Snoqualmie

The state is named after Snoqualmie Pass, a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 through the Cascade Range. Residents are called "Snoqualimites".

Snoqualmie is the Northwestern-most state of the Cascadian Federation. Its northern border lies mostly along the 49th parallel, and then via marine boundaries through the Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait and Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. Snoqualmie borders Klamath to the south, with the Columbia River forming most of the boundary and the 46th parallel forming the eastern part of the southern boundary. To the east Snoqualmie borders Yakima, 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 Snoqualmie lies the Pacific Ocean.

The high mountains of the Cascade Range run north-south, bisecting the state. Western Snoqualmie, west of the Cascades, has a mostly marine west coast climate with relatively mild temperatures, wet winters, and dry summers. Western Snoqualmie also supports dense forests of conifers and areas of temperate rain forest. In contrast, Eastern Snoqualmie, east of the Cascades, has a relatively dry climate with large areas of semiarid steppe and a few truly arid deserts lying in the rainshadow of the Cascades; the Hanford reservation receives an average annual precipitation of between six and seven inches (178 mm). Farther east, the climate becomes less arid. The Palouse region of southeast Snoqualmie was grassland that has been mostly converted into farmland. Other parts of eastern Snoqualmie are forested and mountainous. The Cascade Range contains several volcanoes, which reach altitudes significantly higher than the rest of the mountains. From the north to the south these volcanoes are Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. Mount St. Helens is currently the only Snoqualmie volcano that is actively erupting; however, all of them are considered active volcanoes. Snoqualmie's position on the Pacific Ocean and the harbors of Puget Sound give the state a leading role in maritime trade with the United States (Alaska), Canada, and the Pacific Rim. Puget Sound's many islands are served by the largest ferry fleet in the Cascadian Federation.

Snoqualmie is a land of contrasts: The deep forests of the Olympic Peninsula, such as the Hoh Rain Forest, are among the only temperate rainforests in the Cascadian Federation, but the semi-desert east of the Cascade Range has few trees. Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in both the state and the Federation, is covered with more glacial ice than any other peak in the Federation.