Overview
The capital of the United States of America, Washington, is located in the District of Columbia and strategically bound on one side by the Potomac River ( giving it access to the sea) and bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the northwest, northeast, and southeast. Washington DC is a city of green parks, wide tree lined streets and very few skyscrapers, giving it a European air. It is also a city of museums and national monuments. The city is divided into four quadrants- northwest (NW), northeast (NE), southeast (SE) and southwest (SW).The federal district was named the District of Columbia, Columbia being named after Christopher Columbus. Washington DC is also called the city of neighborhoods, as each neighborhood has its own cultural identity. The Adam Morgan neighborhood stands out as an eclectic mix of international restaurants, sidewalk cafes, ethnic stores and late-night entertainment. This area boasts the largest display of expressive art in the city. Walk through this neighborhood and you will be assaulted with sights, sounds and aromas from across the globe. The most tragic of events in the nation’s capital occurred on 11 September 2001, when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon. Since then, barricades, police and security checks have changed the city’s façade. After the federal government, tourism is the capital’s primary industry with over 15 million tourists exploring the city each year, mostly during autumn, spring and summer. Winter is best avoided due to bitter cold and wet weather. Back in the 1990s, Washington DC was known as the “murder capital” of the United States with the number of murders reaching a peak in 1991, but the level of violence declined drastically in the 1990s.
