Washington got its name from George Washington, the first President of the United States. Olympia is its capital and Seattle is its largest city.

Washington is often mixed up with Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. To avoid confusion, the latter is simply called D.C. and the former, Washington state.

Women were championed by Washington state when it became the first and so far only state to elect women to major statewide offices, the Senate and the State Governorship.

Regular public tours of the grand Washington State Capitol are offered year round. The impressive structure's design is a fusion of Greek, Roman and Neo Classical style. Built between 1922 and 1928, it houses the the Washington State Legislature as well as the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer.

Washington state is a land of contrasting geographical features. The deep forests of the Olympia Peninsula are among the most rainiest places in the planet. Compare that with the flat semi-desert that lies east of the Cascade Range which extends for long distances without a single tree.

Washington is also distinguished for being the site of four of the five longest floating bridges in the world: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and Homer M. Hadley Bridge over Lake Washington, and the Hood Canal Bridge connecting the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.

The state flower of Washington is the Coast Rhododendron. The "rhodie" was selected by Washington women in 1892 and entered in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

• Washington University | Pullman, Washington State