WASHINGTON D.C.

§ Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) is the national capital of the USA, it is the seat of the federal government
§ It covers an area of 180 sq km, population is 623,000 (the metropolitan area around 3,750,000). Racial mix is roughly 70% black an 30% white
§ It is situated on the Potomac River, about 90 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean

History:
§ The District of Columbia was established by Act of Congress in 1790 and was first used as the seat of Congress in 1800. The site for the capital was chosen by President Washington himself (his plantation Mount Vernon was 16 miles down the Potomac)
§ It was designed by the French engineer Pierre L´Enfant and was helped by Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the USA). Streets and avenues were laid out on the grid scheme, the former were numbered, the latter were named after the states of the Union. It was divided into four quadrants (Northwest NW, SW,NE, SE). The Capitol was in the center
§ Height Buildings Act in 1910 stated that no structures could exceed 15 stories, so Wash. would remain a horizontal and spacious city.
§ 1973 – Subway system (Metrorail), began operation

Industry and Commerce:
§ Washington hasn’t developed into a major port, because the Potomac River is too shallow
§ Principal industry is government, the second largest industry is tourism, only 5% of workers are involved in manufacturing. 360,000 are employed by the Federal Government
§ Hundreds of national and international organizations, such as World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have offices here. There is a number of scientific and development complexes, Pentagon draws innumerable defense contracting companies. Around 150 foreign embassies and consulates are based in the city
§ 10,000 lobbyists (who work to persuade legislators to support laws helpful to their clients´ interests) maintain a strong presence in political and social affairs
§ The Washington Post, the USA Today, National Geographic have here their headquarters

Transport:
§ Three major airports are: Washington National Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Dulles International Airport
§ The only railroad station is the Union Station (built in 1907)
§ City buses are known as Metrobus, Greyhound-Trailways are for long distances
§ The subway system is called Metro

Places of Interest:
§ Most prominent landmark is the Capitol building that is on the Capitol Hill.