Washington has been the capital of the United States for more than 200 years. Founded in 1791, it was named after the first president - George Washington. It is important to know that the city is an independent administrative unit and is not part of any state. There are many interesting nuances with the name of the city: since Washington is located in the northern part of the US, the capital was given another official name - District of Columbia . Local residents do not trouble themselves with the pronunciation of long and complex names, so they call the capital simply "DC".
This city is the main political and economic center of the country accommodating government agencies, large companies' headquarters, and the White House - one of the main symbols of the United States. Washington is of great tourist interest as well - every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come to admire its historical monuments; there is a huge number of museums and cultural centers in the city.
One of Washington's main features worth noting is its unique architectural appearance. The fact is that the construction of the city was planned, and one of the first creators of its appearance was Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the world-famous engineer, city planner, and architect from France. The result of a long and controversial planning is priceless architectural monuments of national importance, which can be seen in different parts of Washington.
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