Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States.

Settled as a port town for tobacco trade in 1751, Washington flourished into a city after the Revolutionary War and became America's capital in 1800. The city is named after the nation's first president and military general, George Washington. The District of Columbia, which is a government protectorate, is named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. During the Civil War, Washington DC served as a military base for the Union army.

The District has a resident population of 637,651 however because of commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one million during the workweek. The city is the center of a metropolitan area that is the eighth most populous in the country.

DC attractions are a playground of national treasures – from the Smithsonian museums to legendary landmarks like the Capitol and the White House.

Washington, DC’s theatre and nightlife scene is surprising and sophisticated - from world-premiere plays at the Kennedy Center and Shakespeare Theatre Company to the edgy productions at Woolly Mammoth and Studio Theatre.