Oregon

Oregon is a state located on the United States' northwest, and bordering the Pacific Ocean, California, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Its northern border lies along the Columbia River and the east along the Snake River. Two north-south mountain ranges - the Coastal Range and the Cascade Mountain Range - form the two boundaries of the Willamette Valley, one of the most fertile and agriculturally productive regions in the world. Oregon is known for its abundant rainfall, but only the western 35% of the state and a bit of northeastern Oregon is notably rainy; east of the Cascades the climate is much more arid. Nonetheless, 40% of the state is or was forested.

Geography

See also: List of Oregon counties, Oregon Geographic Names, List of Oregon rivers, List of Oregon mountain ranges, List of Oregon state parks

Related Topics:
List of Oregon counties - Oregon Geographic Names - List of Oregon rivers - List of Oregon mountain ranges - List of Oregon state parks

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Oregon's geography may be split roughly into six areas:

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• the Coast Range,
• the Willamette Valley,
• the Cascade Mountains
• the Klamath Mountains,
• the Columbia Plateau, and
• the Basin and Range Region.

The state varies from rain forest in the Columbia Gorge to barren desert in the southeast, which still meets the technical definition of a frontier.

Related Topics:
Rain forest - Columbia Gorge - Frontier

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Oregon is about 360 miles (580 km) long and 261 miles (420 km) wide. In terms of land and water area, Oregon is the ninth largest state, covering 98,386 square miles (254,819 km²).

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Its highest point is the summit of Mount Hood, at 11,239 ft (3,428 m). As a West Coast state, its lowest point is sea level. Its mean elevation is 3,300 ft (1 km).

Related Topics:
Mount Hood - West Coast - Sea level

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Crater Lake National Park is Oregon's only national park.

Related Topics:
Crater Lake National Park - National park

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