Washington, d.C.

Washington, the capital of the United States, is in the District of Columbia (D.C.). This special district, named after Christopher Columbus, is not in any state, because it is the home of the federal government.

W hen it was decided that the new coun­try needed a new city for its capital, President George Washington himself helped pick the spot—a marshy area where the Potomac and Anacostia rivers come together. French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant created a design based on Versailles, a palace built for King Louis XIV in the 17th century. The capital city would be crisscrossed by broad avenues, which would meet in spacious squares and circles.

Creating Versailles from a marsh was no easy task. Building went slowly, and people were reluctant to move to the new capital. For years, pigs roamed through unpaved streets. There was said to be good hunting right near the White House! Matters were not helped when, during the War of 1812, the British burned parts of Wash­ington. This episode did, however, give the White House its name. The president's house was one of the buildings burned, and after the war it was painted white to cover up the marks.

Washington is the most important and most beautiful city of the country. It differs from the other cities as there are no skyscrapers: any building of the city can't be more than 40 metres tall not to hide the city's many monuments from view.

The Capitol is the tallest building of the city and the seat of Congress. The White House is another well-known building, where the current president of the USA lives during his term and works in the Oval Office which is located there.

The White House is open for tours and tourists visit it almost any day of the year.

In Washington museums you can see different things: the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue diamond in the world and even the dresses of Presidents' wives. Washington, D.C. today

Washington is an important scientific and cultural center. There are five universities there (the most famous are Georgetown University, George Washington University and Howard University), the National Academy of Science and the famous Library of Congress, one of the largest libraries in the world. Every book, magazine on newspaper produced in the USA have to give a copy to the Library to keep. It is paid for by the government and is open to the public. The Library contains more than 13 million books and newspaper and 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.

In Washington, D.C. there are memorials to the most famous American Presidents. The Lincoln memorial is built in the style of a classic Greek Temple. It has 36 columns. Each column represents the state in the Union of Lincoln's time. Inside the Memorial there is the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

In Potomac Park the 555-feet monument of George Washington was erected in 1888. It’s called the “pencil” because of its shape.

Outside the city there is the Arlington National Cemetery. John F. Kennedy, the 35^th American President was buried here. Americans remember and honor their national heroes.