A (Very) Brief History of the English Language
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The Republic of BelarusThe Republic of Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe. It borders on Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, the Ukraine, Russia and Poland. It is much larger than Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and the number of others. Its present population is about 12 million people. Belarus is a land of vast plains and picturesque hills, thick forests and green meadows, deep blue lakes and flowing rivers. Forests cover 2/5 of Belarus, they are scattered all over the country. There are a lot of rivers and lakes are in our country. The Dnieper, the Pripyat, the Beresins, the Sozh, the Zapadnaya Dvina, the Neman are the biggest rivers with more than 500 kilometers in length. The largest lake in Belarus is lake Naroch which stretches for 13 kilometers from West to East. It is a very popular recreation area in our country. Belarus has a moderately continental climate due to Atlantic influences with a warm winter and a worm summer. To most of the world Belarus is relatively little known, a new country in the central Europe. To its people it's an ancient land. The history of Belarus goes back to ancient times beginning with the Polotsk Principality in the 10th century. From the 13th centuiy till the 16th centuiy the territory of present-day Belarus was the core of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in which Belarussian was the official language. It was one of the largest, most powerful and flourishing states in Eastern Europe. The 16th century is considered to be the Golden Age of Belarussion history. In this period there was a wide growth of old and foundation of many new cities and towns. In that time occurred significant processes in culture and economy of Belarussian people. As Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe, many wars took place in its territory. One of the greatest wars was in 1812 when the emperor Napoleon attacked Russia. And Belarussian lands became the arena of military actions. A great number of Belarussians took part in this war against Napoleon. hi the 20th century alone Belarus has lived through three revolutions and three bloody wars. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is one of the most heroic and tragic periods in the history of the century. For three years the territory of Belarus was occupied by the Nazi. The country lost more than 3 million people (every third citizen fell in the fight against fascism), many towns and villages were ruined. Belarus lost more than half of its national wealth. Today Belarus is a developed industrial state. Industry makes up 70% of the Gross National Product. The main industries are engineering, chemical industry, wood-working and food industries. The major industrial centres in Belarus are Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Soligorsk, Zhodino, Brest and others. Belarussian goods are exported to many countries and known all over the world. Agriculture of Belarus specializes in milk and meat production, flax, vegetables (especially potatoes) and fruit (especially apples). The Republic of Belarus has well-developed science and educational system. The Academy of Sciences founded in 1929 is one of the largest centres of science in our country. Its research institutes work on various important problems in such fields as mathematics, optics, genetics, biology, etc. The demand for higher education remains high. State institutions are the centres both for education and scientific research. Nowadays in Belarus there are 43 universities, academies and institutes which provide training in various spheres of science and humanities. At present Belarus actively participates in an effective international partnership with the government of different states and international organizations. As co-founder of the United Nations Belarus contacts with various institutions and organizations of the United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organization, International Labor Organization, UNESCO, the European Union, etc. Belarus cooperates with such countries as Germany, Denmark, France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, the USA and many others. The USAThe United States of America is another important English-speaking country. It consists of fifty different states and the District of Columbia joined together under one government. The USA covers an area of almost 9400000 square kilometres and is twice as large as all the countries of Europe combined. It is placed in the middle of the North American continent and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west. Placed between two oceans, the USA has a free access to the trade routes of the world. The USA is divided into three areas: Eastern area — a highland. Central area — a plain, and the Western area which is mountainous. The north-western part of the USA includes five lakes. The whole central plain constitutes the basin of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is one of the longest rivers in the world. On the whole the USA has a continental climate. It is at the same time one of the coldest and one of the hottest countries, one of the wettest and one on the driest. The flag of the United States is called “Stars and Stripes”. The 50 stars represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent 13 original English colonies, which in 1776 became free and independent of England. The USA is governed by Congress and by the President. Congress consists of the Senate (100 senators — 2 from each state) and the House of Representatives (435 Congressmen). The President, who is also the head of the government and the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces, is elected every four years. The capital of the United States is Washington. It is situated on the Potomac River not far from the Atlantic coast. Washington is not a very large city. Such cities as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Orleans and some others are more larger. The USA is one of the most developed country in the world. It is a country of great contrasts. There are a lot of unsolved problems in the country such as unemployment and inflation, but nevertheless it is one of the greatest countries in the world. USA The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia. The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal Area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the country is more than 270 million. If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska. America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast. The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It's the world's leading producer of copper and oil and the world's second producer of iron ore and coal. Among the most important manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper. Though mainly European and African in origin, Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and native Americans. The largest cities are: {New York}, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, {Washington} and others. The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the Congress, and the judicial. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic, though there's hardly any difference between their political lines.
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