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The Geography of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 State varies widely. While the state is best known for New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
's urban atmosphere, especially Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
's skyscrapers, most of the state is dominated by farms, forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes. New York's Adirondack Park is larger than any U.S. National Park
National Park Service

The National Park Service is the List of United States federal agencies that manages all List of areas in the United States National Park System, many U.S....
 outside of Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
.






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National Atlas New York
The Geography of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 State varies widely. While the state is best known for New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
's urban atmosphere, especially Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
's skyscrapers, most of the state is dominated by farms, forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes. New York's Adirondack Park is larger than any U.S. National Park
National Park Service

The National Park Service is the List of United States federal agencies that manages all List of areas in the United States National Park System, many U.S....
 outside of Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
. Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the Canada?United States border between the Provinces and territories of Canada of Ontario and the U.S....
, on the Niagara River as it flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is a popular attraction. The Hudson River
Hudson River

The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk , the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York....
 begins with Lake Tear of the Clouds
Lake Tear of the Clouds

Lake Tear of the Clouds is a small tarn , in Essex County, New York, on the southwest slope of Mount Marcy ; it is both the highest lake in the state and the highest source of the Hudson River via Feldspar Brook and the Opalescent River....
 and flows south through the eastern part of the state without draining Lakes George
Lake George (New York)

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow lake at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, northern New York, United States The lake extends about 32.2 miles on a north-south axis and varies from 1 to 3 miles in width....
 or Champlain
Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada ? United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec....
. Lake George empties at its north end into Lake Champlain, whose northern end extends into Canada, where it drains into the Richelieu
Richelieu River

The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending into the St. Lawrence River at Sorel....
 and then the St Lawrence Rivers. Four of New York City's five boroughs are on the three islands at the mouth of the Hudson River: Manhattan Island, Staten Island, and Brooklyn and Queens on Long Island.

"Upstate"
Upstate New York

Upstate New York is the region of New York north of the core of the New York metropolitan area. It has a population of 7,121,911 out of New York State's total 18,976,457....
 is a common term for New York State counties north of suburban Westchester
Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is a primarily suburban Political subdivisions of New York State#County located in the U.S. state of New York with about 950,000 residents....
, Rockland
Rockland County, New York

Rockland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, north-northwest of New York City. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area....
 and Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York

Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The United States Census 2000 lists the population as 280,150, but the United States Census Bureau gives an estimate of 292,706 residents for the 12-month period ending July 1, 2007....
 counties. Upstate New York typically includes Lake George
Lake George (New York)

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow lake at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, northern New York, United States The lake extends about 32.2 miles on a north-south axis and varies from 1 to 3 miles in width....
 and Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake

Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York . The lake is located northeast of Syracuse, New York and near the Great Lakes. It serves as one of the links in the Erie Canal....
 in the northeast; and rivers such as the Delaware
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
, Genesee
Genesee River

The Genesee River's name is derived from the Seneca tribe word meaning good valley or pleasant valley. It flows northward through western New York from its source south of the town of Genesee, Pennsylvania in Pennsylvania, near Wellsville , New York and empties into Lake Ontario north of the City of Rochester, New York, New York....
, Mohawk
Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a long river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River and it meets it in the Capital Region, a few miles north of the city of Albany, New York....
, and Susquehanna
Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At approximately 444 mi long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the United States and the 16th longest in the United States....
. The highest elevation in New York is Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.

Location and size

New York is located in the northeastern United States, in the Mid-Atlantic Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
 division. New York covers an area of 54,556 square miles (141,299 kmē) and ranks as the 27th largest state by size. The state borders five U.S. states
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
: Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 and New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 to the south, and Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
, and Vermont
Vermont

Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
 to the east. New York also borders the Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 provinces
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 of Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 to the north. Additionally, New York touches the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 to the southeast, and two of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes

The St. Lawrence River Great Lakes are a chain of fresh water lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada ? United States border. Consisting of Lakes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth....
: Lake Erie
Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time....
 to the west and Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by the U.S....
 to the northwest.

State parks

Long Pond St Regis
New York has many state parks and two major forest preserves. Adirondack Park, roughly the size of the state of Vermont
Vermont

Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
 and the largest state park in the United States, was established in 1892 and given state constitutional protection in 1894. The thinking that lead to the creation of the Park first appeared in George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh

George Perkins Marsh , an United States diplomat and philologist, is considered by some to be America's first environmentalist. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont takes its name, in part, from Marsh....
's Man and Nature
Man and Nature

Man and Nature is a book written by George Perkins Marsh in 1864.Man and Nature was a contentious stick of dynamite that blow up the hearts and minds of an ignorant 1860's....
, published in 1864. Marsh argued that deforestation
Deforestation

Deforestation is the logging or burning of trees in forested areas. There are several reasons for doing so: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and are used by humans while cleared land is used as pasture, plantations of commodities and human settlement....
 could lead to desertification
Desertification

Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry Humid subtropical climate areas, resulting primarily from natural activities and influenced by Climate variations....
; referring to the clearing of once-lush lands surrounding the Mediterranean, he asserted "the operation of causes set in action by man has brought the face of the earth to a desolation almost as complete as that of the moon."

The Catskill Park was protected in legislation passed in 1885, which declared that its land was to be conserved and never put up for sale or lease. Consisting of 700,000 acres (2,800 kmē) of land, the park is a habitat for bobcats, minks and fishers. There are some 400 black bears living in the region. The state operates numerous campgrounds and there are over 300 miles (480 km) of multi-use trails in the Park.

See also

  • Golden Horseshoe
    Golden Horseshoe

    The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and Industrialisation region centred around the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay....
  • Appalachia
    Appalachia

    Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the Eastern United States United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia ....