Washington, D.C.

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Washington, D.C.
Federal capital city and federal district
District of Columbia
Counter-Clockwise from top right: United States Capitol, Washington Monument, the White House, Smithsonian Institution Building and Lincoln Memorial
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  Justitia Omnibus (English: Justice for All)
Anthem: "Our Nation's Capital"[1]
Washington, D.C. Location within the United States Show map of the United States Washington, D.C. Location within North America Show map of North America
Coordinates: 38°54′17″N 77°00′59″W / 38.90472°N 77.01639°W / 38.90472; -77.01639
Country	United States
Residence Act	1790; 234 years ago (1790)
Organized	1801; 223 years ago (1801)
Consolidated	1871; 153 years ago (1871)
Home Rule Act	1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Named for	George Washington, Christopher Columbus
Government
• Mayor	Muriel Bowser (D)
• D.C. Council	List Phil Mendelson (D), Chairman Anita Bonds (D), At‑large David Grosso (I), At‑large Robert White (D), At‑large Elissa Silverman (I), At‑large Brianne Nadeau (D), Ward 1 Vacant Ward 2 Mary Cheh (D), Ward 3 Brandon Todd (D), Ward 4 Kenyan McDuffie (D), Ward 5 Charles Allen (D), Ward 6 Vincent C. Gray (D), Ward 7 Trayon White (D), Ward 8
• U.S. House	Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), Delegate (At-large)
Area
• Federal capital city and federal district	68.34 sq mi (177.0 km2)
• Land	61.05 sq mi (158.1 km2)
• Water	7.29 sq mi (18.9 km2)
Highest elevation	409 ft (125 m)
Lowest elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2019)[2]
• Federal capital city and federal district	705,749
• Rank	20th, U.S. as of 2018[update]
• Density	11,506/sq mi (4,442/km2)
• Metro	6,216,589 (6th U.S.)
• CSA	9,665,892 (4th U.S.)
Demonym	Washingtonian[3][4]
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	20001–20098, 20201–20599
Area code	202
Major airports	Washington Dulles Reagan National Baltimore–Washington
Commuter rail
Rapid transit
Abbreviations	DC, D.C.
Website	dc.gov

Washington, D.C. state symbols
Living insignia
Bird	Wood Thrush
Flower	American Beauty rose
Tree	Scarlet Oak
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Rickey[5]
Dinosaur	Capitalsaurus
Food	Cherry
Rock	Potomac bluestone
Slogan	Federal City
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2009
Lists of United States state symbols

Washington, D.C. (also known as simply Washington or D.C., and officially as the District Of Columbia) is the capital of the United States. It is a federal district. The President of the United States, the United States Congress, the United States Supreme Court and many major national government offices are in the territory. This makes it the political center of the United States of America.

Washington was named after the first U.S. President George Washington. "D.C." stands for "District of Columbia". At first, it was made up of a piece from Virginia south of the Potomac River and a piece from Maryland north of the Potomac River. In 1847, Virginia's piece was returned to it, and is now Arlington County and part of the city of Alexandria. Since 1847, all of the District of Columbia is on the north side of the Potomac River. The District of Columbia used to have other small towns which used "D.C.".

Since 1800, the District of Columbia has been the home of all three branches of the U.S. government: Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. All of the major political parties are based here. It is also the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organization of American States (OAS). Because it is the home of the President and is important to American politics, many groups often hold large demonstrations and protests here. These are often at the National Mall, a large open park which has many monuments and museums. The District of Columbia’s many museums and monuments make it a popular place for tourists to visit.

In 2020, the United States Census Bureau said that 689,545 people lived within the District of Columbia.^[6]

1. ↑ Imhoff, Gary (October 1999). "Our Official Songs". DC Watch. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
2. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: District of Columbia". www.census.gov.
3. ↑ "Demonyms for people from the USA". www.geography-site.co.uk. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
4. ↑ "Demonym". addis.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
5. ↑ Jamie R. Liu (July 14, 2011). "Rickey Named Official D.C. Cocktail". DCist. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
6. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Washington city, District of Columbia". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-26.