Geography of Washington

Introduction to Geography of Washington

Washington, a state in the western United States. It is part of the region known as the Pacific Northwest and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Idaho, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Washington ranks 18th in size among the 50 states. It has a total area of 71,303 square miles (184,674 km2), including 4,721 square miles (12,227 km2) of water. Maximum dimensions are about 240 miles (390 km) north-south and 360 miles (580 km) east-west.

Physical Geography

Washington's physical features range from glacier-covered mountains to broad, sea-level lowlands. Beginning on the coast and moving eastward, the state's natural regions are the Coast Ranges, Puget Sound Basin, Cascade Range, Columbia Plateau, and Rocky Mountains.

The Coast Ranges are mountains extending north and south along the Pacific coast. They are relatively low in southwestern Washington, near the mouth of the Columbia River, but increase in height toward the north and reach their highest point at Mount Olympus (7,954 feet [2,424 m] above sea level) in the Olympic Mountains.

The Puget Sound Basin is situated in northwestern Washington between the Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range. The basin includes Puget Sound, an arm of the Pacific; numerous islands, of which Whidbey is the largest; and the lowlands bordering the sound. The waters of Puget Sound extend southward into Washington for about 100 miles (160 km) and provide many deepwater channels and harbors. The sound is one of the best inland waterways in the world, and is of great economic value. Most of the state's population, commerce, and industry are centered in this area.

The Cascade Range, east of Puget Sound Basin, extends north and south through central Washington. Along the main crest of the Cascade Range are numerous peaks that rise 8,000 feet (2,440 m) above sea level. Towering above these peaks are a number of snowcapped volcanoes. Highest is Mount Rainier, which reaches 14,410 feet (4,392 m). Other volcanic peaks include Mount Adams, Mount Baker, and Mount St. Helens. Mount St. Helens, once thought to be virtually extinct, brought widespread devastation with its violent eruption in 1980.

The Columbia Plateau, east of the Cascades, covers all of eastern Washington except for the extreme northern section. The plateau is a vast, treeless region varying in elevation from 600 to 2,000 feet (180 to 600 m). Features include lava beds, deep coulees (ravines), and, especially in the Palouse region of the southwest, undulating hills. In the extreme southeast rise the Blue Mountains.

The Rocky Mountain section of Washington occupies the northeast and consists of several relatively low ranges, including the Kettle River Range and the Selkirk Mountains.

Washington's coast has many bays and capes and is so irregular that it totals more than 3,100 miles (5,000 km).

The largest river in Washington is the Columbia, which ranks only after the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in volume of water. Major tributaries in Washington are the Snake, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Yakima, Wenatchee, and Okanogan rivers. The Columbia River system supplies large amounts of water for hydroelectric power and irrigation. Hydroelectric power is of particular significance; no state equals Washington in either developed or potential waterpower.

Puget Sound is the largest body of water in the state of Washington. The largest lake is Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, a reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam. Other lakes include Lake Chelan and Potholes Reservoir, both in eastern Washington, and Ross Lake, in the Cascade Range.

Washington has two dissimilar climates; the dividing line is the crest of the Cascade Range. To the west the climate is humid and moderate, largely because of the Pacific Ocean. Winds moving inland from the ocean cool the land during summer and warm it in winter. As a result, temperature variations are small, considering the state's northern latitude. Seattle's temperatures, for example, average about 40°F. (4°C.) in January and 66°F. (19°C.) in July.

Precipitation is extremely heavy throughout much of western Washington. Some windward-facing slopes of the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range receive more than 120 inches (3,050 mm) of precipitation a year. The Puget Sound Basin receives substantially less. Drizzling rain, high humidity, cloudiness, and fog occur during much of the year. Snowfall is heavy in the mountains but light and infrequent along the coast.

The Pacific's influence diminishes rapidly beyond the Cascades' crest, in eastern Washington. The region is also more exposed to hot and cold air masses from the continent's interior. Consequently, winters are colder and summers hotter here than in western Washington. Temperatures in Spokane, for example, average 25°F. (-4°C.) in January and 70°F. (21°C.) in July.

Most of eastern Washington is dry, averaging less than 20 inches (510 mm) of precipitation a year. Part of the Columbia Plateau is virtually semidesert, with only 5 inches (130 mm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall is light except in the high mountains.

Washington's vegetation corresponds generally to its two climatic zones. Dense evergreen forests predominate in western Washington. Found there are such important timber species as Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, Sitka spruce, and several species of true firs. On the eastern flank of the Cascade Range are sparser forests, chiefly of ponderosa and lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, western larch, and white fir.

Grasses and shrubs—notably bunch grass, sagebrush, and greasewood—grow on the lower and flatter lands east of the Cascades. The mountain ranges are forested.

Large mammals found in Washington include bear, elk, deer, and cougars. Among the smaller mammals are bobcats, martens, foxes, and coyotes. There are many species of fish and birds, including migratory waterfowl.

Economy

Washington has a highly diversified economy. Four sectors—services; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; and finance, insurance, and real estate—each account for about 17 per cent of the state's gross product. Trade with Canada and the Pacific nations of Asia is an important part of the state's economy. Tourism is also significant. Among the many attractions are magnificent mountains, the Pacific coast, three national parks, and winter and summer sports.

Services and wholesale and retail trade each engage about 20 per cent of the labor force. About 17 per cent of the state's workers have government jobs and about 12 per cent have jobs in manufacturing. The rest of the workers are divided among transportation and public utilities; finance, insurance, and real estate; and construction. Mining is of small importance.

Before World War II most manufacturers in the state were processors of farm, forest, and fish products. During and after the war new kinds of manufacturing were developed. As an industrial state, Washington ranks about 15th in the nation. Cities in the Puget Sound Basin, particularly Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett, account for most of the production.

Transportation and aerospace equipment, mostly aircraft, missiles, and trucks, are the leading manufactured items. The Boeing Company, with plants at Seattle, Everett, Renton, and other nearby cities, is the leading employer in the state.

The production of lumber and other wood products has been a major activity since the late 19th century. Since the 1980's, such high-technology industries as those producing computer software, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment have rivalled the lumber industry in importance. Other prominent manufacturing industries include those producing processed foods, primary metals (especially aluminum), and refined petroleum products.

Near the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco) is the Hanford Works, a facility operated by the U.S. Department of Energy that for more than 40 years produced plutonium. Plutonium production ended in the late 1980's, and the facility is now used for research on environmental cleanup and on the disposal of nuclear waste.

Washington generally ranks about 12th among the states in value of farm production. Wheat, milk, cattle, and apples are the principal products. In wheat production Washington normally ranks fifth or sixth in the nation.

The Cascades divide Washington into two distinct farming regions. West of the mountains, dairying and the growing of hay, fruits, and vegetables predominate. Most of the products find ready markets in nearby urban areas. The growing of bulbs and seeds is a specialty in some locations.

East of the mountains wheat, cattle, and fruits predominate. Wheat is grown in large amounts in the Palouse, where dry-farming methods are used. Elsewhere in the east, crop production depends heavily on irrigation water, supplied mainly by large federal projects such as the one centering on Grand Coulee Dam. Apples, cherries, and pears are major irrigated crops and Washington is usually the nation's top producer of these fruits. The grazing of beef cattle on open rangeland is widespread.

About 50 per cent of Washington's total area consists of forests, and nearly four-fifths of these forests are of commercial quality. Lumbering has been a primary industry since the state's early days of settlement, but peak production years have passed. Nevertheless, the state ranks third in lumber production. It usually ranks among the leading states in production of plywood, pulp, and paper and paper products.

In total catch, Washington usually ranks among the top five fishing states. Major fishing grounds are Puget Sound, the lower Columbia River, and coastal waters. Since the late 1980's, salmon fishing, long a major activity, has declined considerably, due largely to overfishing and the long-term effect of damming rivers in which salmon spawn. Other fish caught include halibut, cod, herring, oysters, clams, and crabs. Bellingham and Westport are the chief fishing ports. Fish culture, especially the raising of salmon, is of growing importance.

The Puget Sound Basin and most of eastern Washington have excellent highway networks. Connecting these two regions are six highways through the Cascades, including Interstate 90 (I-90). I-5 links the major cities of the Puget Sound Basin, and I-82 links the Tri-Cities with I-90 near Ellensburg.

Two trunk-line railroads provide freight service in Washington. Amtrak passenger service is available in some of the larger cities. Passing through the Cascade Range, east of Seattle, is the 7.8-mile (12.6-km) Cascade railway tunnel—the longest tunnel in the United States.

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma are the busiest ports in the state. Ferries, carrying vehicles as well as passengers, link some of the cities of Puget Sound. Some of the ferries also serve Canada and Alaska.

Regularly scheduled air service is mainly through the Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) and Spokane international airports. Both airports have connecting flights on regional carriers to a number of other cities in the state.

Population

According to the 2000 census, Washington had a population of 5,894,121—an increase of 1,027,429, or 21.1 per cent, over the 1990 total. The population density was about 88.5 persons per square mile (34.2 per km2), slightly more than that of the United States as a whole. Whites made up 81.8 per cent of the population. Asians, largely of Filipino, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese origin, accounted for 5.5 per cent of the population.

Education

The public school system of Washington is directed by the superintendent of public instruction, who is elected for a four-year term. The superintendent is president of the state board of education and supervises the state department of education. The state's compulsory attendance law requires children aged 8 to 18 to attend school.

The first school in the Pacific Northwest was opened at Fort Vancouver in 1833 for children of army personnel and employees of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1837 Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa, opened a school for Indians and settlers' children near what is now Walla Walla. In 1854 the first school legislation of Washington Territory (established in 1853) provided for tax-supported public schools.

The University of Washington, at Seattle, was established as the Territorial University of Washington in 1861. It adopted its present name in 1889.

Government

Washington is governed under its original constitution of 1889 and its amendments. The executive department includes the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, commissioner of public lands, and insurance commissioner, all elected for four-year terms.

The legislature consists of a Senate of 49 members elected every four years, and a House of Representatives of 98 members elected every two years.

The judiciary includes the Supreme Court, a court of appeals, and superior courts. Most judges are elected.

The state is represented in Congress by two senators and nine representatives. There are 39 counties.