2. The United States:
is the world’s 4th largest country in area
(3,794,083 square miles)
is the world’s 3rd largest country in population
(313,104,975 people)
and has the highest GDP in the world
(followed by China, Japan, German, France, the UK, and Brazil). The US
GDP is nearly 3 times higher than that of China and Japan
3. Four Factors that give the
United States an advantage:
#1 Abundant Natural Resources
#2 Leading innovations in Transportation
#3 Leading innovations in Communication
#4 Respect for individual Freedoms
4. #1 Abundant Natural Resources At the time of the first
US census in 1790,
Rich, fertile soil...
more than three fourths
of US citizens lived on
farms.
Homestead Act
A government program
established in 1862 that
granted 160 of land to
any settler who agreed
to farm.
Today, fewer than one fourth of all
American live on farms, yet farms still
bring in over $50 billion annually.
Nearly half of the land in the US is
used for raising crops or animals.
90% of Nebraska is farmland -- the
highest of any state.
5. #1 Abundant Natural Resources
Forests...
From the time of the first settlers, forests
were cleared, beginning in the Northeast,
and then the South. Today, most of the
nation’s timber comes from the West.
From ships’ masts, to
housing and furniture
construction, to
medicinal chemicals,
forests in the US
provide a valuable
service...if managed
sustainably.
6. #1 Abundant Natural Resources
Mineral Resources... Gold
Copper
Coal - used as a source of energy
for industry, transportation and
homes. The US has 25% of the
world’s supply of coal.
Lead
and
Uranium
The US also extracts oil
and natural gas.
7. #2 Leading innovations in Transportation
Moving Resources, Goods and People...
Waterways...
Railroads
The trans-continental
RR was completed in
1869. By 1900, RRs
reached all parts of
the country.
and Canals Automobiles, invented in the 1890s gave individual
freedom to travel. Next, powerful diesel engines were
invented to drive heavy-duty modes of
transport...ships, trains, trucks and tractors.
8. #3 Leading Innovations in Communication
Telegraph
Telephone
invented in 1876 by
Alexander Graham
Bell. By 1915, telephone
wires connected coast
to coast.
invented in 1837 by Samuel
Morse, also aided the fledgling RR Modern day communication includes
industry computer technology, the internet, telephone,
and satellites.
9. #4 Respect for individual Freedoms
In 1789, the founding fathers established the notion that
individual equality, opportunity and freedom led to the belief
that people acting in their own best interests could serve the
needs of others -- which in turn led to an economic system
based on FREE ENTERPRISE or Capitalism.
