New York State General Data
- Time zone: 6 hours less than Italy
- Capital: albany
- Main towns: Buffalo, Yonkers, New York, Rochester, Syracuse.
- Area: 141.299 km²
- Population: 19,800,000 inhabitants approximately.
- Population density: 140,1 residents / km²
- State abbreviation: NY
- Entry into the United States: It joins the United States on July 26, 1788, it is the 11th state to join the union.
According to thembaprograms.com, the territory of the state of New York owes its appearance, with small exceptions, to the affection of the glaciation. The only regions that were not covered by ice up to 9,000 years ago were Staten Island and part of Long Island, and southwestern New York state, south of Lake Erie. The main physiographic regions are: the coastal plain, the New England highlands, the Hudson-Mohawk plains, the Adirondack massif, the Tug Hill plateau, the lowlands of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain, the Plains of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the Appalachian Plateau. The state’s average elevation is 305 m above sea level, with the highest elevation located on the top of Mount Marcy, at 1,630 m above sea level.
The coastal plain of the Atlantic includes the two main islands, Long Island and Staten Island.
The New England Highlands region includes several low-altitude mountains, hugging the southern portion of the Hudson Valley and the Green Mountains. Among them are the Taconic mountains whose maximum height is 850 m.
The plains of the Hudson and Mohawk valleys, (the first is located between the Taconic Mountains and the Catskill Mountains and the second, between the Appalachian and Adirondack plateaus), are the main communication route towards the interior of the territory since the early days of European colonization.
The Adirondack massif covers the northeastern sector of the state; it rises progressively from the south to the extreme north-east, where it finds the highest point in the state of New York, Mount Marcy. It is a wild region, heavily eroded by the glacial action that formed lakes, waterfalls and streams.
The Tug Hill Plateau is actually a rocky extension of the Appalachian Plateau. Tug Hill rises approximately 500 meters overlooking the Black River Valley. The Appalachian Plateau, also called the Allegheny Plateau, occupies most of the state’s land area. It has a height between 240 m and 610 m above sea level and is furrowed by glacial valleys. At the southern edge of the plateau are the Catskill Mountains, with a maximum height of 1,300.
The plains of the valleys of San Lorenzo and Lake Champlain are located in the extreme north of the state of New York, on the border with Canada and the state of Vermont; with the latter, New York shares the jurisdiction of the lake. The soil is limestone and sandstone, which has allowed the San Lorenzo to form many islands, (for this reason the eastern area, where the San Lorenzo connects with Lake Ontario, is called Thossand Islands).
West of Lake Erie and Ontario stretches a plain formed by the retreat of ice 9,000 years ago. This action created a marshy surface between hills of sedimentary origin. This limestone terrain formed the impressive waterfall on the Niagara River, between Lakes Erie and Ontario.
New York state has just over 300km of Atlantic coastline, most of it belonging to Long Islang. However, the Hudson, San Lorenzo and Lakes Erie and Ontario on the edge of the state allow the navigation of large ships, giving this state a certain ‘maritime character.’ The Hudson River belongs entirely to the state of New York; born near Mount Marcy and flows into the city of New York, it runs through most of the state, from north to south. The Hudson River has the Mohawk as its tributary. The Genesee, Black, Niagara and Oswego rivers are part of the other main basin of the state, that of Ontario-San Lorenzo. Other important rivers that cross the New York lands are the Allegheny,
As already mentioned, the glacial action explains the large presence of lakes in the territory of this state. In addition to the large lakes already mentioned (Champlain, Erie and Ontario), in New York there are other sizable lakes such as Lake Oneida, the Finger Lakes, Lake Placid, Lake Cranberry, Lake George or Lake Raquette.
Flora and fauna – Oaks predominate in the southeast, while fir trees are common in the high Adirondacks. Finally, in the rest of the State, strong woods of the northern type prevail, such as birch, sugar maple, linden, ash.
As for the fauna, the fox, the coon, the opossum, the marmot monax, the muskrat, the deer, the squirrel and the rabbit are common. Among the many species of birds, there are birds of prey such as the hawk, the eagle and the owl.
The climate –The territory is influenced both by cold and dry air masses from the continent, as well as by the humid currents coming from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Average temperatures fluctuate between 0 ° C and -10 ° C in January, and 18 ° C and 25 ° C during July. The extreme temperatures recorded in this state are -47 ° C and 42 ° C. As for rainfall, the average rainfall indices vary, according to the zones, between 800 mm and 1,150 mm, with the highest peaks in the area between lakes Erie and Ontario. In winter, precipitation in the form of snow is common throughout the state, but exceptionally abundant on the Tug Hill Plateau, where the highest snow peaks occur in the country. east of the United States. A few hurricanes on rare occasions reach the New York coast.
New York state tourist places to visit
This state, which extends from the base of New York City to Lakes Erie and Ontario, retains a predominantly rural character. This is one of the contrasts offered by the region, which has rightly been called “the state that has everything”.
Long Island is the place for escapism. Metropolitan suburbs to the west (Nassau County), to the east (Suffolk County) is home to the lavish summer residences of wealthy New Yorkers. The center of the island has remained agricultural and, if the pleasure boats are numerous in the bays of the north coast, the fishing boats compete for them in the splendid bends of the east coast, which is of wild beauty. Hot summer weekends fill the fine sands of the beautiful south coast beaches and neighboring islands with a throng of Manhattan New Yorkers. To reach Fire Island, citizens leave their car in the Bayshore parkings and board steamboats that shuttle between the mainland and the island.
Leaving Manhattan to the north, across the George Washington Bridge, you arrive in the Hudson Valley. Its shores are bordered by wooded mountains (especially in the Bear Mountain region, south of the West Point Military Academy); here, in autumn, the spectacle of maples displaying the full range of reds in the orgy of color of the “Indian summer” is truly extraordinary. In the woods, the health-food fanatics, hunters of edible wild plants, on the Indian paths of the Iroquois or Algonquians now only cross families looking for a picnic area. In this setting, the rich mansions that follow one another along the river (such as the Vanderbilt castle, which with the birthplace of Franklin Roosevelt is the glory of Hyde Park.
Equally rich is nature in the Catskill Mountains. This region of immense forests and lakes and streams attracts a crowd of birdwatchers and photographers. The artists formed a colony in Woodstock, a village where a memorable pop music festival was held in 1969.
North of Albany, whose administrative buildings, and in particular the Capitol, are the most notable tourist attraction, an important national park stretches between the state of Vermont, St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario. More than a thousand lakes and magnificent forests compete for the enormous surface of the Adirondack park, founded in 1892. Fort William Henry, testimony of the war between the Indians and the French, guards the entrance to Lake George and attracts history buffs with reconstructions of military maneuvers and with artillery salvos.
In the northern part of New York State, where water occupies large spaces. the landscape of the Thousand Islands is particularly fascinating. A thousand islands anchored like ships between the banks of the San Lorenzo, some large just to support a tuft of trees, others large enough to allow the settlement of a village. A multitude that amazes and excites, whether you contemplate it as a whole from the great rock arch of the Natural Bridge or that you cross the chain of islets during a boat trip.
The western part of the state, where are the industrial cities of Rochester, Syracuse, Rome and Utica, staggered along the Erie Canal that has linked the Hudson to the Great Lakes since 1825, is also a very rich agricultural region. The vineyards make a significant contribution to the charm of the Finger Lakes countryside. Instead, it has a wilder aspect in the Watkins Glen gorges, at the far end of Seneca Lake. But the beauty of nature is not the main interest of the picturesque crowd that, coming from all corners of the United States, invades the entrances to the world-famous motor racing circuit every year.
In truth, of all the poles of attraction in the state, only one competes in celebrity with the city of New York: Niagara Falls. Unlike the metropolis, their grandeur is a natural phenomenon, the spectacle of which is divided between Canada and the United States. Before the arrival of the whites, Niagara Falls was a sacred place for the Iroquois, who, according to legend, sacrificed two human victims every year.
Apart from the industrial and commercial surroundings of the city of Niagara Falls, the panorama of the American falls, seen from Prospect Point, is made to arouse the enthusiasm of tourists, who flock here in such numbers as to make it one of the most visited places in the world (among other things, it is a traditional destination for honeymoons).
Cultural tourist places– The state of New York and especially the city of New York have some of the most important cultural institutions in the country. Among the most important museums we find: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Frick Collection, the American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Botanical Garden and Zoological Park. Among the museums located in other cities, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Science Museum, in Buffalo; George Eastman’s House of Photography, the Memorial Art Gallery and the Science Center and Museum of Rochester, and the New York State Museum, which is based in the state capital.
Other places of historical and cultural interest in this state are: Saratoga National Park, where one of the decisive battles in the American Revolution took place; Ellis Island, in the port of New York where the main center for immigration and registration was located (portrayed in hundreds of films) during the first quarter of the 20th century, and the Statue of Liberty, the work of the French artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, donated to the American people in the first centenary of the American Revolution, and that from the crown you can see the port of New York.
Curiosity– In New York State there are several teams that participate in the most popular professional leagues in the United States, such as the New York Yankee and the New York Mets, in baseball; the Buffalo Bills, in that of American football; the New York Knicks, in basketball, and the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabers, in ice hockey. Although other teams, such as the New York Jets and the New York Giants, bear the name of this city, their stadiums are located in the state of New Jersey.
Albany
According to countryaah.com, Albany is a capital city of the state of New York, located on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately 225 km from New York City. Together with Schenectady and Troy it forms a large metropolitan area, although Albany itself has just over 100,000 inhabitants.
While the city’s economy is critically dependent on its function as the state capital, it is also a financial, health, educational and transportation center. Albany manufactures automotive equipment, sporting goods, felt, clothing, chemicals, and metal objects. The town serves as a gateway to the tourist areas of the Catskill, Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains. Among the sites of major tourist interest emerge the Old Dutch Church, from 1799, and the State Capitol, built between 1867 and 1898, the huge stone building is a strange mixture of Italian and French Renaissance and Romanesque style, full of stairways decorated, towering archways and a Senate room adorned with red granite, yellow and pink marble, stained glass, onyx and mahogany. Government activities are concentrated in the A. Nelson Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. The New York State Museum illustrates the state’s past, starting with Native Americans and including the stories of immigrants arriving in New York, early settlers and businessmen. Higher education institutions include the State University of New York, the Faculty of Pharmacy and the School of Law, all founded between 1844 and 1881, the College of Santa Rosa and the School of Medicine, founded in 1839.
History– According to topschoolsoflaw.com, native Americans of the Mahican tribe lived in what is now the Albany area, prior to European colonization. The area was explored in 1609 by the English navigator Henry Hudson, during an exploration of the river which later took his name. The city was founded in 1614 with the creation of Fort Nassau, a Dutch trading post. In 1624, a group of French-speaking Belgian Walloons built Fort Orange nearby. Subsequently, the land on both sides of the river was bought by an Amsterdam merchant and incorporated into a company or patroonship, in which the settlers had to pay a share of their crops as rent. The settlement near Fort Orange became independent in 1652 and called Beverwyck, or “town of the beaver.”
Albany’s nickname, “Cradle of the Union,” was given to him because the Albany Congress met here in 1754, which adopted Benjamin Franklin’s Plan of Union, the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. The city suffered severe damage at the hands of the British during the American Revolution (1775-1783). In 1797 it was chosen as the permanent state capital of New York. Subsequent commercial development was stimulated by the completion of the Champlain Canal (1822), which connects the city to Lake Champlain; of the Erie Canal (1825), an important link with Lake Erie, and for the internal development of the country, and of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad (1831), the first steam railway in the United States. Albany’s economy crashed in the mid-20th century.
