Washington State

Washington State should not be confused with Washington DC which is the capital of the United States and is known as The District.

Washington State is the 18th largest state in the United States and the 42nd to be admitted to the Union. Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889

Washington State is situated in the Pacific Northeast of the United States, south of British Columbia, Canada, north of Oregon and west of Idaho.

The capital city of Washington State is Olympia, which is situated in the county of Thurston. The state of Washington was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States.

Washington State has three national parks, two national monuments and nine national forests. In addition, there are thirty-one federal protected wildernesses and twenty-three national wildlife refuges. Olympic National Park is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as International Biosphere Reserve.

Washington's climate varies greatly from west to east. An oceanic climate (also called "west coast marine climate") predominates in western Washington, and a much drier semi-arid climate prevails east of the Cascade Range. Major factors determining Washington's climate include the large semi-permanent high pressure and low pressure systems of the north Pacific Ocean, the continental air masses of North America, and the Olympic and Cascade mountains. In the spring and summer, a high pressure anticyclone system dominates the north Pacific Ocean, causing air to spiral out in a clockwise fashion.