ACROSS THE GREAT WEST The West has lots of wide open spaces and incredible beauty Along the jagged Pacific Coast people may swim or leap through the surf Further inland visitors can climb some of the highest peaks in the United States They can hike in vast deserts There are hidden waterfalls in canyons to find There are even areas with volcanoes to see ALL ABOUT SIZE The West is the largest region in the United States There are 11 states in this region On the Pacific side are Washington Oregon and California To the north separated from A hiker explores Sequoia National Park in California
THE TROPICAL STATE the other states by Canada is Alaska On the east side are Nevada Idaho Montana Utah Wyoming and Colorado The islands Hawaii is warm all year long The ocean keeps the climate at a steady temperature From May to October temperatures average approximately 85 degrees Fahrenheit 29°C From November to April the weather is cooler with temperatures around 78 degrees Fahrenheit 26°C A lot of rain falls in the mountains Mount Waialeale is one of the wettest places in the world It is on the island of Kauai It receives 450 inches 1 143 cm of rain each year of Hawaii lie thousands of miles off the coast in the Pacific Ocean Seven of the top ten biggest US states are in the West Alaska is the largest But it has the third smallest population of any state Approximately 740 000 people live in Alaska California has the largest population More than 39 million people live there The state is home to the second largest city in the country Los Angeles It has nearly 4 million people
Nevada has a dry desert climate THE CLIMATE OF THE WEST The West has various climate zones Winters along the Pacific Coast are usually cool and foggy Some areas are very wet Seattle Washington is one of the wettest cities in the United States The climates of California Nevada and Montana are much hotter and drier Las Vegas Nevada is one of the driest cities in the country Only approximately 4 inches 10 cm of rain fall there each year Alaska has long winter days The town of Barrow Alaska is above the Arctic Circle It does not see the sun all winter long This is because Earth's axis is tilted
