Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The state is named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. It is the only U.S. State named after a president.
Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory and admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. In 2006, the Census Bureau estimated the state's population at 6,395,798. Residents are called "Washingtonians" (emphasis on the third syllable, pronounced as tone). Washington is sometimes called Washington state to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., the US capital.
Washington is the northwestern most state of the contiguous United States. Its northern border lies mainly along the 49th parallel, with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. Washington borders Oregon to the south, with the Columbia River forming most of the boundary and the 46th parallel forming the eastern part. To the east Washington borders Idaho, bounded mostly by the meridian running north from the confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River (about 116°57' west), except for the southernmost section where the border follows the Snake River. To the west of Washington lies the Pacific Ocean.
There are three national parks in Washington, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park.
The religious affiliations of Washington's population are:
· Christian – 60%
o Protestant – 29%
§ Lutheran – 6%
§ Baptist – 6%
§ Methodist – 4%
§ Presbyterian – 3%
§ Other Protestant or general Protestant – 10%
o Roman Catholic – 20%
o Other Christian – 11%
o LDS; 3%
· Other Religions – 5%
· Refused – 6%
· No religion – 25%
As with many other Western states, the percentage of Washington's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is higher than the national average. The percentage of non-religious people in Washington is the highest of any state, and its Christian population is the lowest of any state.
Moscow (Russian: Москва́, romanized: Moskva, ) is the capital of Russia and the country's principal political, economic, financial, educational, and transportation center. It is located on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District, in the European part of Russia. The name of the city is usually pronounced [ˈmɒskəʊ] in British English, and either [ˈmɑskaʊ] or [ˈmɑskoʊ] in American English. The city's population of 10.4 million constitutes about 7% of the total Russian population. Likewise, it is the most populous city in Europe. Historically, its position was central in the Russian homeland. It was the capital of the former Soviet Union and Muscovite Russia, the pre-Imperial Russian state. It is the site of the famous Kremlin, which now serves as the ceremonial residence of the President.
Moscow's architecture and performing arts culture are world-renowned. Moscow is also well known as the site of Saint Basil's Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes, as well as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters. The Patriarch of Moscow, whose residence is the Danilov Monastery, serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Moscow also remains a major economic center and is home to a large number of billionaires; it is perennially considered one of the most expensive cities for expatriate employees in the world. It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. It possesses a complex transport system that includes the world's busiest metro system, which is famous for its architecture. Moscow also hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics.