Washington, ranked the 18th state in terms of total area, is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is bordered by Canada in the north, Idaho in the east, Oregon in the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The state capital is Olympia while the largest city is Seattle. Nicknamed The Evergreen State, Washington is named after George Washington, the only state named after a president.

The state is divided into six geographical areas: the Olympic Mountains, Coast Range, Puget Sound Lowlands, Cascade Mountains, Columbia Plateau, and the Rocky Mountains. More than half of its residents live in Seattle, the state center of business and industry.

National Parks, Monuments, and Forests found in Washington state include: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Hanford Reach National Monument, Colville National Forest, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Okanogan National Forest, Olympic National Forest, and Wenatchee National Forest.

State symbols include the Western Hemlock (State Tree), Willow Goldfinch (State Bird), “Washington, My Home” (State Song), Steelhead Trout (State Fish), Petrified Wood (State Gem), Square Dance (State Dance), “Roll On, Columbia, Roll On” (State Folk Song), Apple (State Fruit), Bluebunch Wheatgrass (State Grass), Green Darner Butterfly (State Insect), Columbian Mammoth (State Fossil), Orca (State Marine Mammal), Walla Walla Sweet Onion (State Vegetable), Pseudacris Regilla (State Amphibian), Lady Washington (State Ship), and the Olympic Marmot (State Endemic Mammal).