Washington DC
Washington DC is the capital city of the United States of America. It is situated on the banks of the Potomac river, on the East coast of the USA.
Washington DC, officially the District of Columbia, is also known as Washington or simply as DC; it lies in the District of Columbia, a separate section of the country, independent from all other states.
When George Washington became president of the USA, the nation didn’t have a permanent capital; there was a huge debate among the Members of Parliament on where the capital should be located. In the end they agreed that it should be in an independent territory which should be called after the name of Christopher Columbus, whereas the city itself should be called after the name of the first president of the USA.
Planned by Pierre L’Enfant, Washington DC is considered by many the most beautiful city in the USA; it is spacious and elegant, full of green parks, historical buildings and wide streets and avenues.
The most popular building in the city is the White House, the official residence of the American presidents; then there is Capitol, the meeting place of the US Congress; the Lincoln Memorial, an American national monument, site of famous speeches, including Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream; Arlington Cemetery, where many great Americans were buried, including John Fitzgerald Kennedy; and the Pentagon, the offices of the American Defence Department.