The District of Columbia is not a state, although many of its residents would like it to be.
That’s because they do not have a voting representative in the U.S. Congress, and because Congress has final authority over many aspects of their local government.
Officially the District of Columbia is a territory of the United States, and the city of Washington occupies the entire 68 square mile (177 sq km) territory of the District of Columbia.
About half a million people live there.
