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Washington DC,
General Information
Nickname: None
State bird: Wood Thrush
State flower: American Beauty Rose
Capital: N/A
Senate approval date of the federal city: July 1 1790
Population: 565,392 (official estimate 2004)
Population density: 3298.6 per sq km
2003 total overseas arrivals: 1,049,000
Time: Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed.
The District: ‘‘DC’ stands for ‘District of Columbia’, not a state but an administrative district created specifically to avoid having the capital city in any one state. Washington, DC is a city of green parks, wide tree-lined streets, white marble buildings and, surprising for a US city, no skyscrapers, which gives it a more European air. It is the centre for visiting diplomats and has one of the largest concentrations of hotel and motel rooms in the country. Tourism is the leading private industry and business interests are increasingly attracted by the many light-industrial, high-tech and research companies now moving into the region. The ‘Metro area’ refers to the District of Columbia and surrounding counties and cities in Maryland and Virginia.
Note: Following the terrorist attack on the Pentagon of September 11 2001 and then subsequent anthrax alerts and sniper attacks in 2002, security throughout the capital is on heightened alert. Travellers may experience extensive waits or cancellations of tours around sensitive public buildings. General information can be obtained from the nearest US embassy or from the Foreign Commonwealth Office (website: www.fco.gov.uk); the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation (website: www.washington.org) and online from the District of Columbia’s (website: www.dc.gov), which highlights specific closure of federal buildings and the status of different tours.
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