Federated state of the Northwestern USA, 176.479 km², 6.395.798 residents (2006 estimate), 36 residents/km², capital: Olympia. Borders: Idaho (E), Oregon (S), Pacific ocean (W); Canada (N). “See geographical map vol. 22, page 458” “For the geographical map see the lemma of the 20th volume.”
Geography
The state is divided into two unequal parts by the Cascade chain, oriented towards NS; E of these reliefs, dominated by the Rainier Mountains (4392 m), Glacier Peak (3221 m) and Adams (3751 m), extend the high lands of the Columbia Plateau and, further to the north, the Okanogan Mountains, limited by the Chain of Falls to W and from the Rocky Mountains to E. Towards W the Chain of Falls falls into a depressed area occupied N by the waters of Puget Sound which, together with the Strait of Juan de Fuca to N and the Pacific to W, delimits the Olympic Peninsula, mountainous peninsula (Mount Olympus, 2428 m) which constitutes the extension to the north, beyond the course of the Columbia River, of the Coastal Chain. The most important river in the state is Columbia, which comes from Canada and crosses it until it flows into the Pacific Ocean with a long estuary: its tributaries are the rivers Pend Oreille, Spokane, Snake, Okanogan, Yakima and Cowlitz. The state economy is based on agriculture (cereals, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit, fodder), on farming, fishing, on the exploitation of the forest and subsoil (coal, lead, zinc, uranium, building materials) and on the industry which, favored by the wide availability of hydroelectric energy, is developed in the metalworking, wood, paper, food, chemical, shipbuilding and metallurgical (aluminum) sectors. Important cities, in addition to the capital, are Seattle, Spokane,Tacoma, Bellevue, Everett, Yakima, Vancouver and Bellingham.
History
Touched for the first time in 1774 by a Spanish navigator, then by J. Cook and other Englishmen, explored in 1805-06 by the Americans Lewis and Clark, the current state of Washington was part of that region of Oregon that United States and Great Britain held in “joint occupation” until 1846, the year in which division along the 49th parallel occurred and the future Washington passed to the USA. Divided from Oregon and established in the Territory in 1853, it was admitted to the Union as a State in 1889.
Below you will see top cities in Washington.
Bellingham
City (45,800 residents) of Washington State (USA), 120 km N of Seattle, near the Canadian border, harbor on the bay of the same name, inlet of the Strait of Georgia (Pacific Ocean). Market of agricultural (fruit, vegetables), forestry and livestock products in the surrounding area, it is home to food (fish, dairy) and paper industries. Airport.
Yakima (USA)
City (54,800 residents) of the state of Washington (USA), 180 km SE of Seattle, 325 m on the homonymous river. Active agricultural and livestock market with food, textile and wood industries. Airport. Until 1918 it was called North Yakima.
Everett (Washington)
City (54,400 residents) of Washington State (USA), 40 km NNE of Seattle, at the mouth of the Snohomish River in Puget Sound. Fishing port with canning, wood and mechanical industries.
Tacoma
City (179,114 residents in 1996) of Washington State (USA), 40 km SSW of Seattle, 90 m on the southeast coast of Puget Sound (Pacific ocean). Railway junction and commercial port with wood, paper, petrochemical, metallurgical (copper, aluminum), food, shipbuilding and chemical industries. University of Puget Sound (1888) and Lutheran Pacific (1890). Airport.
Spokane
City (186,562 residents in 1996) of Washington State (USA), 370 km E of Seattle, 582 m on the homonymous river, near the border with the State of Idaho. Important railway junction, it is an active center for the collection and sorting of agricultural (fruit, hops, grapes), forestry and mining (lead, zinc, silver, magnesite) products from the surrounding area and is home to the food, metalworking, glass and concrete. Spokane is home to numerous cultural institutions, including Gonzaga University (1887). Airport.
County seat of King County (Washington State, United States), 20 m sm, 582,454 residents (2006), 3,309,000 residents (2007 estimate) the urban area.
It is the most important and most populous center of the state, although it is not its capital. Among those bordering the Pacific coast, Seattle is one of the major US metropolises both economically and culturally; it is located in a hilly region on an isthmus between Lake Washington to the E and Puget Sound to the W, a long inlet which constitutes the extension of the Strait of Georgia towards the south. The most representative monument is the Space Needle, a 184 m high telecommunication tower built in 1962 for an international fair. The city is home to the University of Washington (1861), Seattle University (1891), various colleges and other educational institutions (Cornish College of the Arts, 1914). In 1999 it hosted the Forum of the WTO, the World Trade Organization. § Founded in 1851 by settlers from Illinois, it was first inhabited by lumberjacks and timber traders, until the arrival of the first railway in 1884 determined its development, which had a new impetus starting from 1897 from the gold rush (gold rush) in Alaska. Its expansion was very rapid, thanks also to the opening of the Panama Canal(1914) and the installation, during the Second World War, of shipyards and powerful systems for aeronautical construction.§ Among the museums, the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Seattle Art Museum deserve attention. Klondike Goldrush National Historic Park illustrates the mythical era of the gold rush. § The city’s industries operate today in the metalworking, iron and steel, metallurgical, food (especially coffee), textile and wood sectors. In the metropolitan area of Seattle (in Redmond, about 20 km E from the center) is the Microsoft Corporation, the protagonist, together with other companies, of the boom of the telecommunications sector occurred during the nineties of the century. XX. Seattle is also a remarkable fishing base and a considerable commercial and port center, with a lively export traffic (leather, timber, fish, fruit) and import traffic (oil, coal, cellulose, foodstuffs, mining products). Point of convergence of various railway lines, road and sea, it has two airports, the international one of Seattle-Tacoma and that of Boeing Field. § The city is known for the contemporary music scene, which has found fertile ground for expression here, in particular as regards the grunge genre (among the best known groups: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters etc.).
Olympia (Washington State)
City (33,800 residents) capital of Washington State (USA), 70 km SSW of Seattle, at the mouth of the Deschutes River in Puget Sound. It is a fishing and commercial port (timber export) and home to mechanical, food and wood industries. Airport.
Wash. – Attorney General, Landlord/Tenant Law
Guide sheet from the state’s legal head expounds on regional lessor-lessee law, outlining the duties and rights of renters. With complaint data.
