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Washington, officially the State of Washington, [3] is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington state or Washington State [a] to distinguish it from the national capital, [4] both named for George Washington (the first U.S. president ). Washington borders the Pacific Ocean to the west ...
- United States Congressional Delegations From Washington
Current members. This is a list of members of the current...
- Olympia
Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and...
- Washington House of Representatives
The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house...
- Washington State (Disambiguation)
Washington State may refer to: . Washington (state), a U.S....
- Washington Supreme Court
The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the...
- History of Washington (State)
Washington's state flag since 1967. The history of...
- United States Congressional Delegations From Washington
- Overview
- Relief and drainage
- Soils
- Climate
Washington, constituent state of the United States of America. Lying at the northwestern corner of the 48 conterminous states, it is bounded by the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north, the U.S. states of Idaho to the east and Oregon to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The capital is Olympia, located at the southern end of Puget Sound in the western part of the state. The state’s coastal location and excellent harbours give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and countries of the Pacific Rim. Washington cities have sister cities in several countries, and their professional and trade associations commonly include Canadian members.
The terrain and climate of Washington divide the state into a rainy western third and a drier eastern two-thirds in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range. Western Washington industries depend on agriculture, forests, and fisheries and imported raw materials, whereas eastern Washington is mainly agricultural, producing wheat, irrigated crops, and livestock. Most of the people live in the highly urbanized area around Puget Sound that includes Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, and other cities. Area 71,298 square miles (184,661 square km). Pop. (2020) 7,705,281; (2023 est.) 7,812,880.
Washington has seven physiographic regions. In the northwest the Olympic Peninsula borders the Pacific Ocean south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Dense rainforests extend along the western slopes of the rugged Olympic Mountains, which rise to 7,965 feet (2,428 metres) on Mount Olympus.
The Willapa Hills parallel the coast from Grays Harbor to the Columbia River in the southwest. Gentle forested slopes descend to an indented Pacific coastline and, north and east of the hills, to the fertile Chehalis and Cowlitz valleys.
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The Puget Sound Lowland stretches southward from Canada between the Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Range to join the valleys of the Chehalis and Cowlitz rivers, which form an extension to the Columbia River. Deep waters and fine harbours in Puget Sound, together with relatively flat terrain along its shores, favour the densest population and greatest commercial development in the state.
The Cascade Range, east of the Puget Sound Lowland, has the state’s highest elevations. Its chain of volcanic peaks includes 14,410-foot (4,392-metre) Mount Rainier, the fifth highest peak in the conterminous United States. Mount St. Helens, located in the Cascades near the Oregon border, erupted violently in 1980 and blasted away its volcanic cone, reducing the mountain’s elevation from 9,677 feet (2,950 metres) to 8,363 feet (2,549 metres). The highest peaks of the Cascades have permanent glaciers.
The most productive soils in Washington are those of the river floodplains along with the weathered basalts and windblown silts of the Columbia basin. In wetter areas acidic soils support forests, but the driest regions east of the Cascades have sparse plant life and require irrigation for agriculture. The fine-textured sandy soils of the Big Bend ...
Prevailing westerly winds and the influence of the Pacific Ocean dominate the climate of Washington, although the Cascades barrier creates significant differences between western and eastern regions. The west has milder conditions than any other part of the United States at the same latitudes. Seattle has average January temperatures in the low 40s F (about 5 °C) and average July temperatures in the mid-60s F (about 19 °C). Annual precipitation on the Pacific side of the Olympic Peninsula exceeds 150 inches (3,800 mm), but places on the northwest of the peninsula receive less than 20 inches (500 mm) a year. Typical annual totals in the Puget Sound Lowland range between 30 and 40 inches (750 and 1,000 mm). The Cascades receive more than 100 inches (2,500 mm) of precipitation annually.
East of the Cascade Range, seasonal temperature variations are greater, but the Rocky Mountains shield the region to some extent from cold Canadian air masses in winter. Maximum summer temperatures usually exceed 100 °F (38 °C) a few days each year. Spokane’s January average temperatures are in the mid-20s F (about −4 °C); July average temperatures are about 70 °F (21 °C). Annual precipitation is about 17 inches (430 mm) in Spokane but less than 8 inches (200 mm) in the lower Yakima valley.
Mar 3, 2023 · Key Facts. Washington is a state located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east, Canada to the north. The state has a total area of approximately 71,362 square miles and ranks as the 18th largest state in the country. Washington's geography is diverse, with four distinct ...
- Olympia
- State of Washington
- US-WA
- Seattle (3,518,704)Spokane (460,531)
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Washington (state) Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is north of Oregon, west of Idaho, east of the Pacific Ocean, and south of British Columbia. (British Columbia is part of Canada .) There are more than 7,000,000 people in Washington.
- November 11, 1889 (42nd)
- Washington Territory
- United States
- Olympia
Dec 18, 2009 · Washington is the nation’s leading producer of apples, pears, sweet cherries and hops. Three national parks and 68 state parks border Puget Sound, which spans 2,500 miles of shoreline and helps ...
Washington, D.C. is a territory and not a state, nor is it part of any U.S. state. It is surrounded by the state of Maryland on the northwest, northeast, and southeast and bordered by the state of Virginia, across the Potomac River, on the west and southwest. U.S. geography can be complicated.
Sep 28, 2021 · It is located in the District of Columbia, which is what D.C. stands for. The location of Washington D.C. Originally, the seat of the government of the United States was located in Philadelphia, where members of the Continental Congress met. But shortly after the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress saw the need to create a capital that ...
