked
when the president is believed to have done
something wrong or illegal. In such a case it
is possible for Congress to impeach the
President (= remove him from his job).

6. Barack Obama is the 44th
and current President of the
United States, and the first
African American to serve
as U.S. president. First
elected to the presidency in
2008, he was a second term
in 2012.

7. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and
daughters Sasha and Malia were all smiles before
the president gave his 2012 acceptance speech in
Chicago. On 6 November 2012 held the US
Presidential election and now the President of US
is Barack Obama.

8. States of the USA

10. Alabama State map
State Flag of Alabama
Seal of Alabama

11. Alabama - a southern US state, also called
the Yellowhammer State, the Cotton State and
the Heart of Dixie.
The capital city is Montgomery and the
largest city is Birmingham.
Important industries include the production of
paper, textiles, chemicals and metals. It also
has many agricultural products, including milk,
wheat and cotton.
Became Union State December 14,1819.

12. Alaska State map
State Flag of Alaska
Seal of Alaska

13. Alaska - the largest and most northern state
of the US, connected to the other states by the
Alaska Highway through Canada. It is
sometimes called the Last Frontier and
produces a lot of oil. The land was bought
from Russia in 1867 and Alaska became the
49th state January 3, 1959.
The capital city is Juneau, and the largest
city is Anchorage, where 40% of the population
live. Total Area is 663,268 sq mi.
State Mineral is Gold.

14. Arizona State map
State Flag of Arizona
Seal of Arizona

15. Arizona - a state in the south-western US, also
known as the Grand Canyon State. Its capital and
largest city is Phoenix. Total area is 113.998 sq mi
and 48th state of the USA and last of the contiguous
states to be admitted to the Union, and it achieved
statehood on February 14, 1912.
Arizona’s natural features include the Grand
Canyon, the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.
Its most important industry is manufacturing,
especially of electrical and communication
equipment. It also produces more than half of the
country’s copper.

16. Arkansas State map
State Flag of Arkansas
Seal of Arkansas

17. Arkansas - a state in the central southern
US, sometimes called the Land of Opportunity.
Its capital and largest city is Little Rock. The
state’s natural features include Hot Springs
National Park and Buffalo National River.
Its most important industries include the
production of food and wood.
Total Area is 53,179 sq mi and Arkansas
was admitted to the union as the 25th state on
June 15, 1836.

18. California State map
State Flag of California
Seal of California

19. California - a state on the Pacific Ocean, also
called the Golden State. Its largest city is Los
Angeles and the capital is Sacramento. Total
Area is163,696 sq mi and 31th USA State.
Became Union State September 9,1850.
It is known for Hollywood, Disneyland, Silicon
Valley and for its agricultural and wine products.
Its history has included the Gold Rush of 1849
and San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Ronald
Reagan was the governor of California from
1966 to 1974. Arnold Schwarzenegger was
elected governor in 2003.

20. Colorado State map
State Flag of Colorado
Seal of Colorado

21. Colorado - a western US state, also called the
Centennial State because it became a state 100
years after the Declaration of Independence.
Its capital and largest city is Denver. Total Area
is 104,185 sq mi and the 38th state of USA.
Became Union State August 1,1876.
It is popular with tourists and is famous for
Aspen and other towns in the Rocky Mountains
where people ski. The state’s history includes the
discovery of gold in 1858 and the cultural
influences of Native Americans and Mexicans.

22. Connecticut State map
State Flag of Connecticut
Seal of Connecticut

23. Connecticut - a small US state forming part
of New England. It was one of the 13 original
states. Total Area: 5,543 sq mi and the 5th state
of USA. Became Union State January 9,1788.
Its nickname is the Constitution State and
the state song is Yankee Doodle. Connecticut
has many industries but also large forests.
The capital city is Hartford, which is the
centre for US insurance companies.
Its largest city is Bridgeport. Many people
living in south-western Connecticut travel to
work each day in New York City.

24. Delaware State map
State Flag of Delaware
Seal of Delaware

25. Delaware - a small eastern state in the US,
named after a Native American people. It is
capital city is Dover and its largest city is
Wilmington. The northern part of the state is
industrial, with a large chemical industry, and
the southern part agricultural.
Delaware was one of the original thirteen
colonies and is sometimes called the First State
because it was the first to accept the US
Constitution.
Total Area is 2,490 sq mi and the 1st USA
State. Became Union State December 7,1787.

26. Florida State map State
Flag of Florida
Seal of Florida

27. Florida - the most southern state in the US. It is
internationally famous for its hot weather and white
beaches. Florida’s popular name is ‘the Sunshine
state’.
The largest city is Jacksonville and the capital city
is Tallahassee. Total Area is 65,795 sq mi and the
27th USA State. Became Union State Mach 3,1845.
Florida was discovered in 1513 by Juan Ponce de
Leon of Spain. Agriculture, manufacturing and
tourism are all important to the state’s economy. Its
attractions include Disney World, Cape Canaveral,
Miami Beach, the Everglades and the Florida Keys.

28. Georgia State map
State Flag of Georgia
Seal of Georgia

29. Georgia - a US state in the Deep South.
It was named after King George II of Great
Britain and was one of the 13 original
American states.
Georgia’s popular names are the Peach State
and the Empire State of the South.
Its capital and largest city is Atlanta.
Total Area is 59,425 sq mi and the 4th USA
State. Became Union State January 2,1788.
Important products of the state include paper,
textiles, cotton, tobacco and peaches.

30. Hawaii State map
State Flag of Hawaii
Seal of Hawaii

31. Hawaii - the 50th and last state to join the
US, in 1959, also known as the Aloha State. It
consists of eight main islands and other smaller
ones in the north Pacific Ocean.
Its capital Honolulu, which is also the largest
city, and the port of Pearl Harbor are on Oahu.
Total Area is 10,931 sq mi and became Union
State August 21,1959.
The state attracts many tourists and produces
sugar, pineapples, flowers, nuts and coffee.
Captain James Cook visited the islands in 1778,
and they have been under US control since 1900.

32. Idaho State map
State Flag of Idaho
Seal of Idaho

33. Idaho - a state in the north-western US. Its
popular name is the Gem State, because it has
many minerals, including silver. It also produces
a quarter of all the potatoes grown in the US.
It was part of the Louisiana Purchase and
became a state in 1890. Its capital and largest city
is Boise. Total Area is 83,642 sq mi and the 43rd
USA State. Became Union State July 3,1890.
Idaho’s attractions include the Rocky Mountains,
Craters of the Moon National Monument and
Hell’s Canyon, which is the deepest gorge in
North America.