1463 Washington State From Space
20x28 inches, (50x70cm ), not available laminated. 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.
