Key Difference – Washington vs Washington DC
Washington and Washington DC are two locations that confuse many of us. Washington is a state that is located on the Pacific coast of the United States. Washington DC, located on the east coast of the USA, is the capital of the United States. The key difference between Washington and Washington DC is that Washington is a state whereas Washington DC is a federal district.
What is Washington?
Washington is one of the fifty states of the United States. Named after the first president of the United States George Washington, it is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, west of Idaho, north of Oregon, and south of the Canadian province of British Columbia. This state is in the Pacific Time Zone. Washington is often called the state of Washington or Washington State in order to avoid confusion since the name Washington can also refer to Washington DC. This state was originally part of an area called Columbia District, but it was later renamed as Washington State in order to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia, which is on the other side of the country.
Washington is the 18th largest state (184,827 km2) and has a population of over 7 million. Olympia is the state capital of Washington. Cities like Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver are located in the Washington state. Most of the population live in the Seattle Metropolitan area of the state. Washington State is a leading producer of timber, apples, pears, red raspberries, hops, sweet cherries and spearmint oil.
What is Washington DC?
Washington DC is the capital of the United States of America. The abbreviation DC stands for District of Columbia. Washington DC is commonly referred to as Washington, DC or the district. Washington DC is located along the Potomac River on the East Coast of the country. This area does not belong to any state.
Washington DC is also named after the first US president George Washington and was founded in 1791. The states of Maryland and Virginia donated land for the formation of this federal district.
The centers of all three segments of the federal government including Congress, Supreme Court, and the President are in Washington DC. This city is home to many national monuments, museums, foreign embassies, headquarters of international organizations, trade unions, and professional associations. Famous places such as the White House, Smithsonian, Lincoln Memorial, US capitol, etc. are located in Washington DC.
What is the difference between Washington and Washington DC?
State vs City:
Washington: Washington is a state located west of the country.
Washington DC: Washington is a city located east of the country.
Location:
Washington: Washington State is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
Washington DC: Washington DC is located on the East Coast.
Time Zone:
Washington: Washington State is in the Pacific Time Zone. (UTC-8)
Washington DC: Washington DC is in the Eastern Time Zone. (UTC-5)
Area:
Washington: The area of the Washington State is 184,827 km2.
Washington DC: The area of the federal district of Washington DC is 177.0 km2 (both land and water).
Capital:
Washington: Olympia is the capital of Washington.
Washington DC: Washington DC is the capital of the United States.
State:
Washington: Washington is one of the 50 states of the United States.
Washington DC: Washington DC doesn’t belong to any state.
Image Courtesy:
“Map of USA DC” By [User:te wiki] – Image:US Locator Blank.svg (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“Washington in United States” By TUBS – Own work – created with Adobe Illustrator. This file was uploaded with Commonist.This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from – USA edcp location map.svg (by Uwe Dedering), USA Hawaii location map.svg (by NordNordWest) and Canada location map.svg (by Yug). (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia