Geography Circuit

POPULATION: 4,246,155 (2021) – 27th, similar to Barbados, Sao Tome and Principe

AREA: 254,800 km², 98,379 mi² – 9th, similar to Guinea, United Kingdom

CAPITAL: Salem

OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Portland, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro, Bend, Beaverton, Medford, Springfield, Corvallis

LANDMARKS: 

Mount Hood: Highest point in Oregon; dormant stratovolcano, second most climbed mountain in the world

Crater Lake: Lake in the caldera of Mount Mazama, famous for its pure, blue water; deepest lake in the US; Wizard Island and Phantom Ship can be found at its center

Multnomah Falls: Tallest waterfall in Oregon, located on the Columbia Gorge; Most visited natural landmark in the Pacific Northwest

Oregon Dunes: Largest group of coastal sand dunes in North America; Located between Coos Bay and Florence; Dunes can reach up to 500 feet

Alvord Desert: Large sand playa in Eastern Oregon; formed by a double rain shadow caused by the Coast Range and Cascades; Located near a set of hot springs

MAJOR BODIES OF WATER:

Columbia River: Longest river flowing through Oregon; forms border with Washington, flows past Portland metro

Snake River: Second longest river flowing through Oregon; Forms part of border with Idaho, running through Wallowa Mountains

John Day River: Longest river entirely within state; flows past John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, home to well-preserved mammal and plant fossils

Willamette River: Forms the heartland valley of the state; the vast majority of the population of Oregon lives here

Goose Lake: Largest lake in Oregon, straddles border with California; closed basin, has dried up in recent years due to water extraction

MAJOR EXPORTS: Softwood Lumber, Circuits, Semiconductor equipment, Wheat, Aircraft, Sunstone, Opal

FUN FACTS:

• Nike is headquartered in Portland. Still on the edge about visiting? Just do it!
• The beaver is the state animal, and the Douglas Fir is the state tree. 
• The Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark camped at Fort Clatsop, near present-day Astoria on the mouth of the Columbia.
• The Portland Trail Blazers are the local NBA team.
• Portland got its name thanks to a coin toss. The city’s founders – one from Boston and the other from Portland, Maine – tossed a coin to determine the name of their settlement. Thank goodness the one from Maine won – I don’t know what we would do with another Boston!

Map courtesy of Nations Online Project.

Numerical data courtesy of Wikipedia.