For many years, I struggled to understand why the United States’ capital is Washington, District of Columbia, not District of America; is America’s capital truly owned by the South American country, Colombia? The answer is no, and I finally resolved this perplexity!
The explanation to this enigma eluded me until I discovered a key piece of information: there is one letter difference between Columbia and Colombia.
Colombia
Colombia is a country in South America that was founded in the year 1810, and later gained independence from Spain in 1819, however this country renamed itself several times over the years. The country has been known by the names of New Granada, the Grenadine Confederation, the United States of Colombia, and, finally, the Republic of Colombia. Colombia did not enter the country’s name until 1863.
Columbia
Columbia is the nickname given to the Thirteen Colonies of America in the 1730s, and was used similarly to the way we use America to describe the United States; the nickname Columbia persisted during the formation of the United States and is still in use today! The name Columbia comes from adding the Latin ending -ia to the name of Christopher Columbus: [Columb(us) + -ia]. The addition of the ending -ia is typical of many country names in Latin, such as Italia and Hispania.
Numerous places, companies, songs, et cetera, in the United States reference this American nickname: Columbia, South Carolina; Washington, District of Columbia (D.C.); and even one of the unofficial National Anthems of the US from 1789-1931 that is still in use as the President’s March: Hail, Columbia.
This is what the capital of the United States derives its name from, as previously stated. The name District of Columbia itself describes that it is a district owned by Columbia, meaning the United States, not the South American country as I previously thought.
Columbia can also be the female national personification of the United States, used to symbolize the US in many depictions. You may be familiar with at least one depiction of Columbia. This is interesting, though I do not condone the risqué apparel that she is sometimes portrayed in.
What is Washington, D.C?
Washington is the capital city in the District of Columbia, which is the federal district of the United States that was established by the US Constitution; it is a small piece of land that is neither a state nor a part of any of the fifty states. The District of Columbia was set aside for the purpose of serving as the national capital. It may seem strange for the US to have states, territories, and a random district that appears out of character, but America had another district in 1804: the District of Louisiana, which later became the Territory of Louisiana.
To clear the confusion between these two similar names, I like to think of the Columbia with the U as Union or United: Columbia, the United States of America.
Hopefully this helps you understand the US Capital better.
What are your thoughts about the nickname Columbia?
Onward American 🇺🇸
Source: How Did Washington D.C. Get Its Name
Onward American 