Washington, D.C. is
the capital of the United
States. It is coterminous
with the District of Columbia (abbreviated as "D.C.").
The city and the district are located on the banks of the Potomac
River and bordered by the states of Virginia (to the west) and Maryland (to the north, east and south).
The city was planned and developed in the late 18th century to
serve as the permanent national capital; the federal
district was formed
to keep the national capital distinct from the states.
The city was named after
George
Washington, the
first President
of the United States.
The district's name, "Columbia," is an early poetic
name for the United
States and a reference
to Christopher
Columbus, an early
explorer of the
Americas. The city
is commonly referred to as Washington, The District, or simply
D.C. In the 19th century, it was called the Federal City or Washington
City.
The centers of all three
branches of the U.S.
government are
in the District. Also situated in the city are the headquarters
for the World
Bank, the International
Monetary Fund,
the Organization
of American States,
the Inter-American
Development Bank,
and other national and international institutions, including
labor unions and professional associations. Washington is a frequent
location for political demonstrations and protests, large and
small, particularly on the National
Mall. A center
of American history and culture, Washington is a popular destination
for tourists, the site of numerous national landmarks and monuments,
the world's largest museum complex (the Smithsonian
Institution), galleries,
universities, cathedrals, performing arts centers and institutions,
and native music scenes.
The District of Columbia
and the city of Washington are governed by a single municipal
government and for most practical purposes, are considered to
be the same entity. This has not always been the case: until
1871, when Georgetown ceased to be a separate city, there were
multiple jurisdictions within the District. Although there is
a municipal government and a Mayor, Congress has the supreme
authority over the city and district, which results in citizens
having less self-governance than residents of the states. The
District has a non-voting at-large Congressional representative.
In the financial year 2004, federal tax collections were $16.9
billion while federal spending in the District was $37.6 billion.
The population of the
District of Columbia is about 581,530 persons. The Washington
Metropolitan Area
is the eighth largest in the United States with more than five
million residents, and the Baltimore-Washington
Metropolitan Area
has a population exceeding eight million. If Washington, D.C.
were a state, it would rank last in area (behind Rhode Island),
second to last in population (ahead of Wyoming), first in population
density, and 35th in gross state product.
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D.C.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA