Washington, D.C.
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Washington, D.C. | |||||
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| Nickname: "DC", "The District" | |||||
| Motto: "Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All)" | |||||
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| Coordinates: | |||||
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| Federal District | District of Columbia | ||||
| Mayor | Anthony A. Williams (D) | ||||
| City Council | Chairperson: Linda W. Cropp (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) |
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| Area | |||||
| - City | 177.0 km² (68.3 sq mi) | ||||
| - Land | 159.0 km² (61.4 sq mi) | ||||
| - Water | 18.0 km² (6.9 sq mi) | ||||
| Elevation | 0-410 ft / 0-125 m | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - City (2005) | 582,049[1] | ||||
| - Density | 3,481/km² (9,015/sq mi) | ||||
| - Urban | 5.8 million | ||||
| - Metro | 8,026,807 | ||||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||||
| Website: http://www.dc.gov/ | |||||
Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States. It is where the President and the other U.S. government groups live and work. Washington was named after the first U.S. President, George Washington. The "D.C." stands for "District of Columbia", because it is not in any U.S. state. At first, it was made up of a little piece from Virginia and a little piece from Maryland, on both sides of the Potomac River. In 1849, Virginia's piece was returned to them and are now parts of Arlington County, and the city of Alexandria. All of Washington D.C. is on the north side of the Potomac River.
Washington D.C. is the home of all three branches of the U.S. government: Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. It is also the home of the World Bank. Because it is the home of the President and is important to American politics, many groups hold large demonstrations and protests. These are often on the National Mall. There are also many national landmarks, monuments, and museums. This makes Washington D.C. a popular place for tourists to visit.
Washington D.C. is called many things by many different people. It can be called D.C.', The District of Columbia, The District, or sometimes just Washington. This can be confusing because there is also a state called Washington. To help with the confusion, sometimes the state of Washington is called "Washington State". The 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 582,049 people live in the District of Columbia.
[edit] History
When English people first came to the area, there was a Native American village on the spot called Nakochtank. This name survives in the name of the Anacostia River. This river was known for the healing properties of its pure water, and it is recorded that the Emperor Powhatan, who resided at what is now Richmond, Virginia, made the trip all the way to Nakochtank once for this reason. Today this river is one of the most polluted in the world.
[edit] Representation
The license plates on the cars in Washington D.C. say "Taxation Without Representation". This is a protest over the fact that the people who live in D.C. aren't represented with a vote in the Congress, but they still have to pay taxes. They are represented in the House of Representatives by someone who can take part in debates but cannot vote. This is pretty ironic because one of the reasons the American Revolution took place was because the Thirteen Colonies were angry about having to pay taxes to England without having voting rights.
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