Map of Washington which lies in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA
| State | Washington |
| State Capital | Olympia |
| Largest City | Seattle |
| Coordinates | 47.5°N 120.5°W |
| Nickname(s) | “The Evergreen State” (unofficial) |
| Postal Abbreviation | WA |
| Area | 71,362 sq. mi (184,827 sq. km) |
| Highest Point | Mount Rainier, 14,411 ft (4,392 m) |
| Neighboring States | Oregon, Idaho |
| Number of Counties | 39 |
| Population | 7,614,893 (2019) |
| Date of Entering the Union | November 11, 1889 (42nd) |
| State Anthem | “Washington, My Home” |
| Governor | Jay Inslee (Democrats) |
| Lieutenant Governor | Cyrus Habib (Democrats) |
| U.S. senators | Patty Murray (Democrats), Maria Cantwell (Democrats) |
| U.S. House Delegation | 7 Democrats, 3 Republicans |
| GDP (millions of dollars) | 610,488 |
| Demonym | Washingtonian |
| Time Zones | UTC−08:00 (Pacific), Summer (DST) UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
Washington, officially known as the State of Washington, lies in the Pacific Northwest corner of the United States of America. Idaho borders it to the east and Oregon to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the state. To the north of Washington lies the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the 42nd state admitted to the union of the USA on November 11, 1889. Olympia is the capital of the state.
The state spreads across a total area of 71,362 sq. mi (184,827 sq. km), out of which 66,544 sq. mi (172,587 sq. km) is land area, while water covers 4,757 sq. mi (12,237 sq. km). Water bodies constitute 6.6% of the total area. In terms of area, it is the 18th largest state in the US.
Washington is replete with various rivers, and some of the prominent rivers are- Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River, Grande Ronde River. The largest river of the state is Columbia River; its length is 1242.7 mi (2,000 km).
The state’s mean elevation is 1,700 ft (520 m) above sea level. The highest elevation point of Washington is Mount Rainier, which is 14,411 ft (4,392 m) while its lowest elevation point is the Pacific Ocean which is 0 ft (0 m).
The state divides into several geographic regions based on natural and land features. Such regions are the Coastal Range, the Puget Sound Lowlands, the Cascade Range, the Columbia Plateau, and the Rocky Mountain region.
There are several mountains in the state. The name of some of the famous mountains of the state are Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, and many more. The tallest mountain of the state is Mount Rainier.
Forests cover a large part of the state. Private parties own around 36 percent of the forestland, while 64 percent of forests of the state are controlled and managed by the government. The names of some of the prominent Washington state forests are Olympic Peninsula State Forest, Teanaway State Forest, Tiger Mountain State Forest, Ahtanum State Forest, etc.
The state is replete with several kinds of native tree species. Some of the renowned trees of the state are Western hemlock, Douglas fir, Western red cedar, Sitka spruce, red alder, and ponderosa pine, etc.
It is home to various wildlife species, including grizzly bears and pygmy rabbits, white-tailed deer, mule deer, black bears, mountain goats, coyote, red fox, and many more. The state is home to a remarkable variety of birds such as Canada Goose, American Coot, Killdeer, Ring-Billed Gul, Northern Fulmar, and many more. Marine mammals like the orca and harbor seal are found in the coastal waters.
The state tree of Washington is western hemlock, while pacific rhododendron is the state’s flower. Besides this, the state declared the Olympic marmot as the official state endemic animal in 2009, and American Goldfinch has is the state bird of Washington.
The weather of the state is variable from west to east. The western part of the state is mild and humid, while the eastern region of the Cascade Range is cooler and drier.
The average high temperature of the state remains between 50°F (10°C) to 60°F (15.6°C), while the average low temperature in cold remains in the range of 30°F (-1.1°C) to 40°F (4.4°C). The mercury in the eastern part of the state touches 78°F (25.6°C) in July, while the day temperatures jump to 105°F (40.6°C) to 115°F (46.1°C) in various areas in the east. Winters are mild and wet in several places in the eastern part of Washington. The east region receives a low temperature of 23°F (-5°C) in January, while night temperature remains between -10°F (-23.3°C) to -20°F (-28.9°C). High-speed winds 40 to 50 miles per hour also occur in winter.
The state receives an average annual rainfall of 42 inches (1066.8mm). Snowfall in the state is variable. It varies from 10 inches (254mm) in the Puget Sound area to 75 inches (1905mm) in eastern Washington. The state experiences 126 to 200 sunny days in a year.
The history of the state proves that agriculture has remained an integral part of the state’s economy. The state is the top food and agricultural exporters in the US.
Some of the agricultural products of Washington are famous in terms of generating revenue such as as apples, dairy products, beef cattle and calves, wheat, potatoes, Cherries, grapes, pears, and many more. Its other major products are livestock such as aquaculture, chicken eggs, and broilers.
Transportation equipment is the most expensive manufactured product in Washington. The state keeps a respectable place in the production of aircraft and space industry. It is also a leading shipbuilding state.
It is a significant producer of computer microchips, telephone and wireless communication equipment, medical equipment, and navigational instruments.
The state is also famous for the critical mined products such as coal, cement, crushed stone, gold, sand, and gravel, and so on.
The total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state was US $ 599,607.7 in 2019, while the per capita personal income of Washington was 64,898 US dollars in 2019.
The State Highways of Washington, which constitute a network of over 7,000 miles (11,270 km) of state highways, including all interstate and US highways that pass via the state is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Some of the prominent primary interstate highways of the state are 1-15, 1-82, 1-90, and so on. It has several major state highways (state route) as well, such as SR-9, SR-11, SR-14, SR-17, etc.
The state has over 3,000 miles of railroad lines. Railroads are proving boon for the mobility of freight and passengers throughout Washington. Some of the essential railroads in the state are Ballard Terminal Railroad (BDTL), Bellingham International Railroad (BIRR) (Operated by BNSF), BNSF Railway (BNSF), Cascade and Columbia River Railroad (CSCD) (GWRR), and many more.
The state is well connected by airline network. The state has several remarkable airports, some of the major ones are- King County International Airport (Boeing Field), Bellingham International Airport, Friday Harbor Airport, Walla Walla Regional Airport, and so on.
Washington got statehood in 1889 and was named in honour of George Washington, the first president of the US. Most importantly, it is the only state in the US that is named after a president. Apart from this, a portrait of George Washington can be seen on the state’s flag and official seal as well.
The state is nicknamed “The Evergreen State”. The name was first expressed by Seattle realtor and historian CT Convert due to its lush evergreen forests. “The Evergreen State” is famous and widely used, but the state legislature has not officially accepted this nickname.
The state is renowned all over the world for its lush green landscapes, sleeping volcanoes like Mount Rainier. The state entices millions of tourists every year. Some of the remarkable tourist attractions in Washington are Olympic National Park, Seattle Center, San Juan Islands, Mount Rainier National Park, Seattle Downtown and many more. It is needless to add that the state is a paradise for tourists on earth, where they have plenty of things to see and enjoy a lot.
1.In May 1980 Mount St. Helen’s blew up and let off dirt, rubbish and ash that measured almost a cubic mile. This explosion flattened more than 4 billion feet of wood, which would have been sufficient to set up 150,000 houses. This flare up also resulted in the volcano losing 1,131 feet of height.
2.The height of Mt. Rainier is 14410 feet. It is the tallest location in Washington.
3.Ape Cave is one of the lava tubes with the maximum length. It was created more than 2 millennia back thanks to a major outpour of basalt.
4.During 1805-1806 the coastal locations close to Columbia River and the whole region was found out by Lewis and Clark. During 1792-94 George Vancouver went around the area on behalf of UK. In 1792 he was preceded by Captain Robert Gray who did it for USA. The earliest explorer of the area is Bruno Heceta. He represented Spain and visited the area in 1775.
5.Washington has the maximum amount of coffee making devices on a per capita basis out of all the states in USA. This is why it has been nicknamed the coffee capital of USA.
6.Companies in the western part of the state center deal in agriculture, fisheries and forests. Raw materials that are imported are pretty crucial for these set ups as well.
7.In 1986 Mt. Mitchell received 14.26 inches of rainfall. It was the highest amount of rain ever received by a location in the state.
8.In USA, Seattle was the earliest city to have aired on radio a song performed by the famous British band Beatles.
9.Washington has been home to many indigenous American tribes over the years. The eastern part of the state was inhabited by Cayuse, Spokane, Colville and Nez Perce. The other half was the homeland of Chinook, Quinault, Nisqually and Puyallup.
10.Astoria-Megler Bridge stretches for 4.1 miles. Among the straight truss bridges made out of steel it has the maximum length. It encompasses the river that separates Washington from Oregon and is close to the source of River Columbia.
11.From a geographic point of view Washington can be divided into two broad regions. The western area is rainy while the eastern part is mainly dry.
12.Washington exports forest products, hops, aerospace products, mint, apples, wheat and tulips. It is responsible for 5% of goods and services exported by USA, and thus is the biggest exporter in the country.
13.Husky fans, who hail from the University of Washington, started the Wave. It is a famous way of showing appreciation by fans and has been in vogue for the past 25 years.
14.Coast Rhododendron is the officially recognized flower of Washington.
15.The newest assembly factory of Boeing is situated in Everett. It is the hugest building globally.
16.As per the Oregon Treaty, which was signed in 1846, the 49th parallel was agreed to as the territorial boundary between the warring British and American factions. In the 1840s there were territorial disputes between these two entities and there were possibilities of a war. However, this treaty helped douse the tensions and showed an alternative to war.
17.Dr. John McLoughlin had placed an apple tree in 1826. This tree was sown at Old Apple Tree Park in Vancouver and is supposedly the earliest of its kind in the northwestern part of the country.
18.Companies in eastern part of Washington deal in agricultural products like wheat and farm animals.
19.In the previous sporting seasons the scoring charts in Division I of NCAA were led by Adam Morrison. He is a famous basketball player, is a student of Gonzaga University and is from Washington.
20.Peter Rainier was a British soldier during the American War of Independence. Mount Rainier has been named in order to honor him.
Here are maps of some of the popular places in Washington that you must visit:
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