Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America, is the seat of the American government and is home to the presidential residence, The White House. Formally known as Washington, District of Columbia, the city is commonly referred to as The District or D.C. The resident population amount to less that 600K, but it rises during the work week because of commuters from the surrounding suburbs.

Politically, Washington DC is under the control of the US Congress. As a result, DC residents probably have the least self-governance compared to residents in other states. There are 174 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank are found in Washington DC.

The city is peppered with historic sites and museums. These include the National Mall, which is a large and open park area at the heart of the city. The Washington Monument can be found at the center of the Mall. Other landmarks located in the Mall include the National WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean and Vietnam Wars Memorials, and the Albert Einstein Memorial. The city is home to the official museums and galleries in the United States. The museums are maintained by the Smithsonian Institute and in 2007, The Museum of Natural History, located in the city, was the most visited of all the Smithsonian Museums.