Washington D C the capital of the USA

Washington D. C.

• the capital of the USA (about 650 000, metropolitan area – 5, 6 mil people) • the Potomac River (between Maryland Virginia) • D. C. = district of Columbia, not a part of a state • the seat of the federal government, the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court • capital since 1800 (G. Washington chose the site of the city in 1791) = named in honour of G. Washington • Philadelphia was the nation’s capital till 1800

White House • the seat of every US president except for G. Washington • 132 rooms, some of them are open to the public http: //politicalhumor. about. com/od/funnyvideos/youtube/president-morph. htm

The Capitol • the seat of the Congress since 1800 • the House of Representatives Wing - in the south • the Senate Wing - in the north • the bronze Statue of Freedom on the top

The Washington Monument • most famous landmark, the tallest structure in Washington - 170 m • white marble obelisk in the middle of the Mall (a huge park in the centre) • dedicated to the memory of the first US president

The Jefferson Memorial • the bronze statue of T. Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence

The Lincoln Memorial • dedicated to Abraham Lincoln (the president during the Civil War 1861 – 1865)

Vietnam War Memorial • the names of almost 60 000 people who were killed or disappeared in the Vietnam War • names inscribed on the polished black granite walls

National World War II Memorial • the newest monument, opened in 2004 • dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces as well as civilians during WW II (56 granite pillars, 2 arches)

The Pentagon • the seat of the headquarters of the Department of Defense • 23 thousand employees work there

Arlington National Cemetery • thousands of military veterans from all the nation’s wars are buried here • from the American Revolution to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan