Where is District of Columbia?

District of Columbia is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 38.9015° N, 77.0114° W.

What is the largest city in District of Columbia?

Washington, D.C is the largest city mapped in District of Columbia, with a metropolitan population of about 4.34 million.

How many cities are in District of Columbia?

YearMaps maps 1 cities and towns in District of Columbia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 4.34 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

District of Columbia Map — Cities & Geography, United States

Interactive Map of District of Columbia

7.4

About District of Columbia

Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly shortened to Washington, or DC, is the capital city of the United States, and its only federal district.

The city stands on the north-east bank of the Potomac River, across from the state of Virginia, surrounded by Maryland to its north, east, and south. The district was named for Columbia, the female personification of the American nation, through which human form and attributes are applied to the United States. "Washington" is a more recent addition to the city's common name, and is from the name of George Washington, the first U.S. president.

The U.S. Constitution in 1789 called for the creation of a federal district under exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, which would become a constituent part of the Union that is not part of any state or territory. The Residence Act, adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district along the Potomac River, and is considered the city's founding date. In 1800, when the capital was moved from Philadelphia, the 6th Congress started meeting in the then-unfinished Capitol Building, and the second president, John Adams, moved into the newly finished White House. In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria, was officially made the federal district; initially, the city was a separate settlement within the larger district. In 1846, Congress reduced the size of the district when it returned the land that Virginia had ceded, including the city of Alexandria. In 1871, it made the entire district into a single municipality. There have been several failed efforts to reduce the district further and admit the rest as a state since the 1880s, including a statehood bill that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was not adopted by the U.S. Senate.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Washington, D.C. (CC BY-SA 4.0).

District of Columbia, United States — Image via Wikimedia Commons.

District of Columbia in Depth

History

The Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people inhabited present-day Washington, D.C. and lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first arrived and colonized the region in the early 17th century. The Nacotchtank, also called the Nacostines by Catholic missionaries, maintained settlements around the Anacostia River in present-day Washington, D.C. Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes ultimately displaced the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland.

During the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, nine cities served as capitals to the Continental Congress and under the Articles of Confederation.

Geography

Washington, D.C., is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast. The city has a total area of 68.34 square miles (177 km2), of which 61.05 square miles (158.1 km2) is land and 7.29 square miles (18.9 km2) (10.67%) is water. The district is bordered by Montgomery County, Maryland, to the northwest; Prince George's County, Maryland, to the east; Arlington County, Virginia, to the west; and Alexandria, Virginia, to the south.

The south bank of the Potomac River forms the district's border with Virginia and has two major tributaries, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. Tiber Creek, a natural watercourse that once passed through the National Mall, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s.

Economy

In 2025, Washington, D.C's gross domestic product was $192.6 billion and its per capita personal income was $116,121.

As of 2011, the Washington metropolitan area, including the District of Columbia as well as parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, was the nation's eighth-largest metropolitan economy. Its growing and diversified economy has an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs in addition to more traditional jobs rooted in tourism, entertainment, and government.

Between 2009 and 2016, gross domestic product per capita in Washington, D.C., consistently ranked at the very top among U.S. states.

Demographics

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the district's population was 705,749 as of July 2019, up more than 100,000 people since the 2010 United States census. When measured decade-over-decade, this shows growth since 2000, following a half-century of population decline. Washington was the 24th-most populous place in the United States as of 2010. According to data from 2010, commuters from the suburbs boost the district's daytime population past one million. If the district were a state, it would rank 49th in population, ahead of Vermont and Wyoming.

The Washington metropolitan area, which includes the district and surrounding suburbs, is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with an estimated six million residents as of 2016.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Washington, D.C. (CC BY-SA 4.0).

District of Columbia: Key Facts

Key facts about District of Columbia
Population	689,545 (2020)
Area	177 km²
Head of government	Muriel Bowser
Highest point	Point Reno
Established	16 July 1790

Facts from Wikidata Q61 (CC0).

History of District of Columbia: Empires and States

The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of District of Columbia, from Kingdom of England in 1662 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held District of Columbia, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
Kingdom of England	1662–1708 CE
English Colonial Empire	1662–1712 CE
British Colonial Empire	1709–1774 CE
The British Empire	1709–1774 CE
United States of America	1776–2024 CE

Historical Maps of District of Columbia

District of Columbia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting District of Columbia

Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America and the seat of its three branches of government, has an unparalleled collection of free, public museums, and the lion's share of the nation's most treasured monuments and memorials. The vistas on the National Mall between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are iconic throughout the world.

D.C. is not only a political center; it is exciting, cosmopolitan, and international and has shopping, dining, and nightlife on par with a world-class metropolis.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Washington, D.C. (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in District of Columbia

1 city mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in District of Columbia
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Washington, D.C	4.34 million	District of Columbia	National capital

Ports in District of Columbia

1 port mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Ports in District of Columbia
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Washington D.C	49.4 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of the United States	medium vessels

District of Columbia: Quick Answers

Where is District of Columbia?: District of Columbia is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 38.9015° N, 77.0114° W.
What is the largest city in District of Columbia?: Washington, D.C is the largest city mapped in District of Columbia, with a metropolitan population of about 4.34 million.
How many cities are in District of Columbia?: YearMaps maps 1 cities and towns in District of Columbia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 4.34 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.