Puget Sound | |
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x̌ʷəlč (Lushootseed)[1][2] | |
![]() Satellite view of Puget Sound and surrounding waterways, taken by Sentinel-2 in September 2018 | |
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Location | Puget Sound Lowlands, Washington, U.S. |
Coordinates | 47°36′N 122°24′W / 47.6°N 122.4°W |
Etymology | Peter Puget |
Part of | Salish Sea |
Primary inflows | Deschutes River, Nisqually River, Puyallup River, Duwamish River, Cedar River, Snohomish River, Stillaguamish River, Skagit River |
Primary outflows | Admiralty Inlet, Deception Pass avg: 41,000 cu ft/s (1,200 m3/s)[3] max: 367,000 cu ft/s (10,400 m3/s) min: 14,000 cu ft/s (400 m3/s) |
Catchment area | 12,138 sq mi (31,440 km2)[4] |
Max. length | 100 mi (160 km) |
Max. width | 10 mi (16 km) |
Surface area | 1,020 sq mi (2,600 km2)[3] |
Average depth | 450 ft (140 m) |
Max. depth | 930 ft (280 m)[3] |
Water volume | 26.5 cu mi (110 km3)[3] |
Settlements | Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, Bremerton |
Puget Sound (/ˈpjuːdʒɪt/ PEW-jit; Lushootseed: x̌ʷəlč IPA: [ˈχʷəlt͡ʃ] WHULCH)[1][2] is a sound on the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine[5] system of interconnected marine waterways and basins. A part of the Salish Sea, Puget Sound has one major and two minor connections to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which in turn connects to the open Pacific Ocean. The major connection is Admiralty Inlet; the minor connections are Deception Pass and the Swinomish Channel.
Puget Sound extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Deception Pass in the north to Olympia in the south. Its average depth is 450 feet (140 m)[6] and its maximum depth, off Jefferson Point between Indianola and Kingston, is 930 feet (280 m). The depth of the main basin, between the southern tip of Whidbey Island and Tacoma, is approximately 600 feet (180 m).[3]
In 2009, the term Salish Sea was established by the United States Board on Geographic Names as the collective waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Strait of Georgia. Sometimes the terms "Puget Sound" and "Puget Sound and adjacent waters" are used for not only Puget Sound proper but also for waters to the north, such as Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands region.[7]
The term "Puget Sound" is used not just for the body of water but also the Puget Sound region centered on the sound. Major cities on the sound include Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Everett. Puget Sound is also the second-largest estuary in the United States, after Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia.[8]
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