Washington State Guide

Capital: Olympia

November 11, 1899 (42nd state)

Washington State Map: Guide and Information Resources In 1853, the Washington Territory was formed from part of the Oregon Territory. Named in honor of George Washington, Washington was the 42nd state to join the Union on November 11, 1889. Its coastal location and Puget Sound harbors give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. The state has two major mountain ranges--the 7,000-foot Olympic Mountains surrounded by temperate rain forest on the peninsula west of Puget Sound, and the more majestic Cascade Range, which boasts the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier and the volcanic Mount St. Helens, which erupted twice in the 1980s. Although the capital is Olympia, most people live in the metropolitan areas of Seattle-Everett and Tacoma. The state tree of the "Evergreen State" is the western hemlock, and the flower is the western rhododendron.

Quick Facts About Your State

Largest City- Seattle
Area - 71,303 square miles [Washington is the 18th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 5,894,121 (as of 2000) [Washington is the 15th most populous state in the USA]
Major Industries - farming (fruit, berries, nuts, cattle, wheat), lumber, tourism, hydroelectric power, computer software, aircraft, aluminum refining
Major Rivers - Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River
Major Lakes - Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lake Washington
Highest Point - Mt. Rainier - 14,410 feet (4,392 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Idaho, Oregon
Bordering Country - Canada
Bordering Bodies of Water - Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound

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