Puget Sound

Puget Sound is an arm (sound) of the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It extends 144 km (90 miles) south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Olympia, Washington. The surrounding area, which includes three of the five largest cities in Washington state (Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and Bellevue), is home to about 4 million people.

Geology

The United States Geological Survey defines Puget Sound as a bay with numerous channels and branches. The Puget Sound is a large salt water estuary fed by freshwater from the Olympic and Cascade Mountain watersheds. It extends 144 km (90 miles) south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Olympia, Washington; the northern boundary is formed, at its main entrance, by a line between Point Wilson on the Olympic Peninsula and Point Partridge on Whidbey Island; at a second entrance called Deception Pass, between West Point on Whidbey Island, Deception Island, and Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island; at a third entrance, the south end of Swinomish Channel between Fidalgo Island and McGlinn Island.http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.GetDetail?tab=Y&id=1507653 These islands are part of a group of islands known as the San Juan Islands. A unique state-run ferry system, the Washington State Ferries, connects the larger islands to the Washington mainland, as well as both sides of the sound, allowing cars and people to move about the region.

Related Topics:
United States Geological Survey - Bay - Estuary - Strait of Juan de Fuca - Olympia, Washington - Point Wilson - Olympic Peninsula - Point Partridge - Whidbey Island - Deception Pass - West Point - Deception Island - Rosario Head - Fidalgo Island - Swinomish Channel - McGlinn Island - San Juan Islands - Washington State Ferries

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