Washington - Political   Capital Olympia Largest City Seattle Major Cities Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver, Bellevue, Yakima, Walla Walla Nicknames Evergreen State Area 68,192 sq. miles Population 5,894,121

 

Washington - Physical features   Mountain Ranges/Plateaus Coast Ranges, Cascades, Olympic Mountains, Blue Mountains, Selkirk Mountains, Columbia Plateau Volcanoes/Peaks Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Olympus Inlets/Straits Puget Sound, Strait of Juan De Fuca, Strait of Georgia Peninsulas/Capes Olympic Peninsula, Cape Flattery Lakes Franklin Delano Roosevelt lake Rivers Columbia, Snake, Yakima, Okanogan Highest Point Mount Rainier Islands San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island Bordering States Oregon (south), Idaho (east), Canada- British Columbia (north) National Parks Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP Key Products Apples, Cherries, Peas, Lumber, Aircraft Natural Resources Lumber

 

Washington - History   1805-1806 Lewis and Clark explore Columbia river valley. 1846 The Oregon Treaty settles boundary disputes between the US and Britian with the official boundary being the 49th parallel. 1889 Admited to Union as the 42nd state Present Day Aircraft manufacturing, especially of Boeing airplanes, is centered around Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle. Boeing is the leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer.

 

Washington - Facts   The Space Needle (605 feet/184 meters in height) is Seattle’s most famous landmark and the city’s most recognizable attraction. Washington ranks first of all states in the country in amount of hydroelectric production. Grand Coulee Dam, the United States’s largest concrete dam, forms Franklin Delano Roosevelt lake on the Columbia river. The Hoh Rain Forest is protected from human exploitation and deforestation in Olympic NP. This is the only temperate rain forest in the 48 contigious states. The Olympic Peninsula is one of the rainiest spots of the world. Seattle is nicknmed "the Emerald City." The Okanogan is a plateau region of British Columbia and northern Washington centered around the Okanogan river valley. Cape Flattery is the northwesternmost point in the lower 48 states.