Waschington DC

WASHINGTON , D.C.

WASHINGTON , D.C.

• District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) is the capital city of the USA . Washington, D.C. is not a state , but rather the combination of the District of Columbia.
• The White House , the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and many other government buildings are located in Washington, D.C.
• President George Washington chose the site as the future capital of the USA in 1791 (the French architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the city). Washington, D.C. became the nation's capital on June 11,1800. The first President to live in Washington D.C. was John Adams ; his family moved there in 1800.

District of Columbia

• Established by congressional acts and personally selected by George Washington, the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as "the District" (shown in white), is the seat of the U.S. federal government. Within its borders sits the massive Capital Building, the White House and literally hundreds of federal buildings, monuments and office complexes. Originally a 10 mile square, with Maryland and Virginia granting land on each side of the river to the federal government, its shape has changed slightly over the years, as Virginia's lands were returned in 1846.

WASHINGTON , D.C. MAP AND FLAG

The flag of Washington, D.C., was adopted in 1938. Since Washington, D.C., had no official flag, a commission was formed in 1920 to find a design. Headed by A. E. Dubois, the final design was chosen on October 15, 1938. The design was based on the shield from George Washington's family's coat of arms.

Washington , D.C. is a very beautiful city

• Washington is the capital city of the United States. It is located on the north bank of the Potomac River.            Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. One reason Washington looks different from other cities is that no building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall. There are no skyscrapers , because they would hide the city's many monuments from view.            One can easily find a park, a square or an open area there. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument

The Potomac River

Weather and Seasons

• Washington has a humid subtropical climate.
• Spring and autumn . Cold winds blow and it oten rains.
• Winter in Washington , D.C. is warmer than in Moscow (-1 °C from mid-December to mid-February). The most violent storms are called " nor'easters ", which typically feature high winds, heavy rains, and occasional snow.
• Summers tend to be hot and humid, with daily high temperatures in July and August about 30 °C.
• The highest recorded temperature was 41 °C on July 20, 1930 and August 6, 1918, while the lowest recorded temperature was −26.1 °C on February 11, 1899, during the Great Blizzard of 1899 .

DIFFERENT SYMBOLS AND EMBLEMS

Plant Symbol:

Official Bird - Wood thrush

Plant Symbol: Official Flower - American beauty rose

SEAL

Plant Symbol:

Official Tree - Scarlet Oak

Currency : US dollar

Transportation

• Metro Center is the transfer station for the Red , Orange , and Blue Metrorail lines.
• Union Station is the second-busiest train station in the United States, after Penn Station in New York. Northeast Corridor and Acela Express service. Maryland's MARC and Virginia's VRE commuter trains and the Metrorail Red Line also provide service into Union Station. Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound , Peter Pan , BoltBus , Megabus , and many other Chinatown bus lines .
• Three major airports, one in Maryland and two in Virginia, serve Washington, D.C. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , located just across the Potomac River from downtown D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia , is the only Washington-area airport that has its own Metrorail station,

Performing arts and music

• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is located along the Potomac River.
• Washington, D.C. is a national center for the arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the National Symphony Orchestra , the Washington National Opera , and the Washington Ballet . Washington also has a local independent theater tradition.
• Washington is also an important center for indie culture and music in the United States. Washington's indie label history includes TeenBeat , Dischord Records , Simple Machines , and ESL Music among others. Modern alternative and indie music venues like The Black Cat and the 9:30 Club near U Street bring popular acts to smaller more-intimate venues.

Demographics

Historical Populations

Year

Population

1800

8,144

1810

Change

-

15,471

1820

23,336

1830

90.0%

1840

30,261

50.8%

33,745

1850

29.7%

11.5%

51,687

1860

75,080

53.2%

1870

45.3%

131,700

1880

177,624

1890

75.4%

1900

230,392

34.9%

278,718

1910

29.7%

21.0%

331,069

1920

437,571

18.8%

1930

1940

486,869

32.2%

663,091

11.3%

1950

36.2%

802,178

1960

1970

21.0%

763,956

756,510

-4.8%

1980

-1.0%

638,333

1990

606,900

-15.6%

2000

-4.9%

572,059

2007

588,292

-5.7%

2.8%

• In 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau data estimated the District's population at 588,292 residents, continuing a trend of population growth in the city since the 2000 Census , which recorded 572,059 residents.
• In 2007, the population distribution was 55.6%  black , 36.3%  white , 8.3%  Hispanic (of any race), 5% other (including Native Americans , Alaskans , Hawaiians , and Pacific Islanders ), 3.1%  Asian , and 1.6% mixed (two or more races).

THE POTOMAC RIVER

The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C. on the left bank and West Virginia and Virginia on the river's right bank.

The Potomac River runs 383 miles (616 km) from the Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to Point Lookout. The largest flow ever recorded on the Potomac at Washington, D.C. was in March 1936 when it reached 12,000 m³/s. The lowest flow ever recorded at the same location was 17 m³/s in September 1966.

The river has two sources. The source of the North Branch is at the Fairfax Stone located. The source of the South Branch is located near Hightown in Virginia. The river's two branches converge just east of Green Spring in Hampshire County, West Virginia to form the Potomac.

GEORGETOWN

• The one very big part of present Washington is Georgetown. Georgetown was officially formed in 1751 when the Maryland Assembly authorized the foundation of a town bordering the Potomac River. It was named George Town in honor of King George II, and very soon it prospered. In the beginning, tobacco was the lifeblood of the fledging community, which soon expanded into a profitable shipping community. Because of its access to the Potomac, Georgetown soon had a commercial and industrial hub around the waterfront where flour mills and wharves were constructed. As a result of its prosperity, Georgetown gained a reputation as the fashionable quarter of the capital and was visited by important people from all over the world.

THE WHITE HOUSE

• Many visitors come to Washington DC to see the White  House. It is the greatest attraction for many of them. The White House, the  official residence of the President, is situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,  N.W. The largest room in this building of over the hundreds room is the East  Room, scene of many state receptions, balls and musicals. Other famous  rooms are: the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, which are used  for afternoon teas and for receptions held before state dinners. The Blue  Room, the most formal of these colors room is an oval-shaped room  connecting the Green and the Red Rooms. On the second floor, the floor with  the family quarters and quests rooms, is the Lincoln Room, which one served  as an office for president Lincoln but today serves as an honor guest room. In  this room Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation of 1863.

THE CAPITOL

• T he Capitol is in the very center of Washington. It is located on the Capitol Hill, the highest point in the  city. The Capitol is the highest building in Washington. There is a law in  Washington not to build buildings higher than the Capitol. The corner stone of  the Capitol was laid by George Washington on Sep 18th, 1793. The Capitol  is the seat of the government of the United States of America.

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