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.

C.

Natural Resources

New York’s mineral resources are mainly non-metallic. They include stone, salt, sand and gravel, natural gas, limestone, talc, slate, garnets, clay, emery, and oil. Metallic minerals include lead, zinc, iron, and silver.

D.

Plants and Animals

About 53 per cent of the land area is covered with forest, most of it regrowth on cut-over land. Major tree and wild flower species include birch, sugar and red maple, basswood, hemlock, white pine, azalea and other rhododendrons, violets, orchids, and mountain laurel.

New York’s larger mammals include Virginia deer and black bear, the former widespread over the state and the latter living mainly in more remote regions of the Adirondacks and the Appalachian Plateau. Some of the more common birds are warblers, crows, bluebirds, and woodpeckers. The fresh and marine waters of New York are inhabited by large numbers of fish.

E.

Resources, Products, and Industries

Dairy farming is the principal agricultural pursuit, although considerable income is also derived from the sale of beef cattle, pigs, chickens, eggs, turkeys, ducks, and sheep. Leading crops include hay, corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, onions, lettuce, snap beans, tomatoes, cabbage, grapes, apples, and cherries. The forestry and fishing industries have a small presence in the state, although their contribution to the economy is not substantial.

New York remains one of the leading industrial states in the United States, although the manufacturing sector has diminished in importance in recent decades. Chief manufactured goods include printed materials; precision instruments such as cameras, optical and medical equipment, and measuring devices; electronic equipment such as lighting and communications equipment; and industrial machinery such as engines and turbines, and refrigeration and heating equipment.

New York is also an important source of other manufactured goods such as clothing, computers, navigation and guidance equipment, aircraft, car parts, chemicals, toiletries, processed foods, beverages, and paper, glass, rubber, and plastic goods. Major corporations with headquarters in the state include computer manufacturer International Business Machines Corporation, based in Armonk; communications corporation Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., media and entertainment company Time Warner Inc., and electronics manufacturer Sony Corporation of America, all in New York.

Tourism was a major industry; in the late 1990s, with visitor spending exceeding US$34 billion annually.