Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
National Capital Parks
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
National Capital Parks
Read Next
Washington, D.C. locator map.
What State Is Washington, D.C. In?
Streets of Puerto Rico
Pro and Con: Statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia
Majestic sequoias in Sequoia National Park. (trees; sunlight; forest; conifers; sequoia tree)
Saving the World’s Largest Trees
Castle Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (steam; water pressure)
Happy 100th Birthday, National Park Service!
Johannes Vermeer, Dutch, 1632-1675, Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1665/1666, oil on pnael, painted surface: 22.87 x 18 cm (9x 7 1/16 in.), Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
2 Vermeers, 1 Krasner, and 11 Other Paintings That Washington, D.C., Has To Offer
Discover
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
National Capital Parks
National Capital Parks

National Capital Parks

park system, United States
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Date:
1790 - present
See all related content

National Capital Parks, system of national monuments and government-owned parks and recreation areas in and around the District of Columbia, U.S. The system was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1790 and became part of the National Park Service in 1933.

Today there are more than 300 park units with a combined area of 10 square miles (26 square km). The overwhelming majority of units are located in Washington, D.C.; others are in Virginia and Maryland. Units include the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the President’s Parks, and the Frederick Douglass Home, all in Washington, D.C., as well as Prince William Forest Park and the Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion) in Virginia.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica