Washington sprang out of a marshy wilderness. It's named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. Washington is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is outside the jurisdiction of any state and subjects only to the control of the Federal Congress. Washington is the seat of the Federal Government of the United States. It has been the capital of the USA since 1800. It has about 900 000 inhabitants.
Washington is one of the least industrialized metropolises in the world. However, in many ways it's a typical American city. Washington often rates as "dangerous" on the scale of air pollution. The air is periodically toxic from exhaust fumes. The water in Potomac is polluted. There are traffic jams in rush hours in its streets. Washington is often called the city of underprivileged and poor blacks.
In spite of all its problems, Washington has another nickname — the American Paris. The major attractions for tourists are in the heart of Washington. Among them the National Museum of History, the National Museum of Natural History. The National Gallery of Art exhibits thousands of the world's finest canvases. The Library of Congress is the younger rival of the London Library of the British Museum. It contains a lot of books, prints and photos.
There's hardly a park, a square or an open area in the capital without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and best-known of them are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The Washington Monument is the highest structure of the city. The oldest building in Washington is the White House, the official residence of the President.
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