By Frank Benitez

 Washington, DC, officially the District of Columbia and typically referred to Washington, District or simply DC, is the capital of the United States, was founded on July 16, 1790. Washington was a town in the territory of Colombia until an act of Congress in 1871 with the successful merger of the city and the territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. It is for this reason that the city, while the legal name of the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, DC. The city is located on the north shore of the Potomac River and is bounded by the states in the South West Virginia and Maryland to the other sides.

Here are some of the best places to visit in Washington, DC:

The United States Capitol

The Capitol is one of the most impressive architecture and buildings of symbolic importance in the world. The Senate and House of Representatives met here for more than two centuries. Launched in 1793, the Capitol was built, burned, rebuilt, restored and expanded, and today is a monument not only to its builders but also for the American people and their government.

Washington National Cathedral

It is a neo-Gothic, and is the sixth largest cathedral in the world, the second largest in the United States, and the fourth tallest structure in Washington, DC. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop, the President of the Episcopal Church and Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, consisting of the District of Columbia and Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and the counties of Maryland.

The White House

For over 200 years, the White House was more than the residence of the presidents and their families. Throughout the world, is recognized as the symbol of the President, the Presidential Administration and the United States.

Construction began in October 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived there. It was not until 1800, when the White House was almost finished, its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since then, each President has made his own changes and embellishments. The White House is, after all, the president of the house. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public for free.

Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is located on the western edge of the National Mall as a neoclassical monument to the 16th President. The monument, designed by Henry Bacon, after ancient Greek temples, stands 190 feet long, 119 feet wide and about 100 feet. It is bordered by a peristyle of 38 fluted Doric columns, one for each of the thirty-six states in the Lincoln died, and two columns in antis at the entrance behind the colonnade.

The Holocaust Museum United States

The United States Holocaust Museum is the United States of a living memory of the Holocaust. Along the National Mall in Washington, DC, the museum is dedicated to help the world’s leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and support democracy.

In 1980, Congress authorized the creation of the museum based on the 1979 report of the President of the Commission on the Holocaust, created by Jimmy Carter.

The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is a big, tall, sand-colored obelisk, near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, DC It was built to commemorate the first U.S. president, George Washington. The monument of marble, granite and sandstone, is both the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk in height standing 555 feet 5? inches. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The construction of the monument began in 1848, but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the death of the architect. The monument is part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The site is located near the center of the National Mall between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. The monument is the prevailing characteristic of the city skyline and provides federal incomparable views of the city and its environs.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the research library of the Congress of the United States and is the oldest institution in the United States. Located in three buildings is the largest library in the world in space and has the largest number of books. The Library of Congress was created by Congress in 1800 and was housed in the Capitol of the United States during most of the 19th century. After much of the original collection had been damaged during the war of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold 6487 books in the library, his entire private library, in 1815.

The National Mall

The National Mall is a national park in downtown Washington, DC, Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term includes the regions which are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often refers to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, the Washington Monument with a separation slightly west of downtown. The park receives about 24 million visitors each year.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 am and is filed under History, People, Politics, States, United States of America. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.