The United States of America, commonly referred to as the United States, the US, the USA or America, is a federation of republics in eastern North America. It was declared independent on 4 July 1776, and after a war against the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, independence was formally recognized by the British in 1783. The capital of the United States is Washington D.C., named after the first president, George Washington. It was founded for that purpose on 16 July 1790. Before that, Philadelphia was the Federal Capital.