Washington (English: Washington) is a state in the northwest of the United States, the 42nd state in the union. The capital is Olympia, the largest city is Seattle. The population is about 5.9 million people (2000). To avoid confusion with the capital city, the name is usually followed by the abbreviation DC (meaning “District of Columbia”), and the word “state” is added to the name of the state. The official nickname is “Evergreen State”. Named after George Washington, the first president of the United States, the state was made from the western part of Washington Territory, which was ceded by the British Empire in 1846 under the Oregon Treaty in settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute.
Washington is the 18th largest state with an area of 183,627 square miles (184,827 km²) and the 13th most populous state with over 7.6 million people. About 60% of Washington’s residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, a hub of transportation, business and industry along Puget Sound, a tributary of the Pacific Ocean made up of numerous islands, deep fjords and glacier-carved bays.
Washington is one of the richest and most socially liberal states in the country .
History
In Washington, the skeletal remains of Kennewick Man were found, one of the oldest and most complete human remains found in North America . Before the arrival of Europeans, the region had many established Native American tribes, distinguished by their totem poles and richly carved canoes and masks. Among their branches of economy was the great hunting of salmon and, especially in the Maca, the hunting of whales.
Geography
In the north, the state of Washington borders the Canadian province of British Columbia, in the east – with the state of Idaho, in the south – with the state of Oregon. In the west, it is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The total area is 184,824 km² (18th in the USA), of which 172,587 km² is land. Major cities: Spokane, Everett, Kent, Yakima.
The rest of the state consists of deep temperate rainforest in the west; mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast and far southeast; and a semi-arid basin in the east, center and south devoted to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the western part of the United States after California. Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state’s highest point at nearly 14,411 feet (4,392 meters).
Olympia, Washington
| Olympia | |
| Place in the United States | |
| Location of Olympia in Washington | |
| Location of Washington in the US | |
| Location | |
| County | Thurston County |
| Type of place | City |
| State | Washington |
| Coordinates | 47° 3′ NB, 122° 54′ WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 52,04 km² |
| – land | 47,23 km² |
| – water | 4,81 km² |
| Residents (2006) |
44.645 (945 inhabitants/km²) |
| Height | 29 m |
| Politics | |
| Mayor | Cheryl Selby (D) |
| Other | |
| ZIP-code(s) | 98500–98599, 98599, 98501, 98500, 98504, 98506, 98508, 98510, 98513, 98516, 98519, 98522, 98526, 98528, 98531, 98533, 98538, 98540, 98541, 98542, 98544, 98545, 98547, 98548, 98549, 98551, 98554, 98556, 98558, 98559, 98561, 98563, 98566, 98568, 98571, 98574, 98576, 98582, 98584, 98587, 98588, 98590, 98591, 98592, 98594, 98595, 98598 |
| FIPS-code | 51300 |
| Website | olympiawa.gov |
| Photo’s | |
According to COUNTRYAAH, Olympia is the capital of the US state of Washington. The city is located at the southern end of the Puget Sound and had a population of 42,514 according to the 2000 census.
History
The area surrounding Olympia was settled by American pioneers in the 1830s-1840s, and in 1853 it became the capital of what was then Washington Territory. In 1889 it became the capital of Washington state and in 1912 construction began on the Capitol, where the state’s representatives meet.
In 1949 and 2001 Olympia was hit by earthquakes that caused some damage. The town is not far from The Olympic National Wilderness, a nature reserve on the peninsula between Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. This area has been protected since the 1800s and is one of the few remaining virgin forests in the United States.
Economy
Olympia, Washington
The main employer in Olympia is the government (Olympia is the capital of Washington state). The current governor of Washington State is Jay Inslee, a Democrat. He lives in Bainbridge Island.
Since the city has a wellspring, from 1896 to 2003, Olympia Beer (known locally as the “Oly”) was brewed locally by the Olympia Brewing Company. This beer is still brewed in California, but now by SABMiller.
Schools
In addition to the usual high schools (united in the Olympia School District), there is an institution of higher education: Evergreen State College.
In popular music
Olympia is originally the heart of the underground women’s punk movement as embodied in Riot Grrrl.
Nirvana stayed in Olympia for a while. Kurt Cobain wrote Nevermind here .
Modest Mouse recorded their album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About in Olympia.
Partner cities
- Kato (Japan, tot 2006 Yashiro).
Canceled :
- Olympia (Greece)
- Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Nearby places
The figure below shows nearby places within a radius of 20 km around Olympia.
Olympia
DuPont (20 km)
Lacey (7 km)
Nisqually Indian Community (17 km)
Tanglewilde-Thompson Place (9 km)
Tumwater (4 km)
Famous Olympians
Born
- Donald Hume (1915–2001), rower
- Warren Westlund (1926–1992), rower
- Kasey Keller (1969), football player
- Rachel Corrie (1979-2003), peace activist
- Zacky Vengeance (1981), guitarist, singer
- Eloise Mumford (1986), actress
Died
- Robert Bush (1926-2005), marinier
Resident (were)
- Rickie Lee Jones (1954), singer-songwriter
