District of Columbia Aquatint of ships at the Georgetown
waterfront in View of the Suburbs of the City of Washington by
George I. Parkyns, circa 1795. (Library of Congress) The
District of Columbia sits on the fall line in the Potomac River
Basin. The District is surrounded on three sides by Maryland and
on its fourth side by the Potomac River that separates it from
Virginia. The Anacostia River and Rock Creek both flow through
the District where they join the Potomac River. The Tidal Basin
is a partially artificial inlet designed to flush the Washington
Channel, which parallels the Potomac River and joins the
Anacostia River. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal terminates in the
District of Columbia. Although the District is small, covering
only about 68 square miles, almost 10% of it (7 square miles) is
covered by water. What is the maritime heritage of the District
of Columbia? The maritime heritage of the District of Columbia
extends back over 14,000 years when Native Americans moved to
the area. The earliest p