The two parts of the U.S. Congress are the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning it has these two separate chambers with distinct roles and powers. The House of Representatives has 435 members, with representation based on the population of each state, while the Senate has 100 members, with each state having two senators regardless of size. This structure balances the interests of both large and small states, as established by the Great (or Connecticut) Compromise during the Constitutional Convention of 1787