washington

Washington

1. Washington
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States.The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on the country East Coast.The U.S.Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any U.S.state.The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, which included the pre existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria.Named in honor of George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital.In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the District.
2. National Mall
The National Mall is a national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National Mall, which is part of its National Mall and Memorial Parks unit.The term National Mall commonly includes areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. The National Mall receives approximately 24 million visitors each year.
3. United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S.federal government, completed in the year 1800.Though not at the geographic center of the Federal District, the Capitol is the origin point at which the District four quadrants meet, and around which the city was laid out.
4. National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States.With free admission and open doors 364 days a year, it is the third most visited museum in the world, the most visited natural history museum in the world, and the most visited museum (of any type) in North America.Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall was one of the first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to hold the national collections and research facilities. The main building has an overall area of 1,320,000 square feet (123,000 m2) with 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of exhibition and public space and houses over 1,000 employees.
5. White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.It has been the residence of every U.S.president since John Adams in 1800.The house was designed by Irish born James Hobanand built between 1792 and 1800 of white painted Aquia Creek sandstone in the Neoclassical style.When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage.
6. National Zoological Park
The National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States, and as part of the Smithsonian Institution, does not charge admission.Founded in 1889, its mission is to provide leadership in animal care, science, education, sustainability, and visitor experience. The National Zoo has two campuses.The first is a 163 acre (66 ha) urban park located in northwest Washington, D.C.that is 20 minutes from the National Mall by Metro to the Woodley Park station, or downhill walk from the Cleveland Park station. The other campus is the 3,200 acre (1,300 ha) Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI formerly known as the Conservation and Research Center) in Front Royal, Virginia.On this land there are 180 species of trees, 850 species of woody shrubs and herbaceous plants, and 40 species of grasses.There are also 36 different species of bamboo.
7. Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument.The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the primary statue Abraham Lincoln, 1920 was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin.Dedicated in 1922, it is one of several monuments built to honor an American president.It has always been a major tourist attraction and since the 1930s has been a symbolic center focused on race relations.
8. Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.It commemorates those who served in the Korean War.The initial design competition was won in 1986 by a team of four architects from The Pennsylvania State University, but this team withdrew as it became clear that changes would be needed to satisfy the advisory board and reviewing agencies such as the Commission of Fine Arts.A federal court case was filed and lost over the design changes.The eventual design was by Cooper Lecky Architects who oversaw collaboration between several designers.
9. Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, (1743 1826), one of the most important of the American Founding Fathers as the main drafter and writer of the Declaration of Independence, member of the Continental Congress, Governor of the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia, American minister to King Louis XVI and the Kingdom of France, first U.S.Secretary of State under the first President George Washington, the second Vice President of the United States under second President John Adams, and also the third President of the United States, (1801 1809).Later he also was very proud of being the founder of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, Virginia.
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 3 acre (12,000 m2) national memorial in Washington, D.C.It honors U.S.service members of the U.S.armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam or South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for (Missing In Action) during the War.Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex.The memorial currently consists of three separate parts the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the best known part of the memorial.