The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the U.S. of A, the States, and America, is a country in North America. A federal republic, the United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico, and extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Washington, D.C.

The present-day continental United States has been inhabited for at least 15,000 years by Native Americans. After 16th-century European exploration and settlement, the English established new colonies, and gained control of others, in the eastern portion of the continent in the 17th and early 18th centuries. On 4 July 1776, at war with Britain over fair governance, thirteen of these colonies declared their independence; in 1783, the war ended in British acceptance of the new nation. Since then, the country has more than quadrupled in size: it now consists of 50 states, one federal district, and a number of overseas territories.

At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.1 million km²), the U.S. is the third largest country by area. It is also the world's third most populous nation, with nearly 300 million people.

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Library of Congress: News for Teachers

Portals to the World
Looking for information about foreign countries? Visit Portals to the World to find links to high quality websites vetted by Library of Congress staff members. Many of them are in the language of the country; perfect for those teaching foreign languages.
Folklore in the Classroom
Interested in bringing folklore materials into your classroom? Visit the American Folklife Center where you can learn about their heritage projects where they work to encourage students to learn more about their communities, see lesson plans using folklore activities, link to American Memory collections that highlight folklore materials and learn how to send for a poster providing additional ideas to use in your classroom.
Cybercasts of Digital Natives Lectures Now Available
If you were unable to come to the Library to see the lecture series on digital natives three of the four lectures are now available to view as cybercasts. Lectures include Edith Ackermann speaking on The Anthropology of Digital Natives, Steven Berlin Johnson discussing the response to his argument that popular culture is growing more complex and cognitively challenging, and is not racing downward towards a lowest common denominator, Michael Wesch discussing the impact of You Tube on our world and Douglas Rushkoff speaking about the profound impact of interactive technologies, from the remote control to the joystick to the computer keyboard.
Book Festival Authors Announced
The Library of Congress and First Lady Laura Bush are once again sponsoring the National Book Festival to be held on the National Mall on September 27, 2008. Among some 70 authors and illustrators participating this year are Tiki Barber, Marc Brown, R. L. Stein, Judith Viorst, Sharon Draper, Neil Gaiman, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Robert Sabuda, Dorren Cronin and Steven Kellogg. Jon Scieszka, who was recently named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Librarian of Congress, will also attend the event. You can learn more about the various authors who will be in attendance on the Book Festival website and view this year’s poster, created by noted illustrator Jan Brett.
New Poet Laureate Announced
Visit the Library’s Poetry website to learn more about the new Poet Laureate Pat Ryan. Ryan, a resident of Marin County, California, has written six books of poetry and has won numerous award including the Ruth Lilly Poetry Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 2004 Guggenheim Fellowship, an Ingram Merrill Award, the 2000 Union League Poetry Prize and the Maurice English Poetry Award and four Pushcart prizes. On the poetry website you can read Ryan’s poem “Turtle”, access a list of online resources about Ryan and learn more about the position of Poet Laureate and the people who have held this position.
New Educational Activities on MyLOC.gov
Have you visited the MyLOC.gov site yet? In addition to seeing the new online exhibits and the virtual tour of the Jefferson Building, make sure to look at our collection of new educational activities. These include teacher tested lesson plans on drafting the constitution, the decision to purchase Jefferson’s library and the details found on the Waldseemüller map. Also included are word searches, a game using actual books from Jefferson’s Library and an opportunity for students to craft an alternative version of the Declaration of Independence.

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