The Population and Settlement of the United States of America

Združene države Amerike imajo danes dobrih tristo milijonov prebivalcev in so, za Kitajsko in Indijo, tretja najbolj naseljena država na svetu. Prebivalstvo ZDA je plod stalnega priseljevanja skozi stoletja, zaradi česar je demografska sestava prebivalstva danes zelo pestra. Po Kolumbovem odkritju kontinenta v 15. stoletju je sledilo množično priseljevanje. V različnih zgodovinskih obdobjih so se na kontinent priseljevale različne etnične skupine prebivalstva, ki so se naselile v zase značilne regije, odraz česar je danes prostorska razporeditev etničnih skupin. Največja etnična skupina so potomci prvih evropskih priseljencev, ki zastopajo belo raso, sledijo jim številčno čedalje večja skupina priseljencev iz Latinske Amerike, črno in azijsko prebivalstvo ter predstavniki ameriških domorodcev. Priseljevanje ljudi je še danes zastopano v veliki meri in tudi rast prebivalstva je v veliki meri pozitivna na račun priseljevanja. Ob prihodu v državo se večina priseljencev naseli v večja mesta, kjer so razmere za življenje lažje kot v ruralnih območjih. ZDA so visoko urbanizirana država, saj več kot osemdeset odstotkov prebivalstva živi v velikih mestih, med njimi so največja New York, Los Angeles in Chicago. Večina severnoameriških mest se nahaja ob obalah, zaradi česar so te najgosteje naseljene, medtem ko je osrednji del, z izjemo večjih mest, le redko poseljen. Mnoga urbana območja so se razvila v tako imenovane megalopolise, med katerimi je največji megalopolis na vzhodnoatlantski obali in zajema metropole New York, Washington, Boston in Filadelfijo. Začetna angleška dominanca je bila osrednjega pomena za razvoj kulture in jezika. Angleščina je danes uradni jezik, čeprav v zadnjih letih, zaradi vse večjega števila latinoameriških priseljencev, vse bolj v ospredje prihaja španski jezik. The United States of America has a total resident population of around 300 million making it the third most populous country in the world after China and India. The population of the USA is the aftermath of the constant immigration over the centuries, which is the reason for the complex demographic composition of the population. After Columbus discovered the continent in the 15th century, mass immigration followed. Different ethnic groups immigrated to the continent in different periods of history. They settled in for them typical regions. The reflection of this settlement is the spatial arrangement of the ethnic groups nowadays. The largest ethnic group are the descendants of the first European immigrants who represent the white race, followed by the immigrants from Latin America, black and Asian population, and the members of American natives. Nowadays, immigration is still present to a great extent which is reflected in the positive population growth. Immigrants who arrive in the country settle in bigger cities where life conditions are better than in rural parts. The USA is a highly urban country with more than 80% of the population living in big cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Most of the North American cities are located along the coast and this is the reason why the coastal areas are very densely populated. On the contrary, the central part is only sparsely populated with the exception of large cities. Many of urban areas have developed in the so called megalopolises. The biggest megalopolis – Northeast megalopolis is located on east Atlantic coast and consists of four global cities – New York, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia. The initial English dominance was of the main importance for cultural and linguistic development. English is still an official language although Spanish is stepping more and more in the foreground due to the increasing number of Hispanic immigrants.