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New Zealand is an island country in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1600 km southeast of Australia and about 10 500 km southwest of California. New Zealand belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. The country is situated on two main islands — the North Island and the South Island — and several dozen smaller islands. Most of the smaller islands are hundreds of kilometers from the main ones.

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and Auckland is the largest city. English is the official language of New Zealand and is spoken throughout the country. Many native people speak their own language» Maori, in addition to English.

The country once belonged to the British empire. Today it is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of Britain and a number of its former colonies.

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Canada's history is an exciting story of development of a vast wilderness into a great nation. Most experts believe that the first people who lived on this land came from Asia about 15000 years ago. They came over a land bridge that once connected Asia and North America. Their descendants are known today as Indians. The ancestors of the Eskimos came to Alaska after them probably about 5000 years ago.

In 1497, John Cabot, an Italian navigator in the service of England, found rich fishing grounds off Canada's south- east coast. His discovery led to the European exploration of Canada. France set up a colony in eastern Canada in the early 1600's. Great Britain gained control of the country in 1763, and thousands of British emigrants came to Canada. In 1867, the French and English-speaking Canadians helped to create a united colony called the Dominion of Canada. Two groups worked together to settle the country and to develop its great mineral deposits and other natural resources.

Canada gained its independence from Britain in 1931. During the middle of 20th century, hard-working Canadians turned their country into an economic giant.

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The United States of America is one of the greatest countries in the world.

It is situated on the North American continent and is washed by three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic.

The USA  borders only on two countries — Canada and Mexico.

This great country has a lot of mountains, rivers, lakes. The main mountains are the Appalachians and the Cordilleras. The longest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri.

The climate of the country is varied. In the southern part it is subtropical while the northern part has very cold weather in winter.

America has fifty states and one federal District of Columbia where the capital of the country is situated.

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