Thing To Do in Washington DC

Thing To Do in Washington DC


Washington, D.C. (officially the District of Columbia) is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a special district to serve as the permanent national capital as permitted by the United States Constitution. The district is not part of any state and is directly overseen by the federal government. The federal district was created on land along the Potomac River donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia; however, Virginia's portion was returned to congress in 1846.


A new capital named after George Washington was founded in 1791 east of the port of Georgetown. The cities of Washington, Georgetown, and the outlying areas within the district were consolidated under a single government in 1871 to form Washington, D.C. like now. The city shares its name with the state of Washington which is located on the Pacific coast of the United States.


Washington, D.C. has a permanent population of 600 thousand inhabitants; due to commuters from nearby suburbs in the states of Maryland and Virginia, the population rises to one million on weekdays. The Washington Metropolitan Area, which also contains the District, has a population of nearly 5.6 million, making it the seventh largest metropolitan area in the nation. The centers of all three branches of the US federal government are in the district, as are several national monuments and museums.


Washington, D.C. has 176 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization of American States (OAS), Inter-American Development Bank, and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The headquarters of various other institutions such as trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations are also located in the city.


The district is governed by a mayor and a 13-member city council. However, the United States Congress has ultimate authority in the city and is able to change local laws. As a result, city residents have less local government than residents of US states. The district has a non-voting Congressional delegation, but no senators. D.C. resident could not vote in presidential elections until the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1961.

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