Columbia (state) (Alternity)

Columbia (CL) is a state located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States' West Coast. Admitted to the Union as the 48th state on November 14, 1889, Columbia is situated entirely on Vancouver Island, as such it is separated from the US mainland and is not considered one of the contiguous 'lower 55' states. The state shares maritime borders with Cascadia to the east across the Queen Charlotte Strait, as well as the US state of Washington to the south across the Juan de Fuca Strait. Columbia's location on the Pacific Rim, particularly the Cascadia Subduction Zone, makes the state's population no strangers to earthquakes, which occur rather frequently, though few cause any kind of damage. The last major earthquake, a magnitude 7.3, occurred in the state's Forbidden Plateau region in June 1946. Columbia's capital of Parksville is located on the state's eastern coast, built there by settlers in 1875 for the purpose of avoiding the more seismically active western coastline. The city of Lewis (pop. 1,670,000) is the largest city in the state and eighth-largest in the US.