New York (state)

I

Introduction

New York (state), one of the mid-Atlantic coast states of the United States, bordered on the north by the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec; on the east by Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; on the south-east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by New Jersey and Pennsylvania; and on the west by Pennsylvania and Ontario. Several boundaries are formed by bodies of water, including Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River, in the north; Lake Champlain and the Poultney River, in the north-east; the Hudson and Delaware rivers, in the south-east; and Lake Erie and the Niagara River, in the west. Although New York is the largest city in the country, much of New York State is still rural.

New York entered the Union on July 26, 1788, as the 11th of the original 13 states. New York has long been a leader in the political, cultural, and economic life of the United States. Despite economic difficulties in the 1970s and 1980s, mainly in New York and other urban areas, the state still ranks among the US leaders in such important sectors as manufacturing, commerce, foreign trade, communications, and finance. It is the birthplace of four US presidents: Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Others, such as Presidents Grover Cleveland and Chester A. Arthur, spent most of their lives in the state. New York, named in the 1660s after the Duke of York, later James II of England, is known as the “Empire State”.

II

Land and Resources

New York has an area of 141,299 sq km (54,556 sq mi). The mainland portion of New York is shaped roughly like a right-angled triangle; Long Island forms an extension in the south-east. The extreme dimensions of the mainland are about 510 km (315 mi) from east to west and about 480 km (300 mi) from north to south; Long Island extends about 190 km (118 mi) from east to west. Elevations begin at sea level, along the Atlantic Ocean in the south-east, and range up to 1,629 m (5,344 ft), from the top of Mount Marcy in the north-east. The coastline measures 204 km (127 mi).

A

Physical Geography

New York’s geography is diverse, encompassing seven major regions: the St Lawrence Lowland, the Adirondack Upland, the Eastern Great Lakes Lowland, the Appalachian Mountains, the Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands, the New England Upland, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The St Lawrence Lowland region, in the north, is made up of a narrow lowland corridor along the St Lawrence River plus an area bordering Lake Champlain.

The Adirondack Upland in north-eastern New York takes in about one quarter of the state. Much of it is rugged, and many peaks, including Mount Marcy, rise to more than 1,220 m (4,000 ft). The Eastern Great Lakes Lowland region, bordering Lakes Erie and Ontario (two of the five Great Lakes), is generally flat close to the lakes and somewhat rolling to hilly farther away.

The Appalachian Plateau region occupies nearly half of the southern area of the state; the Catskill Mountains, with elevations ranging to about 1,280 m (4,200 ft), form the eastern part of the region. The Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands region is in the central and eastern parts of New York. Between the Appalachian Plateau and the New England Upland region is the narrow Hudson Valley. The Mohawk Valley lies north-west of the Hudson, mainly between the Adirondacks and the Appalachian Plateau.

Three main subdivisions make up the New England Upland region: the Taconic Mountains along the eastern border; the spectacular Hudson Highlands south-west across the Hudson River; and the crystalline Manhattan Hills, which are relatively low and make up most of Westchester County and Manhattan Island.

Long Island and Staten Island represent most of New York’s share of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The northern part of Long Island is composed of low hills rising to about 90 m (300 ft), and in the south is a low, flat plain.

New York has many rivers and lakes. The Great Lakes-St Lawrence Basin system drains much of western and central New York. Besides the St Lawrence, some of the better-known rivers are the Genesee, Black, Niagara, Oswego, Hudson, Mohawk, Allegheny, Susquehanna, and Delaware. Picturesque waterfalls are found along several of New York’s rivers. The best known is Niagara Falls.

New York contains a large number of lakes, many of which are frequented by holidaymakers. Three large lakes—Champlain, Erie, and Ontario—are only partly in the state. Lakes located wholly within New York include Oneida Lake, the Finger Lakes, Lake George, and Conesus Lake.

B

Climate

In general, New York’s climate is humid continental. The south-eastern part of the state has the highest mean monthly temperature, and the uplands of the north-east the lowest. Most of the state receives abundant snowfall. The recorded temperature in New York has ranged from -46.7° C (-52° F), in 1934 at Stillwater Reservoir and in 1979 at Old Forge, both in the Adirondacks, to 42.2° C (108° F), in 1926 at Troy in the east. Aside from thunderstorms and heavy snowfalls, New York is struck by few damaging storms. Hurricanes occasionally strike Long Island and the south-eastern section of the state’s mainland.