COMMUNICATIONS

The communications systems in the United States are among the most developed in the world. In 1997, 1285 television broadcasters were in operation.

There were 1497 daily newspapers published in the United States in 1997, 19 fewer than the year before. Daily newspapers had a circulation of approximately 58.2 million copies in 1996. The top daily newspapers in the United States according to circulation were the Wall Street Journal (published in New York City), USA Today (published in Arlington, Virginia), the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, each with a circulation in excess of 1 million. Other leading newspapers included the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Sun Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Boston Globe, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Nearly 21,300 periodicals were published in 1997. These ranged from specialized journals reaching only a small number of professionals to major newsmagazines such as Time, with a circulation of 4.1 million a week, and Newsweek, with a circulation of 3.2 million a week, to mass publications with vast audiences, such as the weekly TV Guide, reaching 13.2 million readers, and the monthly Reader’s Digest, with a circulation of 15.1 million copies. In 1994 2.1 million books were sold.

AMERICAN PEOPLE

THE NATIVE AMERICAN

The story of the Native American - American Indian - is one that is unique, tragic and ultimately inspiring. It is unique because the Indians were the original inhabitants of the American continent and experienced every phase of its European settlement, from the earliest l7th century colonies to the closing of the western frontier at the end of the l9th century. It is tragic because the conflict between the Indians and whites paralleled the experience of traditional peoples throughout the world who have come in contact with expanding, industrialized societies. It is an inspiring story because the Native Americans although dispossessed of much of their land in the l9th century, have survived, have asserted their political and economic rights, and have succeeded in retaining their identity and culture despite the onslaught of modem civilization.

Marks of Indian heritage can be found all over the United States. Many of the names on United States maps - Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Idaho and more - are Indian words. The Indians taught the Europeans how to cultivate crops such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco. Canoes, snowshoes and moccasins are all Indian inventions. Indian handcrafted artifacts such as pottery, silver jewelry, paintings and woven rugs are highly prized.

About 62 percent of the Indians in the United States live in large cities and rural areas scattered throughout the country. The remainder live on about 300 federal reservations (land set aside for their use). Together, the reservations comprise 52.4 million acres (21 million hectares) of land, or about 2.5 percent of the land area in the United States. Most reservations are located west of the Mississippi River.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 951