Washington D. C., officially the District of Columbia, is the capital of the United States. It is administered as a federal district, an entity different from the fifty states that make up that nation, and reports directly to the federal government. The District of Columbia was founded on July 16,1790, and in 1791 a new city called Washington, east of the existing Georgetown, was formalized within the district. In 1871 the governments of these two cities and the rest of the towns of the district were unified into a single entity, DC It is located on the banks of the Potomac River and is surrounded by the states of Virginia to the west, and Maryland to the north, east and south.
The city of Washington was born as a planned city, and was developed at the end of the 18th century to serve as the permanent national capital, after various localities held that position since the independence of the country, in 1776. Meanwhile, the federal district was formed to mark the difference between the national capital and the states. The city was named in honor of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The name of the district, Columbia, is the poetic name of the United States, in reference to Christopher Columbus, the first explorer to arrive in America. The city is commonly called Washington, the District or simply D. C. In the 19th century it was also known as the Federal City or the City of Washington. The centers of the three branches of the Government of the United States are located in the District.
Also located in the city are the headquarters of the World Bank, the IMF, the OAS, the IDB, and other national and international institutions, including professional associations and unions. Due to its political importance, Washington is a place of frequent demonstrations and protests, particularly on the National Mall. It is also a popular destination among tourists, due to the numerous monuments and places of national interest. The city is a center of American history and culture, and it is home to the largest museum complex in the world, as well as art galleries, universities, cathedrals, drama centers and institutions, and native music venues. The District of Columbia and the city of Washington are governed by a single municipal government. For practical matters they are considered as the same entity.
This has not always been the case: until 1871 - when Georgetown ceased to be a separate city - there were multiple jurisdictions within the District, although there is a municipal government and a mayor, Congress has the supreme authority over the city and the district, which results in citizens having less self-government than state residents. The District has a delegate in Congress, who participates in the debates but does not have the right to vote. The population of the District of Columbia is 646,449 inhabitants in 2013 according to estimates from the United States Census Bureau The Washington DC Metropolitan Area It is the eighth largest in the United States, with more than 5 million residents, and the metropolitan area that forms next to nearby Baltimore has a population that exceeds 8 million. If Washington D. C. Were a state, it would be last in area, in penultimate place in terms of population, in place No.35 in terms of gross domestic product and first in population density.
Although the District of Columbia does not have a voting member of Congress, residents are still required to pay taxes to the federal government. This is different from the territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico, whose citizens in general do not pay taxes on individual income. Residents protest the lack of voting rights, mainly because the lack of representation in the British Parliament was one of the main reasons for the independence of the country of the United Kingdom. The city adopted a phrase from the War of Independence,"There is no taxation without representation," to protest the lack of voting rights. The slogan also appears on the license plates issued by the city.