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City of Washington

Washington, D.C.
Federal district
District of Columbia
Clockwise from top right: United States Capitol, Washington Monument,  the White House, Smithsonian Institution Building, Lincoln Memorial and Washington National Cathedral
Flag of Washington, D.C.
Flag
Official seal of Washington, D.C.
Seal
Nickname(s):
Motto: Justitia Omnibus  (English: Justice for All)
Location of Washington, D.C., in the contiguous United States and in relation to Maryland and Virginia.
Location of Washington, D.C., in the contiguous United States and in relation to Maryland and Virginia.
Coordinates: 38°54′17″N 77°00′59″W / 38.90472°N 77.01639°W / 38.90472; -77.01639Coordinates: 38°54′17″N 77°00′59″W / 38.90472°N 77.01639°W / 38.90472; -77.01639
Country  United States
Approved 1790
Organized 1801
Consolidated 1871
Granted limited self-government 1973
Named for George Washington
Government
 • Mayor Muriel Bowser (D)
 • D.C. Council
 • U.S. House Eleanor Holmes Norton (D),
Delegate (At-large)
Area
 • 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 (2016 estimate)
 • Federal district 681,170
 • Rank 22nd, U.S. as of 2015 incorporated places estimate
 • Density 11,158/sq mi (4,308/km2)
 • Metro 6,097,684 (6th, U.S.)
 • CSA 9,625,360 (4th, U.S.)
 • Demonym Washingtonian
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
ZIP code(s) 20001-20098, 20201-20599
Area code(s) 202
Website www.dc.gov

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as "Washington", "the District", or simply "D.C.", is the capital of the United States.

The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on the country's East Coast. The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, which included the pre-existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria. Named in honor of President George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the District.

Washington had an estimated population of 681,170 as of July 2016. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's population to more than one million during the workweek. The Washington metropolitan area, of which the District is the principal city, has a population of over 6 million, the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the country.


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