The geographical location of a country and its physical characteristics are very important to its development and
1
. The United States is very
2
in this
3
.
First of all, it has a good
4
. In almost all
5
of the country it is possible to live
6
during the whole year. It is true that in the south it sometimes gets very hot, and in the north very cold. But the people who live in these regions become
7
to the climate and never
8
very much when the weather is either very hot or very cold.
In a large country there is usually
9
different physical characteristics. In the United States, there are wide plains and high mountains, thousands of lakes and rivers of all sizes, cool forests and hot deserts, and a coastline several thousand miles long.
The many lakes and rivers, as well as the long coastline, have been of great importance to the development of the country, since they made possible
10
of people and all the things people need. Transportation by water is still necessary and important. In modem times, however, trains, automobiles, trucks and airplanes are doing much of the work which was formerly done by ships and boats.