The geographic distribution of terrorist attacks in the U.S. from 1970 to 2008.

No real surprise here — according to a report from a terrorism research institute at the University of Maryland, the District came in fifth on a list of terrorism “hot spots” across the country, having been targeted 79 times from 1970 to 2008.

Still, the District’s share of terrorist attacks has been relatively low — three percent, compared to New York, which topped the list with 343 attacks, or 13 percent of the 337 total attacks over those years. Los Angeles has suffered 156 attacks, Miami-Dade County had 103 and San Francisco was the victim of 99. (The report only counted completed attacks, not those that were foiled by police. Those have been on the rise, it says.)

According to the study, the District has been victim of 20 left-wing terrorist attacks, 10 ethno-national/separatist attacks and 16 single-issue attacks. The 1970s were particularly ripe for terrorism, with the District having been hit 25 times by left-wing or single-issue terrorists.

In October, we looked back at some of the terrorist attacks that have hit the District, including attacks on diplomats and embassies.