Otázka: Washington, D.C.
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Adriana Pavliková
WASHINGTON
- covers the entire area of the District of Columbia à DC
- the capital of the USA (replacing Philadelphia in 1800); named after G. WASHINGTON
- seat of the Federal government of the US; residence of the US president and the Supreme Court
- area: 180 km2
- population: 623 000 (360 000 employed by the Federal Government)
- situated on the Potomac River; divided into 4 quadrants: Northeast, Northwest, Southwest and Southeast
- it looks and functions as a white-collar town; 40 % of the city’s land occupied by the federal buildings
- hundreds of national and international organisations have offices there
- the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Org. of American States … are based in the city
- scientific and development complexes built around the capital
- the press: the Washington Post, USA Today, National Geographic, International Wildlife … with headquarters in Washington
- hundreds of national and international organisations have offices there
- 3 airports: Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport
- Union Station (railroad station), the subway system (5 lines), taxis, buses
History
- District of Columbia was established by Act of Congress (1790)
- designed by a French engineer (Pierre l’ENFANT who was helped by Thomas JEFFERSON) à several other architects involved later
- streets and avenues laid out on agrid scheme (numbered, later named after the states); horizontal and spacious city
- focus was laid on developing and maintaining the parks and green spaces
- first used as a seat of the Congress in 1800
Places of Interest
- the White House: the president’s residence; exterior walls made of sandstone and painted white, universally recognised as the symbol of the US presidency; official rooms on the first floor, second and the third floor reserved for the presidential family
- the Pentagon: the largest single structure building in the world; the headquarters of the Department of Defence
- the Capitol: prominent landmark on the Capitol Hill; the seat of the Congress; the Senate wingin the north and the House of Representatives wing in the south; a bronze Statue of Freedom; the Library of Congress (Thomas Jefferson building) added to the Capitol, it is the largest library in existence
- Washington monument: a white marble obelisk; Jefferson Memorial: an adaptation of the ancient Roman Pantheon with a statue of T. Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence; Lincoln Memorial: inspired by Greek architecture, a Doric temple reminiscent of the Parthenon in Athens with a statue of seated Lincoln
- Smithsonian Institution: one of the largest museum and research complexes in the world; comprises of 14 museums and the National Zoo; the symbol is the red sandstone Castle which functions as a visitor’s information centre
- Georgetown University: the oldest and best reputed in Washington; 1789, the first Catholic institution of higher learning in the country
- Mount Vernon: 16 miles south of Washington; Washington’s private mansion, he and his wife are buried in its grounds
