United States Encyclopedia

Maryland, one of the Middle Atlantic states of the United States, ranks 42d among the states in area, 19th in population size, and is a leading state in population density. CHESAPEAKE BAY, the largest bay in the continental United States, almost severs the state, dividing the Eastern Shore–which is located on the DELMARVA PENINSULA (shared by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia)–from …

Maine, located in the extreme northeastern section of the United States, Maine is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Quebec on the northwest and New Brunswick on the north and east, by New Hampshire on the west, and by the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast and south. Although Maine is a relatively small state, it constitutes almost one-half of the …

Iowa, in the heart of the Midwest, is a state in transition. Its location marks a transition from the eastern hardwood forests in its northeast to the prairies that stretch westward to the Rockies. With agricultural industries in its eastern cities, particularly Waterloo and DAVENPORT, it marks a transition between the eastern manufacturing belt and the less industrial West. The …

Indiana, one of five eastern north central states, Indiana is bordered on the west by Illinois, on the north by Michigan and Lake Michigan, and on the east by Ohio. The Ohio River follows Indiana’s southern border with Kentucky. The state is rectangular in shape, and its capital, Indianapolis, lies near its center. Indiana has an extreme length of 451 …

Idaho, a Pacific Northwest state, links the Great Plains and the Northwest coast. It is bounded on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Wyoming and Montana, and on the south by Utah and Nevada. Its western border with Oregon and Washington follows, in part, the course of the SNAKE RIVER. The ROCKY MOUNTAINS dominate the entire landscape …

Delaware, one of the Mid-Atlantic states, Delaware is flanked by Delaware Bay, the Delaware River, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; Maryland to the south and west; and Pennsylvania to the north. In 1609, Henry Hudson became the first European to explore the area, and in 1638 the first permanent settlement was established by Swedes. The state’s name is …

The New England state of Connecticut is a vital part of the industrial and transportation corridor of the northeastern United States. One of the smallest U.S. states, it is bordered by Massachusetts on the north, Rhode Island on the east, Long Island Sound (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean) on the south, and New York on the west. Connecticut was …

Arizona, the sixth-largest state of the United States, in terms of area, is located in the Southwest. It is bordered by Utah on the north, by Colorado on the northeast, by New Mexico on the east, by Mexico on the south, and by California and Nevada on the west; its northeast corner is the only point in the United States …

Colorado, one of the Mountain states of the United States, is a landlocked, rectangular territory. It is bordered by six states: Wyoming and Nebraska on the north, Utah on the west, New Mexico and Oklahoma on the south, and Kansas on the east. Permanent human occupation of the area dates back at least 10,000 years. Spanish exploratory expeditions beginning in …

Alaska, the largest in area but one of the least populated U.S. states, lies astride the Arctic Circle, apart from the “Lower 48” conterminous states. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the Yukon Territory, on the southeast by British Columbia, on the south by the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean, …