Washington Facts -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 6,131,445
Capital:: Olympia; 43,519
Area:: 71,300 square miles (184,665 square kilometers)
Per Capita Income:: U.S. $32,661
Date Statehood Achieved:: November 11, 1889

Western hemlock and Douglas fir support Washington's timber industry. The state is second in the nation for timber production, but the cutting of old-growth forests has caused much litigation between environmentalists and loggers. Snowmelt from the Cascade Range waters the Yakima Valley, where bumper apple crops grow. The harnessed Columbia River irrigates the Columbia Basin, an oasis of wheat, fruits, and vegetables.

ECONOMY

Industry: Aerospace, tourism, food processing, forest products, paper products, industrial machinery, printing and publishing, metals
Agriculture: Seafood, apples, dairy products, wheat, cattle, potatoes, hay

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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