# Smithsonian Institution ## Basic Info **Name:** Smithsonian Institution **What is it:** The largest museum, research and education complex in the world, consisting of museums, research institutes, cultural centers, and a national zoo. **Who is involved:** Operated under the U.S. federal government; originally funded by British scientist James Smithson, who donated his estate to the U.S. with the stipulation that it be used “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” **Location:** Washington, D.C. (headquarters), with sites across the United States **Link:** [https://www.si.edu](https://www.si.edu) --- ## Museums, Galleries and Research Centers - **National Museum of African American History and Culture** – Washington, D.C. - **National Museum of American History** – Washington, D.C. - **National Museum of Natural History** – Washington, D.C. - **National Portrait Gallery** – Washington, D.C. - **Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle")** – Washington, D.C. - **National Zoo** – Washington, D.C. - **Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory** – Cambridge, Massachusetts - **Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute** – Front Royal, Virginia - **Smithsonian Environmental Research Center** – Edgewater, Maryland - **Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute** – Panama City, Panama - **Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars** – Washington, D.C. --- ## Entries