Editing Jefferson County, Washington (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Cedar Creek Abbey Island Ruby Beach.jpg|thumb|Ruby Beach, Kalaloch Area]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|2183|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1804|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|379|sqmi}} (17%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_53.txt |access-date=July 5, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

The county is split in three parts by its landforms:
* Eastern Jefferson County along the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]], [[Admiralty Inlet]], [[Puget Sound]], and the [[Hood Canal]]
* Central Jefferson County, which is uninhabited and lies in the [[Olympic Mountains]] within [[Olympic National Park]] and [[Olympic National Forest]]
* Western Jefferson County, along the [[Pacific Ocean]].

Because of the [[Olympic Mountains|mountainous barrier]], there is no road lying entirely within Jefferson County that connects the eastern and western parts. The most direct land route between the two ends of the county involves a drive of approximately {{convert|100|mi|km}} along [[U.S. Route 101]] through neighbouring [[Clallam County, Washington|Clallam County]]. The [[Olympic Mountains|mountains]] also block the damp [[Chinook wind]]s, which make the climate much wetter in the west than the so-called eastern "[[banana belt]]" in the [[rain shadow]].

===Geographic features===
[[File:Hoh river in spring.jpg|thumb|Hoh River in the [[Olympic National Park]]]]

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Admiralty Inlet]]
*[[Bolton Peninsula]]
*[[Destruction Island]]
*[[Discovery Bay, Washington|Discovery Bay]]
*[[Hood Canal]]
*[[Mount Olympus (Washington)|Mount Olympus]], the highest point on the Olympic Peninsula
*[[Olympic Mountains]]
*[[Olympic Peninsula]]
*[[Pacific Ocean]]
*[[Point Wilson]]
*[[Port Townsend Bay]]
*[[Protection Island (Washington)|Protection Island]]
*[[Puget Sound]]
*[[Queets River]]
*[[Quimper Peninsula]]
*[[Strait of Juan de Fuca]]
*[[Toandos (Coyle) Peninsula]]
{{div col end}}

===Major highways===
*[[Image:US 101.svg|x20px]] [[U.S. Route 101 in Washington|U.S. Route 101]]
*[[Image:WA-20.svg|20px]] [[Washington State Route 20|State Route 20]]
*[[Image:WA-104.svg|20px]] [[Washington State Route 104|State Route 104]]

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Island County, Washington|Island County]] – northeast
*[[Kitsap County, Washington|Kitsap County]] – southeast
*[[Mason County, Washington|Mason County]] – south/southeast
*[[Grays Harbor County, Washington|Grays Harbor County]] – south/southwest
*[[Clallam County, Washington|Clallam County]] – northwest
*[[San Juan County, Washington|San Juan County]] – northeast

===National protected areas===
* [[Olympic National Forest]] (part)
* [[Olympic National Park]] (part)
* [[Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)
* [[Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail]] (part)