 1)
Coastal
 2) Western Lowlands
 3) Western Cascade Mountains
 4) Eastern Cascades Mountains
 5) Columbia Basin
 6) Okanogan Highlands
 7) Palouse Hills
 lies
along the western coastline of the
United States
 This long and very narrow region, is only
40 to 70 miles(65 to 110 km) wide
 extends south from the Olympic Peninsula
from the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Strait of Juan de Fuca
 snow-capped Olympic Mountains
 evergreen rain-forested Olympic Peninsula
 broad sandy ocean beaches, Klamath-Siskiyou
 Grays Harbor-Chehalis River lowland
 Willapa Bay and Willapa Hills
 mouth of the Columbia River
 Tillamook Bay
Northern Coastal Range
 Coos Bay
Rogue and Umpqua rivers
 Astoria, Oregon
Port Angeles, Aberdeen
 Coastlines
 Six
major indentations:
Coos Bay
Tillamook Bay
the mouth of the Columbia River
Willapa Bay
Grays Harbor
the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
 Inlets
are also sites for the region’s largest
communities
 Why?
 NO
 Close
 RIGHT access to world markets through
shipping!!!!

Topography
 Normally most coastal areas are near sea level
 Not true in the Pacific Northwest
 Elevations approach nearly 8,000 feet
 The region’s profile is bell-shaped.
 The profile begins at sea level, climbs to the top
of the Olympic Mountains and the Coastal
Range, then rapidly descends to nearly sea level
again.

Climate
 Because of off shore warm currents British
Columbia, and southern Alaskan (coast-lines),
have a very mild, but moist climate throughout
the year.
 This climate provides lush vegetation and
supports dense coniferous (softwood) forests.
 Extensive ever-green forests cover the Coastal
Region except were development has taken
place.
 Temperature
 The
Coastal Region’s climate is the most
moderate in the Pacific Northwest
 Winter 35°F and 55°F
 Summer 55°F to 75°F
 With lots of rain fall
 Precipitation
 Coastal
Region greatly exceeds the norm
in the Pacific Northwest and the western
United States.
 40 inches (101 cm) a year
 200 inches (508 cm) of rainfall annually
in the Olympic Mountains
 Rain shadow
 Economic Activities
 One
result of the region’s mild rainy climate is the abundance and variety of
plant and animal life.
 main economic activities include fishing,
forestry, general farming, and tour-ism.
 located
between the mountains and hills
of the Coastal Region and the Cascade
Range.
 extends about 400 miles (640 km) north
to south but is only 50 to 70 miles (80 to
110 km) wide
 The region is the most heavily populated,
urbanized, and industrialized in the
Pacific Northwest.
 The Western
Lowlands are made up of
 three large subregions:
 1) the Puget Sound Trough
 2) the Chehalis-Cowlitz-Columbia river
valleys
 3) the Willamette River Valley
 The Western
Lowlands are made up of The
Puget Sound area has hundreds of small and
medium sized islands,
 Such as: San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island,
Vashon Island, and Bainbridge Island
 It is also has many peninsulas Olympic
Peninsula, Kitsap Peninsula.
 Puget
Sound Trough
 located in western Washington
 It is a densely populated fertile lowland
that is a hub of economic activity.
 Major urban areas such as
Seattle,Tacoma, Bellevue, Bremerton,
Bellingham, Everett, and Olympia
 All are centers of urban and industrial
activities.
 Due
to glacial erosion, Puget Sound has an
irregular shoreline and numerous deep,
sheltered harbors such as:
 Hood Canal-Bangor, Elliott Bay-Seattle,
Commencement Bay-Tacoma, Everett,
Bremerton, Olympia, Anacortes, and
Bellingham.
 Chehalis-Cowlitz
River Valleys
 The second subregion within the Western Lowlands contains three major river
valleys:
 1) Chehalis River
 2) Cowlitz River
 the Columbia River Gorge
 Why are these regions not as populated?
 Willamette Valley
 the
third subregion
 The Willamette River Valley was the
historic objective of thousands of early
pioneers.
 The Willamette River produced a broad
fertile valley that is a prime agricultural
region.
 Willamette Valley
 cities
as Portland, Eugene,Salem,
Springfield, Beaverton, Corvallis, Al-bany,
Lake Oswego, Gresham.
 Physical Terrain
 elevation ranges
from sea level to about
1,000 feet (305 m).
 This region is physically unique because
of its many river valleys and flood plains.
Thus, the total precipitation is generally
less.
 Climate
 Marine West
Coast
 The region receives slightly less
precipitation than the Coastal Region.

Precipitation
 The Western Lowlands lie in the rainshadow of
the Coastal Range and Olympic Mountains.
 precipitation is generally less than on the
windward slopes
 average annual rainfall ranges from 15 inches
(38 cm) at Sequim,and Eugene.
 100 inches (254 cm) in the western foothills of
the Cascade Mountains
 The region’s average is about 40 inches (100
cm) annually.
 Temperature
 Winter temperatures range
from 35°F to
55°F
 summer temperatures generally range
between 65°F and 85°F
 The Western Lowlands economy is becoming more industrialized.

Economic Activities
 Climate encourages
 vegetables, berries, flower bulbs, fruits, nuts,
nursery plants and shrubs, some grains, dairy
products, and beef.
 Western Lowlands economy is be-coming more
industrialized.
 Western Lowlands economy is be-coming more
industrialized transportation equipment,
electronics, and high technology
 Just
east of the Western Lowlands, also
lying along a north-south axis, are the
Cascade Mountains.
 They extend from southern British
Columbia, Canada, through the states of
Washington and Oregon and end in northern
California.
 Natural
Barrier
 a formidable physical, climatic, and
transportation barrier.
 averaging about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in
elevation with many volcanic peaks above
10,000 feet (3,000 m)
 Cascade Range has only a few low
mountain passes and only one major
lowland, where the Columbia River cuts
through the Columbia Gorge.
 .Volcanoes
 The
Cascade Mountains are part of the
Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire.”
 Tallest Mount Rainier 14,411
 Smallest Mt. St. Helens 8,365 ft
 Climate
 these
north-south mountains are a
physical barrier to the region’s climate
 West wet East dry
 100 inches (250 cm) on the western slope
and decreases to only 20 inches (50 cm)
on the eastern slopes
 Rainier
set the world record with 1,224.5
inches (3,110.2 cm) or 102 feet of snow
between February19, 1971, and February
18, 1972.
 heavy annual snowfall provides the late
spring and early summer river runoff,
especially significant for those eastern slope
rivers flowing through the semiarid regions
of Washington and Oregon.
 Highland Climate
 Due
to great range in elevation have
climates that are more moist and very
mild. summer maximum temperatures
are cooler, but the winter minimum
temperatures are colder.
 Difference in vegetation east vs. west
 West dense
evergreen coniferous forests Fir
species
 East pine
 Animals birds, small animals, and big game
animals, such as elk, black bear, cougar or
mountain lion, mule deer,bighorn sheep,
and mountain goats.
 Inhabitants
 The
Cascade Mountain Region is
sparsely populated.
 Mountains is owned or controlled by
either the state or federal government.
 The
largest geographic region of the Pacific
Northwest.
 The region covers about 193,000 square
miles
 It is the world’s second largest lava plateau.
 400 miles (640 km) from north to south and
500 miles (800 km) east to west
 lies
between the Cascade Mountains to the
west, the Rocky Mountains to the east and
north, and the Great Intermountain
 The Columbia Plateau was constructed by
as many as 55 different lava flows.
 Sub
regions
 northern part Columbia Basin
 the sub regions include:
the Waterville Plateau
the Quincy Basin
the Channeled Scablands
the Palouse Hills
the Kittitas Valley
the Yakima Valley
the Pasco Basin
 The
central parts of the Columbia Plateau
are interrupted by the Seven Devils,
Wallowa, and Blue mountain ranges.
 On the Oregon side of the Columbia River
is the Umatilla-Deschutes Plateau.
 The
southern and southeastern sections are
dominated by the Harney High Lava Plains
and the Upper Snake River Valley
respectively.
 Climate
 arid to semiarid region characterized by
hot, sunny summers and cold winters.

Precipitation
 region is virtually surrounded by the Cascade
and Rocky mountains. These mountain
barriers have a drastic effect upon annual
precipitation amounts received by the region
 annual precipitation below 20 inches
 Temperature
 Summer 100°F
Winter below zero
 Natural Vegetation
 sparse
grassland and sagebrush-bunch
grass
 Wildlife we know
 human inhabitants are un-evenly
distributed over this huge area.
 Why?
 Economic Activities
 mixture
of farming and manufacturing
 a long growing season, and abundant
irrigation water allow farmers to produce
outstanding yields of wheat, bar-ley, oats,
hops, alfalfa, corn, beans, apricots,
potatoes, sugar beets, apples, pears,
peaches, grapes, cherries, vegetables, and
specialty crops. In addition, the dry
grasslands are excellent grazing areas for
cattle, sheep, horses, and other livestock.
 Forms the northernmost subregion in eastern
Washington.
 It extends east of the Cascades across the
northeastern portion of the state.
 The Columbia and Spokane rivers form its
southern boundary
 Physical Features
 very rugged and mountainous.
 It includes the Okanogan Highlands, San Poil
and Selkirk mountains, and a small portion of the
Rockies.
 Includes several peaks over 8,500 feet
 Physical
Features
 The Columbia River divides this subregion into
two parts.
 The western portion includes the Methow,
Okanogan, and San Poil rivers.
 The eastern portion includes the Pend
Oreille,Colville, and Spokane rivers..
 Climate
 Cold winters and warm summers.
 Summers are warm with little precipitation
 The higher elevations have a highland climate,
and lower elevations are semiarid.
 Vegetation
 Forested with a variety of evergreen and
deciduous trees
 The undergrowth consists of brush and grasses
 Valleys are covered with western larch, alder,
ash, and maple trees.
 The Palouse Hills extend south from the
Spokane River to the Blue Mountains.
 In southeastern Washington State
 Physical
Features
 The rugged Blue Mountains
 Dune shaped Palouse Hills
 Are the major physical features in this sub
region.
 6,401 feet highest elevation
 Largest river of the region, is the Snake.

Climate
 A modified semiarid climate.
 Receives more precipitation than other areas of eastern
Washington.
 Higher elevations of the Blue Mountains have a
highland climate.
 Winter tends to be very cold and windy.
 Summers, are very hot and dry with little or no moisture
after April.
 Vegetation
 Steppe grasses and sagebrush cover most of
the sub region.
 The trees only grow on the moist upper slopes of
the Blue Mountains.
 1)
Coastal
 2) Western Lowlands
 3) Western Cascade Mountains
 4) Eastern Cascades Mountains
 5) Columbia Basin
 6) Okanogan Highlands
 7) Palouse Hills