Manhattan
A borough of New York coextensive with Manhattan Island, located between the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers. Manhattan is the main economic hub of New York City, one of the worlds leading commercial, financial, cultural, manufacturing, medical, and tourist centers. The borough is about 80 square kilometer (31 square mile) in area, also encompasses a small enclave (Marble Hill) on the Bronx mainland; several islands in the East River, including Franklin D. Roosevelt Island (the site of a large modern housing complex), Randall's Island, and Wards Island; and Governors Island in Upper New York Bay.
Manhattan Island is largely laid out in a grid pattern, with mostly numbered east and west streets intersecting with named or numbered north and south avenues. Among its famous street is Wall Street, a center of the financial district; Fifth Avenue, noted for its fashionable stores.
Residential buildings, and many fine museums also found here; Park Avenue, with exclusive residences and big office buildings; and Broadway, one of the longest city street in the world. The distinguishing characteristic of Manhattan is the large numbers of tall office buildings that help form the borough's celebrated skyline. Most are in Lower and Midtown Manhattan.
International terrorism first struck in this city in February of 1993, when a car bomb exploded in an underground garage at the World Trade Center. At least six people were killed and more than 1000 injured in the blast, which caused an estimated $600 million worth of damage to the building. Four members of a militant Islamic group were convicted in 1994 on conspiracy and other charges in the bombing. In another case, ten Muslim militants were convicted in October 1995 for conspiring to bomb the United Nations headquarters, the two tunnels that link New York and New Jersey, and other city landmarks in 1993. That planned terror campaign, which was not carried out, was intended to punish the United States for supporting Israel and the secular government of Egypt. Prosecutors alleged that the plot was connected to the World Trade Center attack.
The World Trade Center
One of the world's tallest buildings with its 100-storey twin towers first occupied in 1970. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The World Trade Center is so large that each of its twin towers has its own postal ZIP code. The two buildings have a total of more than 11 million square feet (1million square meters) of floor space.
Authorities have estimated that around 150,000 people frequent the place every single day. This building houses the US regular interchange of goods in its general business of buying and selling both locally and worldwide.
The Pentagon
The building that houses the headquarters of US Department of Defense ranks as the world's largest office building. It covers 29 acres (11.7 hectares) in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac from Washington. Built in the form of pentagon, or five-sided figure, the building's five concentric rings are connected by 10 spoke like corridors. It has five floors, a mezzanine, and a basement. The building covers 20 acres (12 hectares) and has about 3,706,000 square feet (344,300 square meters) of office and other space. The outer most wall of the concrete structure is faced with Indiana limestone. It stretches about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) around.
The building is surrounded by 200 acres (81 hectares) of lawn and terraces. Parking areas adjacent to it covers 67 acres (27 hectares), and can hold about 10,000 vehicles. Excavation and juncture with the river formed the lagoon at the building's river entrance.
About 24,000 people work in the building. About half of them are civilians. Aside from the people who take care of the building, the officers, enlisted personnel, and civilians from part of four groups. These groups are the Department of Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The Pentagon building has one of the world's largest private telephone systems, with about 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) of cable handling more than 200,000 calls a day. It also has the largest pneumatic tube system, comprising some 15 miles (24 kilometers) of tube. Pneumatic tubes transport letters and other such materials by means of air pressure. Privately owned restaurants and cafeterias in the Pentagon serve over 150,000 meals a day. The building also has many shops, a radio and television station, bank, dispensary, post office, and heliport.
Army engineers began building the Pentagon in September 1941, and completed it in 16 months, by January 1943. It was constructed originally to house the scattered offices of the War Department under one roof. The building cost $83 million.
US State Department Building
This building houses the executive department of the United States government that plans and manages US relations with other governments.
It coordinates the actions of other executive departments that affect foreign policy. The State Department negotiates treaties and agreements with other governments; handles official business with foreign embassies in Washington, D.C.; speaks for the United States in the United Nations and other international organizations; and arranged for United States participation in international conferences.
