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Washington, DC is the capital of the United States of America. The city of Washington is coterminous with the District of Columbia, which covers a former part of the state of Maryland, and originally ate into a part of Virginia as well (which is now sections of Alexandria and Arlington). Named for first U.S. President George Washington, the city - situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers - was laid out in 1791 by French-born artist Pierre L'Enfant, who has a namesake plaza in the city's southwest. Washington's surface street grid consists of north-south numbered streets, east-west lettered streets close to the downtown core, worded streets of one, two and three-syllables further out, and diagonal streets named for U.S. states, along with North, East and South Capitol streets, the western counterpart being Independence Avenue.

 

City landmarks are the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, the National Mall and Smithsonian, and the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. The country's most important military installments - the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery - lie just across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia. Professional sports teams the Washington Nationals (MLB), Capitals (NHL) and Wizards (NBA) have their home venues in the District as well. D.C. and its metropolitan area are also known for the six-line Metrorail (Metro) subway system.

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Washington, DC's road network goes beyond its surface streets. Though Interstate 95 was cancelled through the city in the 1970s amid heavy opposition, the District still has Interstate highways in 295, 395, 695, and a small portion of Interstate 66. U.S. routes 1, 29 and 50 also work their way through the city, and there is exactly one District route - DC Route 295 in the northeast past of the city, which bears the names of the Anacostia Freeway and Kenilworth Avenue Freeway before crossing into Maryland as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.