Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia
and commonly referred to as Washington; D.C.; or the district, is the capital
of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of
government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George
Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father. As
the seat of the United States federal government and several international
organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city,
located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, is one of the
most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.
The signing of the Residence Act on 16 July 1790,
approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on
the country's East Coast. The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district
under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, and the District is
therefore not a part of any U.S. state. The states of Maryland and Virginia
each donated land to form the federal district, which included the pre-existing
settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria. The City of Washington was founded in
1791 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land
originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it
created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the
District.
Washington had an estimated population of 702.455 as
of July 2018. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs
raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek.
All three branches of the U.S. federal government are
centered in the District: Congress (legislative), the president (executive),
and the Supreme Court (judicial). Washington is home to many national
monuments, and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The
city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many
international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and
professional associations, including the World Bank Group, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization of American States.
A locally elected mayor and a 13‑member
council have governed the District since 1973. However, Congress maintains
supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D.C. residents
elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of
Representatives, but the District has no representation in the Senate. District
voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third
Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961.
The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags
of our nation series, a stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of the
foundation of the district, a commemorative stamp from 2003 and one from 2011
with the portrait of George Washington. I sent the envelope to the Washington
main post office to be postmarked. It arrived back in just over a month with a
perfect datestamp. Fortunately the envelope went through the American sorting
machine back to front to the terrible wavy postmark was put on the back.
Date sent: 22 May 2017
Date postmark: 20 June 2017
Date received: 27 June 2017
Number of days: 36
Envelope in collection: 198
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