Guess where thirty percent of all water power is developed in the United States? It is in Washington! It is in the northwest of the United States, and the capital is Olympia. Some important cities are Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and, Vancouver. The population of Washington is 5,430,940 people, and the rank is 15 out of 50 states. The people live on only 71,302 square miles. The climate of Washington can be mild or cold. The hottest recorded temperature was once 118, but the coldest was 48 below zero.

Washington has many state symbols. The state motto, "Bye and Bye," it is from an Indian word Alki. The state song is "Washington My Home". The nickname is "Evergreen State," because there are a lot of evergreens there. The state flag and state seal are practically the same because they both have George Washington on it. By the way, that is exactly how Washington got its name. Since George Washington was the first president, people named the state Washington.

Washington has a lot of landforms. One of the most important and famous rivers is the Columbia River. Another famous river is the Snake River. One lake that you probably never heard about is Lake Chelan. Are you up for three more land forms that are all mountains? Well, they are Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens.

The history started in 1500's A man named Juan de Fuca who worked for the king, he possibly sailed along the Washington coast in 1592. Then Juan Perez sailed along the coast for Spain and saw Mt. Olympus in 1774. A year after, Heceta and Quatra became the first explorers known to walk on Washington soil; they claimed the land for Spain.

In 1778, Captain James Cook explored the coast for England. After many years American Captain Robert Gray named the Columbia River. In 1852, Seattle was found. Then in 1910, woman obtained the right to vote in Washington. Washington became a state on November 11, 1889; it was the 42^nd state to join the union and the 20^th biggest.

You could also visit mountains, zoo's, farm's, and lot's of cities. Now let's talk about what is grown and what is raised. Washington grows many products. They grow wheat, which is very useful. The people of Washington raise mountain goats.

The last thing I want to tell you about are the natural resources. Above the ground there are water and waterpower, and a lot of fossils left from the past. Another resource is Washington are apples. Lots of people say they are mighty delicious. There is also a lot of agriculture. Below the ground there are thousands and thousands of minerals. Other resources are aluminum, clay, gold, silver and more!