Washington
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- Official Tourism Site of Washington State, United States
- HistoryLink.org - About Washington
- Humanities LibreTexts - Washington State History (Ranney)
- Official Site of the State of Washington, United States
- NETSTATE - Washington, United States
- JewishEncyclopedia.com - Washington, United States
- CRW Flags - Flag of Washington, United States
Washington,constituentstate of theUnited States of America. Lying at the northwestern corner of the 48 conterminous states, it is bounded by theCanadian province ofBritish Columbia to the north, the U.S. states ofIdaho to the east andOregon to the south, and thePacific Ocean to the west. The capital isOlympia, located at the southern end ofPuget Sound in the western part of the state. The state’s coastal location and excellent harbours give it a leading role in trade withAlaska,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.
Theterrain and climate of Washington divide the state into a rainy western third and a drier eastern two-thirds in therain shadow of theCascade 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 includesSeattle,Everett,Tacoma, and other cities. Area 71,298 square miles (184,661 square km). Pop. (2020) 7,705,281; (2024 est.) 7,958,180.
- Capital:
- Olympia
- Population1:
- (2020) 7,705,281; (2024 est.) 7,958,180
- Governor:
- Jay Inslee (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- Nov. 11, 1889
- U.S. Senators:
- Patty Murray (Democrat)
- Maria Cantwell (Democrat)
- State Nickname:
- Evergreen State
- Chinook State
- State Motto:
- “Alki (By and By)”
- State Bird:
- willow goldfinch
- State Flower:
- coast rhododendron
- State Song:
- “Washington, My Home”
- Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives:
- 10 (of 435)
- Time Zone:
- Pacific (GMT − 8 hours)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 184,661
Land
Relief and drainage
Washington has seven physiographic regions. In the northwest theOlympic Peninsula borders the Pacific Ocean south of theStrait of Juan de Fuca. Dense rainforests extend along the western slopes of the ruggedOlympic Mountains, which rise to 7,965 feet (2,428 metres) onMount Olympus.
TheWillapa Hills parallel the coast from Grays Harbor to theColumbia River in the southwest. Gentle forested slopesdescend to an indented Pacific coastline and, north and east of the hills, to the fertile Chehalis and Cowlitz valleys.
The Puget Sound Lowland stretches southward from Canada between theOlympic Mountains and theCascade Range to join the valleys of the Chehalis and Cowlitz rivers, which form an extension to theColumbia River. Deep waters and fine harbours inPuget 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 theOregon 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.
Occupying most of central Washington, the Columbia basin is surrounded by the Cascades to the west, the Okanogan Highlands to the north, uplands to Idaho to the east, and the Blue Mountains to the southeast. It is a basalt plateau lying at an elevation of about 1,000 to 2,500 feet (300 to 750 metres) and is drained by the Columbia River and its main tributary, theSnake. Glaciation, flooding, and wind have shapeddiverse landforms, although the general appearance is that of a large interior plain.
TheOkanogan Highlands, in the northeast, are an extension of theRocky Mountains. Their north-south ranges, with summits that rise to more than 7,000 feet (2,100 metres), are separated by glaciated trenches. Most of the state’s metallic ores are found in this region.
TheBlue Mountains, which extend into Washington from Oregon, consist of uplifted plateaus and ranges in the southeastern corner of the state. Gentle slopes and broad valleys descend from 6,000-foot (1,800-metre) heights to the Columbia basin. Outliers to the westcomprise the Horse Heaven Hills and Rattlesnake Hills.
Soils
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 and Palouse areas are susceptible to erosion by wind and water. Topsoil loss through the use of mechanized agriculture has emerged as a major environmental problem.
Climate
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 thelow 40s F (about 5 °C) and average July temperatures in the mid-60s F (about 19 °C). Annualprecipitation 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 usuallyexceed 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 lowerYakima valley.
Throughout the state precipitation is greatest in the cooler months, when a succession of cyclonic storms move inland from the northern Pacific, sometimes with gale-force winds. Rain falls on a great number of days even in areas that are relatively arid, such as in the west. The occasional outbreaks of continental air from the north or northeast may reach the outer coast, bringing freezing conditions in winter or hot, dry air that increases the danger of forest fires in summer.