The state of Washington is located in the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States. The state was named in honor of George Washington, the very first president of the United States. The State of Washington should not be confused with the nation's capital, Washington, that is usually referred to as "D.C." or "Washington D.C."
The state of Washington is bordered to the north by the Canadian Province of British Columbia. The state of Oregon borders Washington State to the south, while Idaho State lies towards the west.
The original Washington Territory was ceded by the British in the year 1846. During the year 1889, it was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state. The present population of Washington State is 6,724,540, with most residents concentrated within the Seattle metropolitan area.
The city of Seattle sits along the Puget Sound of the Salish Sea. This is an inlet that consists of lots of bays, islands and fjords. The city of Seattle is a major industry, transportation and business hub. The ports of Puget Sound allow substantial amounts of trade with Asia. The geography of the state varies from rain forests to mountains to semi-arid desert. A lot of the latter region is under agricultural cultivation.
Washington State is a top producer of agricultural products. The state of Washington is the leading producer in the nation of wrinkled seed peas, red raspberries, spearmint oil, hops, sweet cherries, apples, pears, peppermint oil, carrots for processing, Niagara grapes and Concord grapes. Other important agricultural products consist of lentils, fall potatoes, dry edible peas, apricots, sweet corn green peas for processing and asparagus. Of particular importance is the apple trade. The state of Washington has led the country in apple production ever since the 1920s because of the warm, dry summers and cold winters of the central region, that comprises the Wenatchee-Okanagan region and the Yakima region.
Washington's total gross state product during the year 2007 was $311.5 billion, making it 14th within the nation. The state of Washington is home of aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Different significant businesses consist of automotive, computer software development, electronics, telecom, biotechnology, aluminum production, lumber and wood products, mining, beverages, real estate, retail and tourism. Major companies based or operating there are Paccar, Starbucks, Microsoft, Bungie, Nintendo of America, Amazon.com, Nordstrom, Valve Corporation,Weyerhaeuser and T-mobile USA. The state of Washington is likewise a producer of hydroelectric power.