| Washington
is famous for scenery of breathtaking beauty and sharp contrasts.
High mountains rise above evergreen forests and sparkling coastal
waters. The deep forests of the Olympic Peninsula are
among the rainiest places in the world but the flat semi-desert
land that lies east of the Cascade Mountains stretches for long
distances without a single tree. Snow-covered peaks tower
above the foothills and lowlands around them. Mount Rainier,
the highest mountain, in the state, appears to "float"
on the horizon, southeast of Seattle and Tacoma. In
1853, the Washington Territory was formed from part of the Oregon
Territory. 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.
Washington
ist berühmt für seine atemberaubende
landschaftliche Schönheit und scharfen Kontraste. Hohe
Berge erheben sich über Nadelwälder und glitzernde
Küstengewässer. Die dschungelartigen Wälder der
Olympic Peninsula gehören zu den regenreichsten Orten der
Welt, während sich in dem flachen, wüstenartigen Land
östlich der Cascade Mountains über lange Strecken
kein einziger Baum findet. Schneebedeckte Gipfel thronen über
den Gebirgsausläufern und Ebenen.. Mount Rainier, der höchste
Berg des Bundesstaates, scheint südöstlich von Seattle
und Tacoma fast am Horizont zu schweben.
GOVERNMENT
Capital: Olympia
Governor: Christine
Gregoire, D (to Jan. 2009)
Senators: Patty Murray,
D (to Jan. 2011); Maria
Cantwell, D (to Jan. 2013)
House of Representatives: 9
districts | Search
by zip code
STATISTICS
Population (July 2004):
6,204,000; National Rank: 15; Percent change since April 2000:
4.0%
Land Area: 66,582 sq mi. (172,447 sq km);
National Rank:
18
10 largest cities (2003 est.): Seattle, 569,101; Tacoma,
196,790; Spokane, 196,624; Vancouver, 151,654; Bellevue, 112,344;
Everett, 96,643; Federal Way, 81,711; Kent, 81,567; Yakima, 80,223;
Bellingham, 71,289
ECONOMY
Total Gross State Product 2003 est. (millions
of dollars): 244,915 (% of U.S. total: 2.2)
Per Capita Personal Income 2001: $31,976; National Rank:
14 (105% of the national average)
State Exports 2001: 34,627; National Rank: 4
Agriculture: Seafood, dairy products, apples, cattle, wheat,
potatoes, nursery stock.
Industry: Aerospace, software development, food processing,
paper products, lumber and wood products, chemical products,
tourism.
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