Washington DC
занимательные факты по английскому языку (8 класс)

Washington, the capital of the USA, is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any separate state but to all the states. From a plane it really looks like a fabulous scenery. In 1790 Congress approved the creation of a national capital named in honor of the first President of the USA - George Washington.  The district is named in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America.

Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population of 900 000 people.

Washington is a one-industry town. That industry is government.

Washington has many historical places. The largest and tallest building is the Capitol with its great House of Representatives and the Senate chamber. There are no skyscrapers in Washington because no other building must be taller than the Capitol. The White House is the President's residence. It was built in 1799. It is a two-storied white building.

Not far from the Capitol is the Washington Monument, which looks like a very big pencil. It rises 160 meters and is hollow inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds from where they can enjoy a wonderful view of the whole city and have a look round the area.

The Jefferson Memorial was built in memory of the third President of the USA, Thomas Jefferson, who was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. The memorial is surrounded by cherry-trees, a piece of amazing nature. The Lincoln Memorial devoted to the memory of the 16th President of the US, who gave freedom to black slaves in America.

On the other bank of the Potomac lies the Arlington National Cemetery where President Kennedy was buried. American soldiers and officers, who died in World Wars I and II are buried there too.

There are cold winters and hot and summers in Washington D.C. It is located between the cold and the warm parts of the United States. In winter, it can be affected by cold air masses coming from Canada; in summer there are long periods of sunshine and hot weather, but also thunderstorms which are able to relieve the heat of the day.