Vermont

I

Introduction

Vermont, one of the New England states of the United States, bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec; on the east by New Hampshire; on the south by Massachusetts; and on the west by New York. The western bank of the Connecticut River forms the eastern boundary, and part of the western boundary runs through Lake Champlain.

Vermont entered the Union on March 4, 1791, as the 14th state (from 1777 to 1791 Vermont had been an independent republic). Its economy was chiefly agricultural until the 20th century, when manufacturing became the leading sector. Tourism and other services are also economically important, and the state is known for its many ski areas. Presidents Chester A. Arthur and Calvin Coolidge were born in Vermont. The name of the state is derived from the French words vert (“green”) and mont (“mountain”), and Vermont is thus known as the “Green Mountain State”.

II

Land and Resources

Vermont has an area of 24,903 sq km (9,615 sq mi). The state is roughly triangular in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 251 km (156 mi) from north to south and about 143 km (89 mi) from east to west.

A

Physical Geography

Vermont is topographically the most diverse of the New England states, and it is the only one without a coastline. The state has five distinct landform regions: the White Mountains, the New England Upland, the Green Mountains, the Champlain Valley, and the Taconic Mountains. In north-eastern Vermont is the White Mountains region. In eastern Vermont is the New England Upland, an area of mostly hilly land deeply cut by fast-flowing streams that extends south into Massachusetts. The Green Mountains region of central Vermont is composed of a complexly folded north-to-south mountain system. The Champlain Valley region, in the north-west, is a relatively flat area underlain by sedimentary rocks. The Taconic Mountains region in south-western Vermont is geologically complex.

Principal rivers are the Connecticut, Hudson, Winooski, Lamoille, and Otter Creek (the longest in the state). Vermont has many lakes. The largest is Lake Champlain, which extends into New York and Quebec Province. The next biggest is Lake Memphremagog, also partly in Quebec. The largest body of water entirely in Vermont is Bomoseen Lake, near Rutland.

B

Climate

Vermont has long winters and short summers. The recorded temperature in Vermont has ranged from -45.6° C (-50° F), in 1933 at Bloomfield in the north-east, to 40.6° C (105° F), in 1911 at Vernon in the south-east. Almost all of Vermont receives heavy snowfall, with some mountain areas getting up to 3,175 mm (125 in) a year.