State of Washington, USA

A very common mistake is the view that the capital of the United States of America - the city of Washington - is in a state that has the same name. At the exam on geography such an answer will be regarded as unsatisfactory. Because Washington is located very far from the District of Columbia, where the capital of the United States is located. Even if for some, this fact is a sensation.

Geographical facts

The state of Washington is on the Pacific coast of the country. This is the extreme north-western territory of the continental United States, if you do not take into account Alaska, located separately. The state of Washington borders on the north with the Canadian province of British Columbia, as well as with the states of Oregon in the south and Idaho in the east. The administrative capital of the state is the city of Olympia, and the largest and in many respects a notable city is Seattle. Washington occupies the eighteenth place in the country by its area. In terms of climate, the territory of the state belongs to the middle belt and is quite comfortable for life in any season of the year.

From the history of the state

Europeans reached these remote territories on the Pacific coast only in the second half of the eighteenth century. It was the Spaniards, and a little later - the British. The coast of the strait that separates the territory of modern Washington from what was later called British Columbia was studied and mapped by the famous British navigator James Cook. Since 1819, this part of the coast was controlled by the United States and was part of a territory called Oregon. In 1854, the northern part of this territory was allocated to the Autonomous District of Columbia, which was later renamed in honor of one of the so-called "Founding Fathers" of the United States of America, George Washington. But the status of a full-fledged US state territory was received only on November 11, 1889, after some change of borders. Thus, Washington became the forty-second state in the country.

Nature

Washington is well known to all fans of Hollywood cinematography. His visual image is involved in a variety of films. Suffice it to recall only the saga of vampires "Twilight" popular in many countries of the world. Her characters live in the mountains and forests of this state. A large part of the American northwest is covered with mountain massifs. Expressive natural landscape in combination with the relatively mild Pacific climate provides the state not only comfortable living conditions, but also a high potential for the development of tourism. The largest cities of the state of Washington are concentrated in the coastal Pacific strip, which is characterized by a milder climate. In the highlands during the winter season, heavy snowfalls and snow drifts occur. This circumstance makes some mountain passes and some sections of motorways temporarily inaccessible.

Economy and transport

The peripheral nature of the geographical location of the state had a decisive influence on the development of its industrial and transport infrastructure. As the most remote from the center of the territory is always called Washington. What state is located further than it? In the continental part of the country - only Alaska. The state's outward position and the complex nature of the terrain, characteristic of most of its territory, required a serious approach and significant financial investments in the development of transport communications that provide communication with the center of the country and with the Canadian province in the north. The access to the Pacific Ocean predetermined the development of the state of Washington as the most important center of domestic and international shipping. For this purpose, a developed port infrastructure has been built on the entire coast. The northwest of the United States is known for the level of development of high technology. In particular, here are the main production facilities of the corporation "Boeing". On a significant part of aviation and space technology around the world, you can find the mark "Washington State, USA". Electronics occupies an important place in the state industry and software development. In particular, the headquarters of Microsoft Corporation is located in the city of Redmond, in the suburbs of Seattle. Active in the state economy is exploited its natural recreational potential. Tourists willingly go to the west coast both from the areas located in the depth of the continental space, and from many other countries of the world.

Seattle

This largest city of Washington State was founded in 1851. The name of the settlement was received by the name of an influential Indian leader, who enjoyed authority both among Native Americans and immigrants from the east. Currently, Seattle is one of the largest commercial, industrial, scientific and cultural centers of the entire western coast of the United States of America. This city on the Pacific coast has its own bright and unique visual image and style of life. The intensity of growth in the economy of Seattle in the second half of the nineteenth century, among other things, was provided by a large reserve of undeveloped natural resources of the Pacific coast. In a positive way, the famous "gold rush" affected the development of the city. It was the starting point from which numerous gold prospectors were heading for Alaska. And some of them returned back with a rich booty. Currently, the economy of the city, like the whole state of Washington, is associated with the development of maritime trade, shipbuilding and high technology.

Seattle's architectural features

In tourist terms, this is the most attractive city in the north of the west coast. The city has many attractions. The most famous tourist attraction is the Space Needle Tower, erected for the 1962 World Exhibition. From its panoramic observation platform offers a magnificent view of the city and its surroundings. The architecture of the business center of the city is unique, skyscrapers of which competently compete with other cities of America in height and at the same time favorably excel constructive solutions.