"Columbia" (/kəˈlʌmbiə/; kə-LUM-bee-ə) is a historical name used by both Europeans and Americans to describe the Americas, the New World, and often, more specifically, the United States of America.
Half of the district was in Maryland and the other half was in Virginia, and the two states gave this land to the government. In 1791, it was named Washington, the District of Columbia to honor George Washington. Columbia was another name for North America.
Washington DC is the capital city of the United States of America (USA). ... It is known locally as the District or simply D.C. Historically, it was called the Federal City. The District of Columbia, founded on July 16, 1790, is a federal district as specified by the United States Constitution with limited local rule.
Washington DC is not one of the 50 states. But it's an important part of the U.S. The District of Columbia is our nation's capital. Congress established the federal district from land belonging to the states of Maryland and Virginia in 1790.
On September 9, 1791, the three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington. The federal district was named Columbia, which was a poetic name for the United States commonly in use at that time.
Columbia is a New Latin toponym, in use since the 1730s, for the Thirteen Colonies. It originated from the name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and from the ending -ia, common in Latin names of countries (paralleling Britannia, Gallia etc.).