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Washington, DC is the capital of the United States of America.. DC stands for District of Columbia, where the city is located.. The city's official name in English is Washington, DC, while her full name is Washington, District of Columbia.
The city of Washington and the District of Columbia are co-existing with each other, governed by a single municipal government, and for this reason, can be considered as a single administrative entity. This was not always the case, however, as other towns have existed within the boundaries of the District until 1871, when they were gradually merged with Washington, DC through an Act of Congress. Colloquially, the city is known as District or simply Washington DC. The town has two historic names, the Federal City and Washington City.
Washington, DC should not be confused with the 42nd U.S. state, Washington. Therefore, the United States, Washington, the national capital, is often called the DC (short for District of Columbia) and Washington State, Washington State.
The District of Columbia, officially formed on July 16, 1790, is the U.S. Federal District, as specified by the U.S. Constitution, with limited local government. The District is governed directly by the U.S. Congress. The people of Washington did not have representatives with voting power in Congress, which has led in recent times the popularity of a proposal to make the District of Columbia the 51st American state.
Washington, DC was formed from land ceded by the states of Maryland and Virginia. In 1847, the region had been ceded by Virginia was returned to the last region, which currently makes up the Arlington County. Washington Construction began in 1792, was inaugurated in 1800, the same year he became the U.S. capital. Washington was named the first American President, George Washington, while the District of Columbia term derives from an ancient poetic name of the United States, Columbia, which fell into disuse in the early twentieth century.
