Oregon (Beaver State) is a United States state that is located in the north-west of the country along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the largest city in Oregon is Portland, but the state capital is Salem. Oregon is lapped by the Pacific Ocean to the west, bordered to the north by the state of Washington, to the east by Idaho, and to the south by Nevada and California.
The Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful in the United States thanks to the environment and the wild mountains that reach the sea. Parallel to the coast is the chain of the Coast Range, an area rich in forests, with mountains high up to just over 1,000 meters.
Beyond the coastal range extends the fertile Willamette Valley, that produces wine, vegetables and other agricultural products. Further east rise the peaks of the Cascade Range, where is the highest mountain in the state, the volcanic cone of Mount Hood (3,429 meters). The Cascade Range divides the fertile western areas along the coast from the areas to the east and south-east of the state that are characterized by the presence of an arid desert.
The most important river in Oregon is the Columbia River that marks for long stretches the border with the state of Washington. The rugged Oregon coast is the main tourist destination of the state, often formed by a high and wild coast there are also beautiful sandy beaches and natural scenery unique in the world.
- Area: 255,026 sq. km. (9th largest state of the United States of America)
- Population: 3,750,000 (data 2008) (Whites 86.6%, Blacks 1.6%; Asian 3.0%, Amerindian 1.3%. Hispanics (classified into different racial types) are 8.0%. Data 2000).
- State Capital: Salem.
- Languages: The official language is English (spoken as a first language by 86,0% of the population). Spanish is spoken as a first language by 8,3% of the population. Data 2005).
- Religion: Christian 68% (Roman Catholic (14%), Evangelical (30%), Protestant (17%), Mormon (5%), Orthodox (2%)), Muslim (2%), Jewish (1%), Buddhist (2%).
- Time zone: UTC-8, summer UTC-7; Malheur County (south-east area): UTC-7, Summer UTC-6.
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