The United States of
America is located in the middle of the North American continent, with
Canada to the north and the United Mexican States to the south. The
United States ranges from the Atlantic Ocean on the nation's east
coast to the Pacific Ocean bordering the west, and also includes the
state of Hawaii, a series of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, the
state of Alaska located in the northwestern part of the continent
above the Yukon, and numerous other holdings and territories.
This may be valuable to know as part of your CSET
review.
For the California Subject
Examinations for Teachers (CSET) you may also wish to know that the
first known inhabitants of the area now known as the United States are
believed to have arrived over a period of several thousand years
beginning approximately 20,000 years ago by crossing the Bering land
bridge into Alaska. The first solid evidence of these cultures
settling in what would become the US begins as early as 15,000 years
ago with the Sandia and Clovis tribes.
Relatively little is known
of these early settlers compared to the Europeans who colonized the
area after the first voyage of navigator Christopher Columbus in 1492
for Spain. Columbus' men were also the first documented Old Worlders
to land in the territory of the United States when they arrived in
Puerto Rico during their second voyage in 1493. The first European
known to set foot in the continental U.S. was Juan Ponce de León, who
arrived in Florida in 1513, though there is some evidence suggesting
that he may have been preceded by John Cabot in 1497.
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The above CSET-related
article on US History is predominantly excerpted from Wikipedia and
used under permission of the GNU license agreement. It is
provided as a free CSET study resource for those seeking additional
review on US History. Please note, however, that it is not
written specifically for CSET prep purposes, and does not cover all
material needed to pass the test.
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