Geography of New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Jersey is a state within the United States of America that lies on the eastern edge of the North American continent.
The State of New Jersey shares a land border with the state of State of New York along the north. Along the east, New Jersey is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean is separated from New York, in particular the boroughs of the Bronx and Manhattan in New York City by the Hudson River, and from Staten Island by the Kill van Kull and the Arthur Kill. On its west, New Jersey is flanked by the Delaware River that forms its border with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Delaware Bay which separates New Jersey from the State of Delaware. However, due to a fluke in a colonial land grant for the city of Wilmington, Delaware, the state of Delaware possesses a small amount of land in New Jersey at Finns Point, in Salem County.
New Jersey's geography has contributed largely to its development, its economy and its rich history.
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[edit] Area
New Jersey is ranked 47th of the fifty states that comprise the United States of America in terms of area. The total area of the state is 8,729 square miles, of which 14.9% or 1,304 square miles is water, and 85.1%, or 7,425 square miles, is land. New Jersey spans 70 miles (110 km) at its widest, and 130 miles (240 km) in length.
Due to its small size, New Jersey, which ranks tenth in the nation in terms of population with 8,414,350 people, ranks first in population density, with 1,134 people per square mile. However, while this offers the impression that New Jersey is entirely urban or suburban, it is not. Large swaths of Northwestern and Southern New Jersey are extremely rural, and some municipalities, such as Walpack Township in Sussex County, have only 39 people in an area of 26 square miles.
[edit] Political Geography
The State of New Jersey is divided into 21 counties, which contain a total of 566 municipalities.
[edit] Climate
New Jersey has a humid continental climate, vastly affected by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Winter is typically cold. The lows usually hover in the 10s and 20s °F (down to -10 °C) and can frequently dip below 0 °F in the northwestern sections of the state. New Jersey winters often feature snowstorms known as a Nor'easter that can paralyze the area with over a foot of snow. However, a variation in the climate also occasionally renders winter mild and almost snowless in sections of South Jersey near the Atlantic coastline.
- Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s °F (10 to 15 °C) in late March to the lower 80s °F (25-30 °C) in early June. The weather is unpredictable and brings relatively cool summers as an occasional surprise, and huge snowstorms arriving as late as the second week in April (significant snow after mid-March is fairly rare though). Thunderstorms are common in spring.
- Summers in New Jersey tend to be hot and humid, with temperatures often exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), although high temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are about as rare as subzero (F) lows in winter. Humidity levels are usually quite high in July and August. Thunderstorms are common in summer. Hurricanes are considered to be a major threat to the area (and especially the Jersey Shoreling communities in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties). While relatively infrequent compared to areas south and east, a direct hit could cause large loss of life and billions of dollars in damage due to the high population in coastal areas.
- Autumns are comfortable in New Jersey and similar to spring in temperature. However, the weather is notably unpredictable and travelers are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers of clothing in late fall and in the early spring months (e.g., November, March, April) as temperatures do flucuate quickly at these times of year.
The temperatures vary greatly from the northernmost part of New Jersey to the southernmost part of New Jersey. For example, these are the average high and low temperatures for Cape May, near the state's southernmost ocean-facing point, and Sussex, in the mountainous northwest:
| Sussex | Cape May | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Low | High | Low | |
| January | 34 | 14 | 42 | 27 |
| February | 38 | 16 | 43 | 28 |
| March | 47 | 25 | 51 | 35 |
| April | 59 | 35 | 60 | 43 |
| May | 70 | 45 | 69 | 53 |
| June | 78 | 54 | 78 | 62 |
| July | 83 | 59 | 84 | 67 |
| August | 82 | 57 | 83 | 66 |
| September | 74 | 49 | 77 | 60 |
| October | 63 | 37 | 66 | 49 |
| November | 51 | 30 | 56 | 40 |
| December | 39 | 21 | 47 | 31 |
[edit] Rivers
[edit] Physiographic Provinces
New Jersey is a region with a high variety of geographical features in a small area. The area can be broken into five regions, corresponding roughly to geological zones. These regions from north to south are, the Appalachian Valley and Ridge, Highlands, Newark Basin Piedmont, Inner Coastal Plain, and the Outer Coastal Plain.
[edit] Appalachian Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province
The Appalachian Valley and Ridge lies in the northeastern corner of the valley and includes the Kittatinny Mountains, several smaller valleys and the popular Delaware Water Gap. The state's highest point, the aptly named High Point is within this area, at 1,803 feet. Most of the state's section of the Appalachian Trail runs through this area.
