Download Washington`s Regions Map - Mercer Island School District

Washington’s Regions Map
Directions: Use the small Washington State map.
Read “Quick Guide to Washington’s Physiographic Regions”.
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Use different colors to outline the seven regions.
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Identify the regions by name. Write clearly and horizontally.
Quick Guide to WASHINGTON’S PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS
OLYMPIC PENINSULA
Location: On the Olympic Peninsula: flanked to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the North
by the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Past Characteristics: Once isolated from the rest of the state by immense glacial ice flows.
Uplift took place about 25 million ear ago.
Current Distinctions: Lush rain forests; home to Olympic National Park—largest peak is
Mount Olympus at 7,965 feet. Sparsely populated along the Pacific Coast, more densely
populated north and east. Makah, Hoh, Quileute, and Quinault Indian reservations are
located in the region on the Pacific Coast.
WILLAPA HILLS
Location: Southwest corner of the state, bordered to the south by the Columbia River and to
the west by the Pacific Ocean.
Past Characteristics: Formed as part of the Coast Range (which extends from Oregon to
the Olympic Peninsula). Once partially covered by Tertiary seas as revealed through
discoveries of clam, snail, and crab fossils.
Current Distinctions: At its highest point, 3,110 feet above sea level. The state’s most
productive petroleum well was drilled near Ocean Shores, yielding 12,000 barrels of crude
oil, Evergreen forests. Most heavily populated near Pacific harbors.
PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS
Location: Between the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. Encompasses Puget Sound and
surrounding lowlands south and east.
Past Characteristics: Formation of large coal deposits about 58 million years ago. Presentday geographic features are the result of the Fraser Glaciations or Cordilleran ice sheet which
moved south from British Columbia about 18,000 years ago.
Current Distinctions: Evergreen and some deciduous forest. It's the most heavily populated
portion of the state. Puget Sound dotted by islands created when glacial ice melted. Large
quantities of fish and shellfish once readily available in the rivers Indian tide flats.
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
Location: Run north-south through Washington, dividing eastern from western Washington.
Past Characteristics: Volcanically formed.
Current Distinctions: Dotted by the volcanic peaks: Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount
St. Helens, and Mount Adams. It forms a weather barrier between east and west, with the
majority of moisture concentrated on the western portion of the state.
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS
Location: Northeast Washington.
Past Characteristics: Fossilized trilobites and graptolites indicate that the area was covered
by shallow to medium depth seas 500-600 million years ago.
Current Distinctions: Deciduous trees, low mountains, cold winters, hot summers. Defined
to the south by the Columbia and Spokane rivers. The Colville Indian Reservation lies in the
region, as do Grand Coulee Dam and the Okanogan and Colville national forests. Kettle
Falls on the Columbia River was once an important fishing and trading site for many native
people.
COLUMBIA BASIN
Location: Southeast Washington; bordered to the north by the Columbia and Spokane
rivers; to the west by the Cascade Range; to the south, in part, by the Columbia River. Also
encompasses the area known as the Palouse.
Past Characteristics: Present geologic features formed by catastrophic floods. Immense
basalt formations, 16,000 feet deep in some areas.
Current Distinctions: Rolling grasslands and, in some places, sage-covered desert. A
portion of the Columbia Plateau. Fertile soil supports orchards and wheat fields. The Yakima
Indian Reservation as well as the Hanford Site are located within this region.
BLUE MOUNTAINS
Location: Southeast corner of the state, below the Columbia Basin. South of the Snake
river.
Past Characteristics: Basalt formations dated to 25 million years ago. Sediment deposits in
valley are the result of basalt flow blockages.
Current Distinctions: Mountains reach a height of 6,000 feet above sea level. Evergreen
forests grow within the Umatilla National Forest.