WASHINGTON STATE REPORTWashington State is located in the far northwest of the United States. It spans 66,582 square miles between the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Idaho border on the east. Washington State borders Canada to the north and Oregon to the south, along the Columbia River. Washington is the 20th largest state and has very different natural environments in the west and east, divided by the Cascade Range. It is home to 6 million inhabitants (2001 census estimate) who work in a diversified economy dominated by aviation; software and other technology companies; wheat, apples, beans and other agricultural products; forest products; and fishing. The state is a major exporter of manufactured goods, food products, raw materials and hydropower, and is a popular tourist destination. Today, Washington is home to many Native American tribes and has been for at least 10,000 years. The first European explorers and traders arrived there in the late 1700s. Lewis and Clark followed the Snake and Columbia rivers to the Pacific Ocean through what is known today as Long Beach, in November 1805. The Hudson's Bay Company owned important forts and trading posts in the early 1800s, alongside American fur traders, settlers and missionaries. Britain and the United States jointly occupied the region between 1818 and 1846. Then, Britain ceded the Pacific Northwest, below the 49th parallel, to the United States. Two years later, the United States created the Oregon Territory, which included the future states of Oregon. , Washington, Idaho and part of Montana. Washington Territory, which included Idaho and western Montana until 1863, was separated from Oregon on March 2, 1853, and granted statehood on November 11, 1889. Olympia is the capital of territory and Washington State since 1853. Seattle is the most populous city in the state. with a population of 563,000 in 2000, followed in rank by Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, and Everett.Political HistoryThe federal government created the Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. The area of ​​the new jurisdiction included what we call Oregon, Washington. , Idaho and western Montana today. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 sparked a large westward population migration, and settlement of the Oregon Territory was furthered by the passage of the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which gave 160 acres to any American citizen agreeing to remain on its territory. earth for five years. On August 29, 1851, 27 male settlers gathered at Cowlitz Landing to petition Congress for a separate "Columbia Territory" that would cover the area between the Columbia River and the 49th parallel..