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Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia, also known as Washington or D.C. or locally simply as the District, is the capital city and federal district of the United States. It is located on the east bank of the Potomac River, which forms its southwestern and southern border with the U.S. state of Virginia, and it shares a land border with the U.S. state of Maryland on its other sides. The city was named for George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, and the federal district is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation. As the seat of the U.S. federal government and several international organizations, the city is an important world political capital. It is one of the most visited cities in the U.S., with over 20 million annual visitors as of 2016.

The U.S. Constitution provides for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress; the district is not a part of any U.S. state (nor is it one itself). The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district located along the Potomac River near the country's East Coast. The City of Washington was founded in 1791, and Congress held its first session there in 1800. In 1801, the territory, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia (including the settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria), officially became recognized as the federal district. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the district. There have been efforts to make the city into a state since the 1880s, a movement that has gained momentum in recent years, and a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021.

Xining, known as Qingtang City, Xiping County and Shanzhou in ancient times, is the capital of Qinghai Province, the political, economic, scientific and educational, cultural, transportation and communication center of Qinghai Province, and an important central city in the northwest region approved by the State Council. By 2019, the city had jurisdiction over five districts and two counties, with a total area of 7660 square kilometers, a built-up area of 129 square kilometers, a resident population of 2.3711 million, an urban population of 1.7098 million, and a urbanization rate of 72.1 percent. Xining is located in the eastern part of Qinghai Province, swimming in the river valley basin in the Huangshui River. It is the eastern gateway of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the necessary place for the ancient "Silk Road" South Road and "Tangbo Ancient Road". It has been the northwest traffic road and military important place since ancient times. Known as the "key to the West Sea" and the throat of the sea, it is one of the high-altitude cities in the world and is also the State Council.
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