Washington, D.C., is the capital city of the United States of America.  This city is named after the first president of the United States, George Washington.  The D.C. in the name of the city stands for “District of Columbia” and the word “Columbia” refers to the last name of the explorer Christopher Columbus.  Nicknames or shortened names that are often used to refer to this city include: Washington, the District, or D.C.

Today America’s capitol city is home to around 600,000 people, living in just 68.3 square miles (177 km2).  There are more then 5 million people living in the suburbs around Washington D.C. and many of these people commute in to the city for work. Washington, D.C. is the center of America’s governmental affairs, as it is home to the White House (where the president lives and works), the Capitol Building (where the national congressmen and women and senators work), and the Supreme Court (where the supreme court justices set and confirm national laws) of the United States.  Washington, D.C. also has 176 embassies, which help to make this city very multicultural.

Washington, D.C. is home to numerous national monuments commemorating past presidents, American soldiers, and famous national and international leaders.  There are also many museums in this city.  You will see many of these attractions in the video below, which provides a brief snapshot* of all Washington D.C. has to offer.  Below I have provided more explanation of what you are seeing in the video.

This video starts out at The Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier).  This is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains** being identified.  This monument is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginian, which is across a short bridge from Washington, D.C.  For almost the first minute of the video you see scenes from this important and historic national cemetery.

At 59 seconds in this video you are taken to the Jefferson Memorial.  At this monument there is a 17 ft. tall statue of Thomas Jefferson who was the third president of the United States.

At 1 minute and 3 seconds in the video you see the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  This is a somewhat new memorial in Washington D.C. as it was only dedicated in 1995.  The United States fought in the Korean War from 1950-1953.

At 1 minute 10 seconds in the video you see the very large statue of Abraham Lincoln, which is the center piece of the Lincoln Memorial.  This monument was dedicated in 1922 to the 16th president of the United States.

At 1 minute 20 seconds you can see the names on the Vietnam Memorial.  This is a V-shaped black granite wall inscribed*** with the names of the 58,209 Americans killed or missing during the Vietnam conflict.  Often people come to this memorial to find the name of a loved one.

At 1 minute and 25 seconds you see the United States Capital Building where the Congress meets.

At 1 minute 33 seconds you see the Iwo Jima Memorial.  This monument depicts a scene of the raising of an America flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II.

After viewing the Iwo Jima Memorial the remainder of this video shows scenes from the many Smithsonian Museums that are found in Washington D.C.  The Smithsonian Institute is the worlds largest museum and research complex.  There are a total of 19 museums (and the National Zoo) that are all part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.  One of the best parts about all of these museums is that they are free to everyone!  Anyone can enter and enjoy the collections of art and artifacts for as long as they want.  Many, but not all of these museums are located around the central open park area in Washington, D.C. called the “National Mall.”  It is important to note that the National Mall is not a shopping mall, it is more like a park.  The word “mall” has a number of meanings in English and one definition is: a public area designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk.

*snapshot = a brief look or summary

** remains = in this instance ‘remains’ means “bodies”
*** inscribed = written or carves words on something as permanent record