USA+Country+Project+Period+6

**WELCOME TO THE PROUD UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!** by Deanna Lagasse, Calvin Yuen, and Scott Duessel



On the left is a map of the United States of America (USA), which is displaying the 50 states of the Union. The first state to join the Union was Delaware in December 1787, and the last to join was Hawaii in August 1959. Also, the USA is a federal constitutional republic with a federal district. The land lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and its northern border is against Canada, while the southern border is againt Mexico. There is about 312 million people residing in the United States, and these people are called "American". The national currency is the United States dollar, and the national language is English. Not displayed on the map is the archipelago-state Hawaii or the state of Alaska. The largest city is New York City, and the area size is roughly 9,826,675 km squared. The capital of the USA is Washington, D.C.

On the right is a picture of the United State' national flag, which has thirteen red and white horizontal stripes that represent the thirteen colonies, and a bluesquare in the top left corner to represent the Union. In the blue square, there are fifty white stars representing the 50 states. It is still unclear who made the original design of the flag, but historians believe Philidelphian seamstress Betsy Ross made it. On June 14, 1777, the Continental congress passed the Flag Act, and later stars where added to represent more states. In the Civil War, the flag was used throughout the North to symbolize American nationalism and rejection of secessionism, and it is flown daily in America, as well as on special occasions, in which gold fringe is placed upon it. Also, military men and women wear it backards on their uniforms, and there are many rules of etiquitte for the National Anthem, raising and lowering the flag, and flying it outdoors. Furthermore, the white on the flag signifies purity and innocence, while red is hardiness & valour, and blue, represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.