Washington, D. C.

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 Seal
Nickname(s): Main article: Nicknames of Washington, D.C.
Motto: Justitia Omnibus  (English: Justice for All)
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	Council members Phil Mendelson (D), Chairman Anita Bonds (D), At‑large David Grosso (I), At‑large Vincent Orange (D), At‑large Elissa Silverman (I), At‑large Brianne Nadeau (D), Ward 1 Jack Evans (D), Ward 2 Mary Cheh (D), Ward 3 Brandon Todd (D), Ward 4 Kenyan McDuffie (D), Ward 5 Charles Allen (D), Ward 6 Yvette Alexander (D), Ward 7 LaRuby May (D), Ward 8
• 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[update] 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 a part, has a population of over 6 million, the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the country.