The American States (1572)

Delaware ['delaweə] Hawaii [hə'waii]

Idaho ['aidəhou] Illinois [,ili'noi(z)]

Indiana [,indi'ænə] Iowa ['aio(u)wə]

Louisiana [luizi'ænə] Massachusetts [,mæsə't∫u:səts]

Michigan ['mi∫igən] Missouri [mi'zuəri]

New Hampshire [nju:'hæmp∫iə] Ohio [ou'haiou]

Oklahoma [,ouklə'houmə] Rhode Island [roud 'ailənd]

Texas ['teksəs] Utah ['ju:tə]

Vermont [və:'mont] Wisconsin [wis'konsin]

Wyoming [wai'oumiŋ]

The USA consists of 50 states including the District of Columbia, a special federal area where Washington, the capital of the country, is situated. Each of the states has several unofficial names or nicknames. These nicknames serve to describe the nature or geography of a state, its history, and the way of life and the traditions of its people.

Kansas, for example, is situated in the central part of the USA that is why one of its nicknames is the Central State. Alaska is The Great Land because its territory is the largest in the USA compared with all other states.

The Green Mountain State, Vermont, is situated in the Green Mountains. The people living there are called "Green Mountain boys". The White Mountain State is New Hampshire which northern part lies in the White Mountains.

There are several states which nicknames are connected with lakes and rivers. The Lake State is Michigan which is in the valley of the Great Lakes. Utah, on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, is called The Salt Lake State because the Great Salt Lake is situated on its territory. The Backwater State is the nickname of Nebraska because the water of its rivers is dark.

Some nicknames are connected with climatic conditions. The Sunshine State is Kansas which is in the centre of cyclone zone of the USA.

Some nicknames in the USA describe states known for their agriculture. The Garden State is New Jersey on the Atlantic coast. Minnesota has two nicknames – The Bread And Butter State and The Wheat State.

Some nicknames are connected with the history of the USA. The first state ratified the Constitution of the USA was Delaware, that is why it was nicknamed The First State. Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote. So it was nicknamed The Equality State. The people of Illinois where Abraham Lincoln began political activity are very proud of it and they called their state the Land of Lincoln.

Check your comprehension.

1. How many states does the USA consist of? 2. What is the District of Columbia special for? 3. Each American state has only one official name, doesn’t it? 4. What can the states’ nicknames show? 5. How is Kansas called unofficially? Why? 6. What is the biggest American state? 7. Citizen of what state can be called a Green Mountain boy? 8. Where is the Great Salt Lake situated? 9. Why is Nebraska called the Backwater State? 10. What American state was the first to ratify the Constitution?

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<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Chapter 2	\|	Alaska (1737)

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