The capital city and federal district of the United States is Washington, D.C., commonly referred to as just Washington or simply D.C. It shares a physical boundary with the US state of Maryland on all other sides, and is situated on the east bank of the Potomac River, which also serves as its western and southern borders with Virginia. The federal district is called after Columbia, a female personification of the country, while the city is named for George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States.