Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States, where the federal government does its work. The “D.C.” stands for District of Columbia, meaning it's not part of any state but rather a special district created specifically to house the nation's government.

In Washington, D.C., you'll find the White House, where the President lives and works, the Capitol Building, where Congress meets to write laws, and the Supreme Court, where the highest judges in the country make important legal decisions. The city sits on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia, and the Founding Fathers chose this location in 1790 as a compromise between northern and southern states.

The city is named after George Washington, the first U.S. President. Unlike other American cities, Washington, D.C. was created to be the nation's capital. It's filled with museums (many of them free!), monuments, and government buildings. If you visit, you can see the original Declaration of Independence, tour the halls where laws are debated, and stand at the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.