New Jersey is surrounded by water
except along the 50 mi (80 km) of northern border with New York state. The
northern third of the state lies within the Appalachian Highland region,
where ridges running northeast and southwest shelter valleys containing
pleasant streams and glacial lakes. Beyond the crest of wooded slopes are long-established farms given over to
dairying and field crops. The Kittatinny Mts., with the state's highest
elevations (up to 1,803 ft/550 m), stretch across the northwest corner of
New Jersey from the New York border to the
Delaware Water
Gap. In 1961 New Jersey, along with three other states and the federal
government, signed the
Delaware River
Basin Compact , providing for the control of water resources and rights
throughout the Delaware River basin.
Southeast of the Highlands lie the Triassic lowlands or piedmont plains,
extending from the northeastern border to
Trenton ,
the capital, and encompassing every major city of the state except
Camden and
Atlantic City
. The monotony of the lowlands is broken by ancient trap-rock ridges that
extend to the Palisades of the Hudson, and many commuter towns lie along the
wooded slopes. East of
Newark , the
largest city, and
Hackensack acres of tidal marshes have been converted to industrial,
office, and commercial use. This area, called the Meadowlands, also contains
a huge sports and entertainment complex. Drainage is provided by the state's
major rivers, the Passaic, the Raritan, and the Hackensack.
The busy lowlands give way in the southeast to the coastal plains, which
cover more than half the state. The coast itself is highly developed as a
resort area. Offshore barrier islands make large harbors impractical but
provide 115 mi (185 km) of sheltered waterways that have made possible a
superior combination of bay and ocean facilities. Inland from the coast lie
the Pine Barrens, a vast area of forests, small rivers, and few settlements.