Geography of New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States, ratified by both states after the New York – New Jersey Line War, which is its only straight line border.
It 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. Liberty Island is an exclave of State of New York in New Jersey waters in Upper New York Bay. Ellis Island, also in the Upper Bay, and Shooter's Island, in Newark Bay, each have sections belonging to either of the two states.[1]
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 New Castle, Delaware (called The Twelve-Mile Circle), there is a small amount of Delaware territory in contiguous New Jersey. Finns Point, piers at Penns Grove, New Jersey and Pennsville, and Artificial Island, the tip of a small peninsula[2] at Lower Alloways Creek are connected to Salem County. A coal pier in Logan Township also extends into the river. New Jersey's natural regions were formed by glaciers.
New jersey is often called by the nick name "The Garden State" by the natives.
Area
New Jersey is ranked 47th of the fifty states that comprise the United States in terms of area. The total area of the state is 8,729 square miles (22,610 km2), of which 14.9% or 1,304 square miles (3,380 km2) is water, and 85.1%, or 7,425 square miles (19,230 km2), is land. New Jersey spans 70 miles (110 km) at its widest and 166 miles (267 km) in length.
Due to its small size, New Jersey, which ranks eleventh in the nation in terms of population with 8,791,894 people, ranks first in population density, with 1,189 inhabitants per square mile (459/km2). 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. For example, Walpack Township in Sussex County has a population of 7 in an area of 26 square miles (67 km2).
Political and cultural geography
The State of New Jersey is divided into 21 counties, which contain a total of 564 municipalities. As in most New England states, all land in New Jersey is incorporated. New Jersey municipalities have a strong tradition of independent home rule.[3]
New Jersey is informally divided into the cultural regions of North Jersey, South Jersey, and sometimes Central Jersey.
New Jersey State Department of Tourism distinguishes six distinct tourist regions: the Gateway, Greater Atlantic City, the Southern Shore Region, the Delaware River Region, the Shore Region and the Skylands Region.[4]
Climate
Features
Rivers
The U.S. state of New Jersey is located in the northeastern side of the nation, along the Atlantic Coast. The list of rivers in the state usually includes streams that have the same classification as rivers. All rivers in New Jersey drain into five drainage basins: the Hudson River Basin, Raritan River Basin, Newark Bay, Atlantic Coast, and Delaware Bay.
The 10 Longest Rivers in New Jersey
The Hudson River is the longest river in New Jersey, with a length of approximately 315 miles (507 km), while the Delaware River has a length of about 301 miles (484 km), making it a close second. In comparison, the third longest river in the state is the Raritan River, which is considerably shorter, measuring about 121 miles (195 km) in length. With an approximate length of 88 miles and 80 miles, respectively, the Wallkill River and Passaic River rank among New Jersey's fourth and fifth longest rivers, respectively. The Musconetcong and Hackensack rivers are the two shortest rivers on the list, both measuring about 46 and 45 miles in length, respectively.
The Hudson River is a large river that flows in a north-south direction through the eastern side of New York state. The river originates from Lake Tear of the Clouds at a height of about 4,322 feet. In the first stages of its course, it is known as Feldspar Brook, and then as Calamity Brook after converging with Calamity Brook. After reaching Indian Pass Brook, the name changes to the Hudson River. The course of the Hudson River makes up the political border between New York City and Jersey City.
The Delaware River has a drainage of an area of about 14,119 square miles (36,570 km2) in five states. The river has two sources: the main (west) branch, located at a place near Mount Jefferson in Schoharie County, while the secondary (east) source is at Grand Gorge in Delaware County. Eventually, the river drains into Delaware Bay. In the past, the Delaware River and Raritan River were linked by the Delaware and Raritan Canal, which served as transportation route to the Atlantic Ocean. Parts of the river are now protected by the Delaware Water Gap National Protection Area, which was established in 1965 and covers an area of approximately 70,000 acres.
The Raritan River is the longest River in New Jersey that begins and ends completely within the state. Much of the central mountainous area of New Jersey attributes its drainage to this river, which has its mouth at the Raritan Bay. Since the pre-Columbian era, the river has been used for providing transportation and water. The Raritan River has its source at the convergence of the North Branch Raritan River and the South Branch Raritan River.
The Wallkill River flows north from Sussex County, NJ into the Black Dirt Agricultural Region of Orange County, NY. The river channel is artificially straightened through that region, and then it resumes meandering near Goshen. From there it passes into Ulster County and follows the eastern side of the Shawangunk Ridge, eventually leading to New Paltz. The Wallkill River is dammed at several places, including in Rifton to form Sturgeon Pool, where Central Hudson Gas & Electric operates a hydroelectric power plant. Just downstream of the pool, the attenuated flow of the Wallkill joins Rondout Creek, which flows for approximately six more miles before emptying into the Hudson. Together, these two streams form the Hudson River Estuary’s largest tributary.
Passaic river, rising near Morristown, southeastern Morris county, northeastern New Jersey, U.S. It flows south past Millington, then north and east to Paterson and its Great Falls (70 feet [21 metres] high), at which point it turns south and east past Passaic and Newark and into Newark Bay. Some 80 miles (130 km) long and with a drainage area of 935 square miles (2,422 square km), the river has been intensively developed as a source of power and water. The river is prone to flooding, its most serious inundation occurring in 1903. Major tributaries are the Whippany, Rockaway, Pequannock, Wanaque, and Ramapo rivers. The name is derived from an Algonquian word meaning “peaceful valley.”
The Great Egg Harbor River is a 55.0-mile-long river in South Jersey. It is one of the major rivers that traverse the largely pristine Pinelands, draining 308 square miles of wetlands into the Atlantic Ocean at Great Egg Harbor, from which it takes its name. Great Egg Harbor got its name from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey. In 1614, Mey came upon the inlet to the Great Egg Harbor River. The meadows were so covered with shorebird and waterfowl eggs that he called it "Eyren Haven". Today, the National Park Service considers it one of the top 10 places in North America for birding.
The Mullica River is a 50.6-mile-long (81.4 km) river in southern New Jersey . The Mullica was once known as the Little Egg Harbor River. The river provides one of the principal drainages into the Atlantic Ocean of the extensive Pinelands. Its estuary on Great Bay is considered one of the least-disturbed marine wetlands habitats in the northeastern United States. In 2022, the Mullica River Fire consumed an estimated 13,500 acres (55 km2) of the related Wharton State Forest.
Largest stream lying wholly within New Jersey, U.S., formed by the confluence of the North Branch Raritan and the South Branch Raritan rivers in western Somerset County. It flows about 75 miles (120 km) generally southeast past Somerville, Bound Brook, and New Brunswick into Raritan Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. Navigable to New Brunswick, it supplies (via pumping) the Spruce Run (1963) and Round Valley (1965) reservoirs. The name was probably derived from an Algonquian word meaning “stream overflows,” or “forked river.”
The Musconetcong River is a 45.7 miles (73.5 km) tributary of the Delaware River in the northwestern part of the state. It flows through the rural mountainous country of northwestern New Jersey. The name derives from the Lenape words moschakgeu meaning "clear" and hannek meaning "stream". Part of it is a National Wild and Scenic River. Source of the river at the Lake Hopatcong Dam. It rises out of Lake Hopatcong, on the border between the borough of Hopatcong in Sussex County and the township of Roxbury in Morris County. It flows through Lake Musconetcong, then flows southwest, past Stephensburg and New Hampton, passing south of Washington then along the southeastern side of the Pohatcong Mountain ridge. It joins the Delaware at Riegelsville, approximately 10 mi (16 km) south of Phillipsburg.
With an approximate length of 45 miles (72 km), the Hackensack River is the shortest on the list of the 10 longest rivers in New Jersey. The river has its source at West Haverstraw in New York, while its mouth is located at Newark Bay. At some point, the Hackensack River was the most polluted in the United States, but its cleanliness has improved since the late 2000s.
| Rank | River | Length (miles) | Length (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hudson River | 315 | 507 |
| 2 | Delaware River | 301 | 484 |
| 3 | Raritan River | 121 | 195 |
| 4 | Wallkill River | 88 | 142 |
| 5 | Passaic River | 80 | 130 |
| 6 | Great Egg Harbor River | 55 | 89 |
| 7 | Mullica River | 51 | 82 |
| 8 | South Branch Raritan River | 51 | 82 |
| 9 | Musconetcong River | 46 | 74 |
| 10 | Hackensack River | 45 | 72 |
Islands
New Jersey isn't exactly a tropical place, but many residents prefer to live the island life despite the fact that it's not exactly a tropical place. In addition to the popular barrier islands that draw thousands of tourists to the Jersey Shore every summer, there are also private islands with only one house on them. Living near water has become very popular, as the Jersey Shore population has more than tripled in the last half-century. It has been warned by environmentalists and planning experts that growth and increased development, which could make the state more vulnerable to storms like Sandy in the future, are threatening climate change and sea-level rise. For the moment, however, the desire to build near the water's edge does not seem to be waning.
- Barnegat Bay Island
This lengthy barrier island is formally known as the "Barnegat Bay Peninsula," but it can also be referred to by its other two monikers, “Island Beach Peninsula” or simply “the barrier island.” It has been separated from the mainland since 1925 due to the Point Pleasant Canal which was constructed between the Manasquan Inlet and Barnegat Bay. Spanning twenty miles, the island brings together Point Pleasant Beach in the North, and Island Beach State Park in the South. Municipalities such as Bay Head, Mantoloking, Lavallette, Ortley Beach, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and a portion of Berkeley Township called South Seaside Park can also be found here. Route 35 serves as its primary passage for travelers with extra railway accessibility provided by New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast line via Point Pleasant Beach and Bayhead.
LBI has been the beloved vacation spot of many Jersey Shore-goers for ages. It is so iconic, it doesn't even need a name—it's usually referred to as merely “the island.” In comparison with other places in the area, such as Seaside Heights and Barnegat Bay Island, LBI is more tranquil and laid back. The year-round population on the island counts around 10,000 people which can swell up to one hundred thousand during summertime. LBI is connected to mainland via a causeway that lies between Stafford Township and Ship Bottom. Other municipalities found on the island include Surf City, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Barnegat Light, and Beach Haven.
- Bonnet Island
Blink and you’ll miss them, but you can’t get to LBI without driving over Stafford Township’s Cedar Bonnet Islands along the way. Clear Bonnet — the larger of the two populated islands — has a boat marina and banquet hall (and prior to Sandy, a much-beloved roadside shack, while the 166-acre Bonnet Island is home to about 75 families, as well as the Dutchman’s Brauhaus, a landmark German and seafood restaurant / watering hole. The island is bisected by Route 72; its southern half sustained massive damage during Sandy. Prior to storms in the 1920s and 1930s, it was also traversed by a rail line connecting LBI to the mainland.
Brigantine is a 6-mile-long island composed of 4,300 houses. It boasts a single bridge connecting it with Atlantic City and numerous islands which are part of the Absecon Wildlife Management Area and North Brigantine State Natural Area. Devastated by Superstorm Sandy, its destruction was shown to the nation when President Obama decided to tour the area to pledge his support for the rebuilding process. During his visit, he met with locals, emergency responders and a marina owner.
South of Brigantine is Absecon Island, home to Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport (parts of Atlantic City and Ventnor are also located on smaller, adjacent islands). Since the construction of the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1870, tourism has been Atlantic City's largest industry. The island is home to Lucy the Elephant, Margate's beloved tourist trap and National Historic Landmark, which dates back to the early 1700s as a clamming and oystering site.
- Peck’s Beach Island
It is the largest municipality in Cape May County by land area, and it bills itself as a family-friendly resort as a dry community. As a result of its unique history, the island was used by whaler John Peck to store fresh whales in 1700. Today, the island's boardwalk is one of the state's most famous. It was once a cattle-grazing area and a Methodist retreat camp.
As a fishing ground for the Leni Lenape Indians, Ludlam Island was later used by pirates to stopover on the Jersey Coast. The area became a resort community in the late 1800s, drawing tourists from Philadelphia by train during the summer months. Today, it is home to Sea Isle City and Upper Township's Strathmere.
Avalon and Stone Harbor, two of the most affluent communities along the coast, are located on this island that is seven-and-a-half miles long yet only four blocks deep at its widest point. In addition to Ed McMahon, Taylor Swift, and former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, these two towns have been ranked among the most exclusive and expensive ZIP codes in the country.
- Wildwoods Island
Often referred to as “Five Mile Island,” North Wildwood, the City of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest are all featured on the NJ Sea Grant Consortium’s top ten beaches and family destinations list for 2015. A favorite escape of Philadelphians over the decades, the island is renowned for its numerous 1950s and 1960s motels featuring neon signs and mid-century architecture, and a Doo Wop museum. Additionally, West Wildwood encompasses a small island near by which is home to about 600 people.
- Cape May Island
The southernmost part of New Jersey is Cape May Island, separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. The island comprises Cape May City, West Cape May, Cape May Point, and Lower Township. The Victorian style buildings in Cape May City were rebuilt after a fire in 1878 that destroyed some 40 acres of homes and hotels — contributing to the area's charm today. In 1976, it was designated a National Historic Landmark City.
Geology
Around 250 million years ago, during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, the area that is today New Jersey bordered northern Africa as part of the supercontinent of Pangea. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. Around 200 million years ago, Pangea began to break apart, separating the North American continent from the African continent. Around 18,000 years ago, the most recent ice age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.[8]
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.
Appalachian Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province
The Appalachian Valley and Ridge lies in the northwestern corner of the state 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 (550 m). Most of the state's section of the Appalachian Trail runs through this area. The province is bounded on the southeast by an unconformity between Cambrian and Precambrian formations.
Highlands Physiographic Province
The Highlands Physiographic Province is a geological formation composed primarily of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock running from the Delaware River near Musconetcong Mountain, northeast through the Skylands Region of New Jersey along the Bearfort Ridge and the Ramapo Mountains. Numerous abandoned mines dot the region, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries when iron, copper, zinc and other minerals were extracted from the formations. The glaciated northern half of the province has an abundance of lakes and reservoirs which serve as water supplies for the urban areas to the east. The region's watershed is protected by the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.
Newark Basin Piedmont
The Newark Basin is a region in northern New Jersey defined by the boundaries of a sediment-filled rift basin. This basin was formed when the supercontinent Pangaea began to split approximately 220 million years ago, causing several large depressions to form due to extension, which then filled with sediment. The basin itself extends from Rockland County in the southern tip of New York to south-eastern Pennsylvania. It lies within the broader region known as the Piedmont, a crescent-shaped area characterized by smooth topography and large volumes of sediments. Like the Piedmont, the Newark Basin has gentle topography consisting of red bed clastic sediments with occasional igneous rock formations, such as the Palisades Sill and the Watchung basalt flows; these igneous features are responsible for the dramatic elevation changes observed in the region, such as The Palisades and the Watchung Mountains, respectively. The boundaries of the Newark Basin, as well as major highways, are shown on the map at left......
For the geological history of the region, see Newark Basin.
Inner Coastal Plain
The Inner Coastal Plain province consists of lowlands and rolling hills underlain by Cretaceous deposits. Surficial geology in this region contains a number of fossils. The Monmouth County Park system, for example, includes a number of creeks where students and enthusiasts can gain real field exposure to cretaceous geology and paleontology. (Always check with the park service staff regarding permissibility before entering any field site.) The region's northwest border lies along the Piedmont Fall Line. Fertile, loamy soil makes the land ideal for agriculture and is responsible for New Jersey's nickname of the "Garden State". Its deposits of Greensand marl containing potash were used since colonial days by farmers to fertilize their fields.
Outer Coastal Plain
The outer coastal plain consists of unconsolidated Tertiary deposits of sands, silt, and gravels. The soils are sandy with less clay than the inner coastal plain, and are more acidic and dry. The lack of fertility makes much of the region unsuitable for agriculture and large areas remain undeveloped. The sandy Pine Barrens, an area that is agriculturally poor but species rich, occupy the center of the province. Blueberries and cranberries have been cultivated in lowland bogs that have accumulated depths of organic matter.
Along the coast, sandy beaches attract a recreation industry, and the offshore barrier islands are popular vacation destinations.
Natural environment
New Jersey's natural environment preserves a range of habitats ranging from the Atlantic shore to the Appalachian Mountains.[9] The sandy uplands of South Jersey are home to the Atlantic coastal pine barrens. Surrounding the Pine Barrens, along the coast and covering the Inner Coastal Plain and Piedmont, are the Northeastern coastal forests. The Highlands consist of Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests which grade into Allegheny Highlands forests in the far northeast.[10]
See also
References
Citations
- "Ellis Island Its Legal Status" (PDF). General Services Administration Office of General Counsel. February 11, 1963. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-31.
- "Mad Horse Creek Wildlife Management Area" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- Fassett, Caroline (24 April 2020). "What is home rule in New Jersey? Why your neighborhood park may still be open". NJ.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- "Visitor Information - Regional Tourism".
- "Koppen Climate Classification for the Conterminous United States". Data.gov. U.S. General Services Administration. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- Harris, Amy. "The Average Climate of New Jersey". USA Today. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- Bruce A. Scruton (August 30, 2021). "New Jersey tops list of states warming up the fastest". New Jersey Herald. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- Geological History Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine by Great Swamp Watershed Association, retrieved December 22, 2006.
- Anderson, K. H. (1994). Plant Communities of New Jersey: A Study in Landscape Diversity. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-2071-1.
- Olson, D. M.; Dinerstein, E.; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.
Books and background references
- Stansfield, Charles A. (1998), A Geography of New Jersey: The City in the Garden, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 9780813525792
