Washington. D. С. (Вашингтон)

   Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city of the USA. It's the world's largest one-industry city. And that industry is government. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capital, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington. The population of the city is over 3.4 million. Most of the permanent population consist of government employees.

   The city was so named in memory of George Washington, the first president of the USA. George Washington was born in 1732. He distinguished himself as a soldier in campaigns against the French and the Indians. He strongly opposed the policy of the British government and when the war with Britain began he was chosen Commander-in-Chief of the American army. After the war he entered politics and was elected President in 1789.

   There are 50 states in the United States, but the city of Washington is not in any of them. A special district was created for the American capital — the District of Columbia (D. C). The city was laid out according to a uniform plan made by a French officer in the Engineer Pierre L'Enfant. Founded in 1790, it became the federal capital in 1800. In 1814 it was burnt by the British.

   Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol — a big white dome standing in a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs. It's easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

   Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.

   The official residence of the president of the USA is the White House. It was constructed between 1792 and 1829. The White House has 132 rooms, among them the Oval Office where the President works. White House is open for tours.

   One can hardly find a park a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The Jefferson Memorial was built in honour of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the USA. Inside his statue and his writings are inscribed on the walls.

   The Lincoln Memorial reminds everybody of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the USA, who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the blacks in the South from slavery. There is a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Memorial.

   At the National Air and Space Museum visitors can see the history of flight from the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers to the Apollo spaceship.

   The National Gallery of Art, a large museum of painting, sculpture and other arts is also situated in the capital. It is supported by the US government.

   There are 5 universities in Washington. There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city's many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 40 metres tall.

   In Washington buses and trams run along numbered streets — First Street, Second Street, Third Street… The streets running east and west from the centre are lettered — A Street, В Street and so on.

   Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital.