Map of Washington (state)

Washington, formally the State of Washington, is a state in the Western United States’ Pacific Northwest area. The state was founded from the western half of the Washington Territory, which was given by the British Empire in 1846 as part of the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. The Pacific Ocean borders the state on the west, Oregon on the south, Idaho on the east, and the Canadian province of British Columbia on the north. It became the 42nd state to join the Union in 1889. The state capital is Olympia, and the largest city is Seattle.

To distinguish it from the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., Washington is frequently referred to as Washington state.