United States Capital

Map showing the location of United States

Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States. It was established in 1790 when the states of Maryland and Virginia seceded land to set up the capital district. Each of the 50 states has its own capital city. Washington has been the capital city since 1800. It is located on the shores of the Potomac River on the eastern side of the country. It included the already existing towns of Georgetown and Alexandria. Washington was named after the first President of the Union, George Washington. The city acts as the capital and the home of the U.S federal government. It houses the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

As of 2016, Washington, D.C. had a population of 682,000. During the day, the population was estimated to rise to above a million as residents of the neighboring states stream into the city to work. The Washington metropolitan area has a population of 6.1 million people. Its density is 11,158/sq mi. This makes it the 21st most populous city in the country.

Washington, D.C. is a popular tourist attraction. The white house which is the president’s official residence and the workplace is visited by millions of tourists each year. Other major tourist attractions sites include the Lincoln Memorial and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Capitol Hill, which houses the Congress, attracts tourists seeking to see and know where laws are passed. The Library of Congress, which is the largest library in the world, was founded in 1800 and houses about 158 million items including approximately 36 million books and 69 million manuscripts. The library is open to the public and visitors.

Washington D.C. experiences a humid subtropical climate. The summers are hot and humid while winters are chilly with moderate snowfall. During the winter, the temperature can drop to 3.3 degrees Celsius while during the summer the temperature rises to 26.6 degrees Celsius. Thunderstorms are common during the summer due to high levels of heat and humidity.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Washington
Languages	English 79.2%, Spanish 12.9%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 3.3%, other 0.9% (2011 est.)
Ethnic Groups	White 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)
Religion	Protestant 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Mormon 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, other Christian 0.9%, Jewish 1.9%, Muslim 0.9%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%, other 1.8%, unaffiliated 22.8%, don't know/refused 0.6% (2014 est.)
Government	Constitutional federal republic
Independance	4 July 1776 (declared); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain)
Area	9,833,517.00 km²
Water Area	685,924.00 km²
Land Area	9,147,593.00 km²
Population	323,995,528.00 Large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu
Location	North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
No. Bordering Countries	2
Bordering Countries	Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,155 km
GDP(PPP)	$18,600,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$57,300.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Canada, Mexico, and China.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are agricultural products, industrial supplies, and capital goods.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, Canada, and Mexico.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include agricultural products, industrial supplies, capital goods, and consumer goods.
Climate	Warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
Terrain	Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Learn More	United States

United States Capital

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