Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia, is the federal capital of the United States and is located along the east bank of the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. Established in 1790 under the U.S. Constitution as a federal district outside the jurisdiction of any state, the District originally included land ceded by both Maryland and Virginia, though the Virginia portion was returned in 1847. Today, the district covers approximately 61 square miles and is organized as a single municipal government without counties or subordinate municipalities. Its landscape is defined by the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, Rock Creek Park, and a dense urban core centered on the National Mall, which contains the White House, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court and numerous federal agencies, museums and memorials. Washington is also home to major residential neighborhoods, universities and international diplomatic missions. The district had 689,545 residents at the 2020 census and functions as the political center of the federal government while maintaining its own elected mayor and council under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.