Human geography and ethnic diversity in the USA

America is the nation of immigrants who call America home. But in fact they have their origin in every part of the world. A roll call of school children will include such names as Adams, Ali, Bykowwsky, Caparella, Fujita, Gonzales, Nusseibeh and Wong. Mostly these diverse backgrounds have not been blended in the so-called American “melting pot”. In fact the idea that America is a “melting pot” is largely a myth. What exist more often is a kind of side-by-side living in wnich ethnic groups retain many of their own customs and social traditions. They merge into American stream only in certain aspects of life – in schools, sports,business and science, but keep many of their customs and patterns socially and at home. Many tensions now appear in American life stem from the interplay of varied cultures. The plus side of the situation is the richness that comes with variety, the wide freedom of choice that exists in ideas and dress, in food and customs. The minus side is that unseen barriers still exist for some people, most often in the world of busness and housing – particularly at lower income levels. Nontheless, everyone can find his own familiar world here – be it in spices or fruits, churhes, newspapers and music. With more than 245 mln. inhabitants the US is the fourth country in the world in terms of population. About 75% of the population live in urban areas and there are 170 cities of more tnan 100,000 inhabitants, 24 of which have populations of over 500,000. Most of these urban centres lie along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The first settlements in America were made up of people who had come from Britain, Holland, Ireland and Germany (between the years 1600 and 1700). In the 18th century the slaves from Africa were brought to America. In the first half of the 19th century a lot of people came from Scandinavia and Ireland. At the turn of the century many immigrants came from Italy, Russia, Poland and Hungary to settle in the industrial cities of the USA. After the WW II many settlers from Asia and Latin America (Latinos) came to settle in California and prosperous cities of the USA. In 1990 the US Bureau of Census conducted a new census of the American people which showed that some important demographic changes were taking place.The vast majority of the population was WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant) until about 1860. The country was actually founded wholly by White, Anglo-Saxons, mostly Protestant people. WASPs are now a marked minority in many parts of the country.Between 1860 and 1920 almost 30 million immigrants arrived from central and southeastern Europe in particular. These mainly Italian, Russian, Polish and Hungarian immigrants quickly formed their own culturally homogenous neihbourhoods (Little Italys, etc.) and became the second economic class behind the WASPs. The almost 12% of the population that are black are bottom of the economic and educational table, with far higher unemployment than whites, especially as a result of racial discrimination. The most rapidly growing ethnic group is the Hispanics (almost 7% of Americans), who still continue to use Spanish in their homes even though the vast majority were born in the USA. Like the blacks, they have a generally lower economic and educational level than the rest of the population. There are almost 2 millilon generally prosperous Oriental Americans (predominantly from Japan, China and the Philippines), who are concentrated mainly in California. The native Americans live mainly in reserves in the southwestern states in usually deep poverty and there has been little or no integration into American society.