QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

The U.S.A. has a large and lucrative tourism industry serving millions of international and domestic tourists. Tourists visit the U.S. to see natural wonders, gambling venues, historic landmarks, and its cities.

· Washington, D.C. is the home of numerous national landmarks and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S.

· The U.S. Capitol overlooks the entire city. And the city springs from it in all directions. It is the seat of the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Federal Government. It stands at the east end of the Mall. The U.S. Capitol is an American icon, a symbol of democracy and the most prominent landmark in Washington, D.C.

· The National Mall is a large, open area in the center of Washington that features many of the monuments to American leaders and connects the Washington Monument, the White House and the U.S. Capitol buildings.

· The Washington Monument (the most important monument in Washington, D.C.) is at the western end of the Mall and in the heart of the cross formed by two imaginary lines, one line going through the Mall from the West to the East between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol Building, and the other crossing the Mall and going from the North to the South between the White House and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

· Located along the famous Cherry Tree Walk on the Tidal Basin near the National Mall, there is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, it is a memorial not only to President of the U.S. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but also to the era he represents.

· The National World War II Memorial is a national memorial to Americans who served and died in World War II. It is located on the National Mall at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

· The Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. It consists of three separate parts — the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the most recognized part of the memorial. Next to the Wall is the Korean War memorial. The Pentagon is unquestionably a part of the military history of the U.S. The Iwo Jima memorial stands next to Arlington National Cemetery. It is dedicated to all personnel of the Marine Corps, who have died in the defense of their country since 1775. The concept of the statue is based on a photo, taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

· At the beginning of the Mall on the right, there is a red sandstone building known as the Castle, it is the world famous Smithsonian Institution. It was founded for the promotion and dissemination of knowledge by a bequest to the U.S. by the British scientist named James Smithson (1765–1829).

· On the left side of the Mall opposite the Castle, there is the National Museum of American History.Next to it stands the National Museum of Natural History. The National Gallery of Art is located further eastwards. It is comprised of two buildings, the East Building and the West Building, linked by an underground passage.

· The National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of aircraft and spacecraft in the world and is the most popular museum in Washington, D.C. It is a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation, space flight, planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics.

· The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere; the museum was established in 1989, through an Act of Congress.

· The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum stands alone in Washington. It is a tribute to the millions of the victims of Adolph Hitler and the Nazis of WWII, and a warning to the world that to forget the Holocaust is to condemn humanity to repeat a most terrible chapter of history.

· The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum located in on the National Mall to the west of the National Air and Space Museum. Its collection focuses on contemporary and modern art. Outside the museum is a famous sculpture garden.

1. What places of interest (memorials) can you see on the Mall?

2. What museums are located on the Mall?