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Photo of a Panda bear eating a chute of Bamboo.Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846 with funds bequeathed to the United States by James Smithson.

The Smithsonian is composed of sixteen museums and galleries and the National Zoo and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. Nine Smithsonian museums are Photo of the National Air and Space Museumlocated on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Five other museums and the Zoo are elsewhere in Washington, D.C.