Quarter Dollar 2011 USA "Olympic" 8th National Park mint mark D

Olympic National Park is the United States National Park located in northwestern Washington State, Olympic Peninsula. It was founded in 1938. National Park is known for the diversity of species. Due to long isolation from the extensive continental spaces on the peninsula formed a kind of flora and fauna. Until now, there are found 15 endemic species and 8 endemic species of the plant kingdom. Diversity of plant communities in a relatively small area (3735 km ²) is another distinguishing feature of the park. There are lakes, pristine forests, alpine meadows, more than 60 glaciers, wildlife habitat, the Pacific Coast region (in the coastal area are beaches and three Indian reservations) in the park.In the central part of the park are mountains Olympic.This mountain range, sometimes reaching a height of 2400 meters, halves the park in the western and eastern parts. It is a determining factor in the difference in climatic conditions in the west and in the east. In the western part of the park are tropical forest and the largest falls in the country of precipitation. In the eastern sector the dry climate prevails, and it is comparable only with the climate of Southern California. In 1976 the park became the International Biosphere Reserve and in 1981 entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.