Difference between Washington and Washington DC

People in almost all parts of the world have come across the name of Washington; such is the fame attached to this name! However it must be noted that Washington is not the same as Washington DC. It is common practice to refer to one as the other and use the words interchangeably, especially for people in other parts of the world as compared to the Americas. People often mean to refer to Washington DC but casually just use the word Washington to refer to it. This is not correct. As we will now make very clear in this article, there are significant differences between the two.

Washington DC, as most of us know, is the capital of the United States of America. The abbreviation DC stands for District of Columbia. Washington, however, which is also referred to as Washington State, is one of the states of the United States. It is a state which is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the US, located to the north of Oregon, south of the Canadian province of BC (British Columbia) on the Pacific Ocean coast, and to the west of Idaho. The state was named after George Washington who was the first president of the United States. This state was made from the western part of what is called the Washington Treaty, which was ceded by the British in 1846 (by the Oregon Treaty, which was a settlement to the dispute of the Oregon boundary). It was later added to the Union in 1889 as the 42nd state.

On the other hand, Washington DC, also referred to as Washington District, is the capital of the US. The Residence Act, signed on the 16th of July in 1790, approved the creation of a district that was to be the capital. It was located along the River Potomac on the East Coast of the country. The district is not a part of any US state. In order to form the federal district, the states of Virginia and Maryland each donated land. The donated land included some existing settlements of Alexandria and Georgetown. This is an important difference; Washington is a state but Washington DC is a district that is also the capital. The latter is where all three branches of the United States’ federal government is. These include the Congress, Supreme Court and the President. Many national museums and monuments are also present in the district as well as 179 embassies. Moreover, the headquarters of a number of international organizations, non-profit organizations, trade unions, professional associations, lobbying groups etc. are also found in this district.

A major difference between Washington and Washington DC is the territorial makeup of the two cities. The latter has a lot of important strategic buildings and offices, some of which have been mentioned above. There is more artificial beauty in Washington DC due to brilliant works of architecture and some very good buildings and monuments. As opposed to this, Washington is known more for its natural beauty. It is a state that is full of mountains, forests, waterfalls etc. Moving on, the lifestyle observed in the two cities is also very different; in DC, it is common to find working people in suits, executives and so on whereas in Washington State, there is more diversity. Along with businessmen and other professionals, the people found there also consist of youngsters, seniors, retired people etc.

In addition to this, Washington is on the west coast of the United States of America whereas Washington DC is on the East Coast.

Summary

1. Washington DC is the capital of the United States of America. The abbreviation DC stands for District of Columbia; Washington State is one of the states of the United States

• Washington State is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the US, located to the north of Oregon, south of the Canadian province of BC (British Columbia) on the Pacific Ocean coast, and to the west of Idaho; Washington DC is located along the River Potomac, the district is not a part of any US state. Virginia and Maryland donated land for the formation of this district

• Washington is on the west coast of the United States of America whereas Washington DC is on the East Coast

• Washington DC has a lot of important strategic buildings and offices, more artificial beauty in

• Washington DC due to brilliant works of architecture and some very good buildings; Washington is known more for its natural beauty, it is full of mountains, forests, waterfalls etc.

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