Smithsonian Institution

si.edu

Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government. The institute offers object, artwork, specimen display, exhibition, and event management services. Additionally, it also provides research services. Smithsonian Institution comprises nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoological Park. Eleven are on the National Mall, the strip of land that runs between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Other museums are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., with two more in New York City and one in Chantilly, Virginia. The institution has close ties with 168 other museums in 39 states, Panama, and Puerto Rico. These museums are known as Smithsonian affiliated museums. It also has a large number of traveling exhibitions. Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.