Means “District of Columbia” (District of Columbia).
“Columbia” is an old US nickname inspired by Christopher Columbus. In the end, “District of Columbia” is just a prettier name for Federal Districtsince the status of “district”, in practice, designates the same thing as in the rest of the world: an administrative unit of the same level as a state, only without representatives in Congress.
Locating the nation’s capital in a district is one way to keep your sovereignty in relation to the state in which it is located. Can you imagine the power that a state would have if it could legislate over the federal capital?
Curiosity: Do not confuse the city with the state of Washington, in the northwest of the USA!
CONSULTANCY: Sean Purdy, professor of US History at USP.
SOURCES: Book Washington Odyssey: a Multicultural History of the Nation¿s Capital, by Francine C. Cary.