Washington . . . State 42
Washington's official flag was adopted in 1923. The flag has a deep green background with the state seal in the center. The state seal pictures George Washington, the first president of the United States. "THE SEAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON" is written in black on the yellow band surrounding George Washington. The state seal was designed in 1889 by Charles Talcott. This is the only US state flag that pictures a president and the only one with a green background.
Washington became a state on November 11, 1889 as the 42nd state. Washington is located in the Pacific Northwest and is the only state to be named after a U.S. President, our first president George Washington. It is bordered on the north by the Canada province of British Columbia, to the south is Oregon, to the east Idaho, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The capital city is Olympia and largest city is Seattle.
The Northwest State of Washington is a beautiful state with glaciated mountains and forest-lands in the west and the Rocky Mountains and plains in the eastern areas. The many forests full of great fir and pine make it known to be the Evergreen State.
The State of Washington is very important because it has many ports and is a major gateway to The Pacific Rim and East Asia. Even though the pacific coastline is only about 175 miles, fishing is a major industry and the boats bring in salmon, halibut, trout, perch, tuna, cod, shrimp, and crabs. Washington is #-1 in its salmon catch.
Economy:
Washington Agriculture: Seafood, dairy
products, apples, cattle, wheat,
potatoes, nursery stock.
Washington Industry: Aerospace, software development, food processing, paper products, lumber and wood products, chemical products, tourism.
The climate is different throughout the state because of the Cascades which divide it into two parts. This causes the western part to be wet and mild due to the winds coming from the Pacific. It is dry with hot summers and colder winters in the East.
Water is Washington’s most valuable resource and its major river is the Colombia River. The water resources provide both irrigation and enormous hydroelectric power and Washington is the greatest source for potential and actual hydroelectric waterpower in the United States. The world ’s largest power plant is on the Columbia near the massive Grand Coulee Dam.
Many visitors who come to Washington enjoy its beauty so much that they decide to stay. This is why Washington’s population is growing rapidly and it is the most densely populated western state after California and Hawaii.
Washington has 39 counties:
Adams Asotin
Benton Chelan Clallam Clark
Columbia Cowlitz Douglas Ferry
Franklin Garfield Grant Grays
Harbor Island Jefferson King
Kitsap Kittitas Klickitat Lewis
Lincoln Mason Okanogan Pacific
Pend Oreille Pierce San Juan
Skagit Skamania Snohomish Spokane
Stevens Thurston Wahkiakum Walla
Walla Whatcom Whitman Yakima
