Washington D.C., also known as the District of Columbia and also referred as Washington, “the District”, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the proposed creation of the federal district to become the national capital which was permitted by the U.S. Constitution. Because of this, the District is not part of any U.S. state, yet it was formed from land from the states of Maryland and Virginia. The city sits on the Potomac River, where Maryland and Virginia meet. However, in 1846, due to not being used, the Virginian share was returned to the state.