Washington d. C.
Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The terms Washington and the District of Columbia are practically synonymous. The federal district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any state but to all the states. It is named in honor of Columbus, the discoverer of America.
The capital of the United States is named after the first President of the country George Washington. It was Washington who selected the site for the city and laid the cornerstone of the capital building where Congress meets. This building dominates the City, it stands on Capitol Hill, the highest point in the city.
Topping the dome of the Capitol is the 19-feet bronze statue of Freedom. The 36 columns which surround the lower part of the dome represent the states in the Union at the time this impressive structure was designed. Not far from the Capitol you can see the Washington Monument. It is situated in Potomac Park. It is the tallest monument in the USA. The cornerstone for the monument was laid in 1848 but the Civil War delayed its completion for many years. The Washington Monument was finally opened to the public in 1888.
The Library of Congress, the biggest existing library, contains more than 13 million books, manuscripts, maps, prints and recordings.
Answer the questions:
1. What is the difference between the terms Washington and the District of Columbia?
2. What do the 36 columns in the lower part of the Statue of Freedom represent?
3. Why was the construction of the Washington Monument going on for many years?
4. What does the Library of Congress contain?
The united states of america
The USA is situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast by the Atlantic Ocean. The area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers. The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east where much snow falls in winter. The south has a subtropical climate.
There are many big rivers and lakes in this country. The five Great Lakes are between the USA and Canada. The main rivers of the USA are the Mississippi, the Colorado, the Columbia, the Saint Lawrence River and the Hudson River.
The population of the USA is more than 236 million.
The capital of the United States is Washington, the District of Columbia which is an administrative center without much industry.
New York is the largest city and port of the United States. There are a lot of other large cities in the USA such as Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. The President elected for four years is head of the states and the government.
Congress consists of two Houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The USA is a highly developed industrial country and its agriculture is highly mechanized. The United States hold one of the first places in the world for production of coal, iron, oil and natural gas. Such branches of heavy industry as automobile industry, machine-building, ship-building, textile industry are highly developed in many states of the USA. American agriculture produces more food products than any other country.
Answer the questions:
1. What is the area of the USA?
2. Where are the Great Lakes situated?
3. What are the biggest rivers in the United States?
4. What is the population of the USA?
5. What is the capital of the United States?
6. What big cities in the USA do you know?
7. How many states does the country consist of?
8. What is the main organ of the country?
9. What industries are developed in the country?
10. What can you say about agriculture in the USA?
C O N T E N T S
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VII. My homeland VIII. London IX. Great Britain X. Washington XI. The United States of America |
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