W a s h i n g t o n , t h e N a t i o n ‘ s C a p i t a l

Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America, is situated on the Potomac River. Washington does not belong to a state. It is a city and district – the District of Columbia (D.C.). The district is a piece of land ten miles square. The city is named in honour of the nation’s first President George Washington. The district is named in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America. Don’t confuse it with the State of Washington, which is located in the northwest of the United States.

The capital owes very much to the first President of the United States, George Washington. It was Washington who chose the place for the District and laid in 1790 the corner stone of the Capitol, where Congress sits. It was decided that the new seat of government should be situated on the left bank of the Potomac River, between the states of Maryland and Virginia – a compromise area, between the states of the North and the South.

Washington, D.C., is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the US. The metropolitan area now has a population of nearly three million. In the inner area of D.C., the majority of population is black or Afro-Americans as they are now called, and they are used in the services.

Along the banks of the Potomac River there are many green parks and gardens. In 1912 the famous cherry trees were planted in Washington. The 3000 flowering cherry trees were a gift from Japan and are still a major attraction for visitors and residents in the early days of spring.

The most beautiful park in metropolitan Washington, apart from Rock Greek, is Great Falls Park. This park is split in two by the waterfalls from the Virginia side.

Washington has many libraries, museums, art galleries and beautiful buildings. The Library of Congress is located here. It is the largest national library in the world. It takes 340 miles of shelves to hold all of the books.

The National Gallery of Art houses one of the greatest art collections of the world. The pink Tennessee marble building was opened to the public in 1941. It measures 785 feet in length and has more than half a million feet of floor space. The Rotunda with its interior walls of dark green marble imported from Italy and two garden courts are important features of the building.

Paintings, sculptures, tapestries and many other objects by the great masters from 14^th to 19^th centuries are exhibited in the Flemish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, British and American galleries.

There is the famous Pentagon in Washington. The Pentagon is a building where the headquarters of the Department of Defence, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force are located. It is the military centre of the United States.

The Pentagon was built between 1941-1943. It is a huge five-sided building and five storeys high. It is the largest office building in the world. The Pentagon has more than 17 miles of corridors and a lot of people work here. Inside the Pentagon yard there is a subway station and two helicopter pads.

The NASA Museum is located in Washington, D.C. This museum is devoted to the US achievements in the exploration of Space.

Q u e s t i o n s :

1. Where is Washington, D.C., situated?

2. What does “D.C.” stand for?

3. Why was the city named Washington?

4. What was the gift from Japan that is still a major attraction for visitors?

5. What parks are located in the capital?

6. Is the Library of Congress the largest library of the world?

7. What have you learned about the National Gallery of Art?