The Washington State From
Space Satellite Map is 28x20 inches, (50x70cm ).
Washington state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is
bordered by Idaho (E); Oregon, with the Columbia R. marking much of the
boundary, (S); the Pacific Ocean (W); and the Canadian province of British
Columbia (N). Area, 68,192 sq mi (176,617 sq km), Capital, Olympia. Largest
city, Seattle. Nickname, Evergreen State. Motto, Alki [By and By].
Washington's boldest physiographic feature is the lofty Cascade Range,Mt.
Rainier, and divides the state into western and eastern sections of quite
contrasting physical characteristics. The Cascades is one of the wettest
areas in the country, averaging in higher elevations as much as 150 in. (381
cm) of rainfall per year. Washington's Pacific coastline is indented by
Puget Sound in the NW corner of the state and by two inlets, Grays Harbor
and Willapa Bay, farther south. The sound is entered from the Pacific either
by the Juan de Fuca Strait or the Strait of Georgia. Cutting deeply into the
coastline, Puget Sound creates the Olympic Peninsula—a wet region with dense
midlatitude rain forests of spruce, fir, cedar, and hemlock—much of it
included in Olympic National Park, where the Olympic Mts. rise to 7,965 ft
(2,428 m) at Mt. Olympus. More than 300 islands dot Puget Sound; they
include the picturesque and historic San Juan Archipelago and Whidbey
Island. Places of Interest and Cities Thousands of visitors are annually
attracted to Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, North
Cascades National Park, Fort Vancouver and Whitman Mission national historic
sites, and Coulee Dam National Recreation Area. Mt. Saint Helens, a volcanic
peak in the Cascades, erupted in 1980, killing 60 people and causing
billions of dollars in damage. Today, the area is a national monument and
popular tourist attraction. The rugged mountain slopes and simple grandeur
of the Cascades scenery draw many climbers during the summer months, and in
winter excellent snowfields near Seattle and Tacoma attract crowds of
skiers. Olympia is the capital; Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma are the largest
cities.
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