Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States of America. Located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, the city is one of the most visited cities in the U.S. A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the district since 1973. Washington’s metropolitan area, the country’s sixth-largest, had a 2017 estimated population of 6. 2 million residents.

About Washington, D.C. in brief

Summary Washington, D.C.Washington, D. C. is the capital city of the United States of America. Located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, the city is one of the most visited cities in the U.S. The city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and professional associations. Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the district since 1973. The three branches of U. S. federal government are centered in the district: Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court. Washington’s metropolitan area, the country’s sixth-largest, had a 2017 estimated population of 6. 2 million residents. As of July 2019, Washington had an estimatedPopulation of 705,749, making it the 20th-most populous city in theUnited States. 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, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the district. D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, but the district has no representation in the Senate. Washington voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment to the United United States Constitution, ratified in 1961. The exact location to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16, 1790, was selected by the states of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

In 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety. Five years earlier a band of unpaid soldiers had besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia. Known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, the event emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for Its own security. The Constitution did not specify a location for the capital, but Alexander Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton, came to an agreement that the government would pay each state’s remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new capital. On July 9, 17 90, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of the federal district. The federal district was a 10-square-mile area measuring 10 square miles on each side of each side, totaling 100 square miles. The state of Maryland and the state of Virginia each donated land to form the initial federal district, which included the pre-existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria. Washington was named for George Washington,. The city is named for the first president of the US and a Founding Father, George Washington. It is located along the PotOMac River near the country’s East Coast. It has a population larger than that of two U. s. states.