Washington (USA)

State in northwestern USA, bordered to the east by Idaho, to the south by Oregon, to the north by British Columbia, Canada, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean; area 172,348 sq km/66,544 sq mi; population (2000) 5,894,100; capital Olympia. Mountainous and lushly forested, the aptly nicknamed ‘Evergreen State’ has a mild temperate climate and plentiful rainfall. Puget Sound, a natural harbour covering some 5,180 sq km/1,990 sq mi, has made Washington a gateway for shipping and travel to Asia. Service industries lead the economy. The creation of computer software and other high-tech products has become a dominant industry, with Microsoft based in Seattle; aircraft manufacturing and timber and food processing are also important. With the exception of Spokane in the east, Washington's major cities are ports on Puget Sound: Seattle, which has the largest urban population in the state, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Everett. Washington Territory, named for George Washington, was separated from the Oregon Territory in 1853. Washington was admitted to the Union in 1889 as the 42nd state and is governed under its original constitution, adopted in 1889.