WASHINGTON, January 20 (RIA Novosti) - A record two million visitors arrived in Washington on Tuesday to watch the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

At the National Mall alone, the area stretching from the Capitol to the George Washington Monument, over two million people are eventually expected, according to police estimates. Only 240,000 of them will have a firsthand view of the inauguration, the rest will watch it on large screens placed on either side of the Capitol and George Washington Monument.

The inaugural process will begin in the U.S. capital at 11:30 a.m. (16:30 GMT). It will be followed by a 20-minute inaugural speech by the new president. Obama will swear his oath on the same Bible used at the inauguration of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln.

The new U.S. Vice-President, Joe Biden, will take his oath of office before Obama.

After the inauguration ceremony, Obama will bid farewell to outgoing President George Bush and have lunch with Congressional leaders before heading to the White House. Bush will fly to Texas.

In the evening, Obama will officially enter the Oval Office for the first time as president and will read a note left in his desk by Bush. This is a tradition between incoming and outgoing presidents, and the contents are rarely disclosed.