Things to do / Travel Guide
A city of 61 square miles, Washington DC is located on the East Coast and is bordered by the states of Maryland to the north, south, and east, and Virginia to the west.
Much of the city has been developed, but, even in the more urban areas, large tracts of land have been set aside as parkland. This includes the Mall, which is located at the center of the city's downtown area.
Approximately 10% of the city's overall area is covered by water in the form of the Potomac River and its tributaries, the Anacostia River, and Rock Creek, as well as three major reservoirs that are found within the city limits. The topography of Washington DC strongly resembles that of Maryland in that it is relatively flat. The district's lowest point is sea level, in the areas along the riverbanks, and its highest point is just 429 feet above sea level at Fort Reno, a fort built to protect the city during the Civil War.
The city is divided into four quadrants, Northeast (NE), Northwest (NW), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW), with the U.S. Capitol sitting approximately in the center of the grid. Within every quadrant, streets that run in a north-south direction are named numerically, while east-west streets are named with letters. Many longer streets run diagonally through the quadrants, with most receiving the names of the 50 states.
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