Washington, D.C., located across the Potomac River from Arlington, Virginia

iss074e0150475 (Jan. 19, 2026) --- Washington, D.C., located across the Potomac River from Arlington, Virginia, is the capital of the United States and home to over 700,000 residents. The metropolitan area, which includes portions of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, has approximately 6.3 million residents. The International Space Station was orbiting 259 miles above Earth when this photograph was taken.