BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Washington D.C., or Washington, District of Columbia, is the capital of the United States. The city of Washington is coextensive with the District of Columbia.

    Washington D.C. is situated at the navigational head of the Potomac River, between Maryland and Virginia, spreading out over 6094 square km.The city, the center of metropolitan area, covers an area of 178 square km.

    As a federal district of eastern United States, it is not under the jurisdiction of any state of the country.

    The place where Washington is now located used to be a land of bushes and shrubs, with cottages sparsely scattered over the wilderness.

    In 1789, the federal government was officially inaugurated. In 1790 the debate of northern and southern states for the capital's location ended when both sides agreed to situate the national capital on the banks of the Potomac River. George Washington, the first president of the United States, selected the exact site.

    The "Federal City" was designed by Pierre L'Enfant and laid outby Andrew Ellicott. Construction which began in 1792 was not completed when George Washington died in 1799. When erected the following year, the new city was named Washington in commemoration of him.

    Washington is the political center of the United States, where the White House, the Congress, the Supreme Court and the vast majority of federal government bodies are seated.

    Capitol, also known as Capitol Hill, the seat of the U.S. Congress and the symbol of Washington, is located on the most elevated site of the city. The White House, a dome-shaped building constructed of Virginia freestone, is the executive mansion of the President of the United States.

    The Pentagon, a five-sided building consisting of five concentric pentagons connected to each other by corridors and covering an area of 13.8 hectares, accommodates the U.S. Department of Defense.

    There are more than 300 memorials and statues located in different parts of the city. Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument are among the most famous ones.

    Washington and Beijing, the Chinese capital, established relations of twin cities on May 15, 1984. Enditem