E N C Y C L O P Æ D I A

BritannicaDISCOVERAMERICA

New JerseyThe Garden State

CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO

Photograph CreditsEvery reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership and to obtainpermission to reprint copyright material. The publishers would bepleased to have any errors or omissions brought to their attention sothat they may be corrected in subsequent printings.

Cover: Beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey, © Gary W. Carter/CORBIS; Atlantic City Around theIsland Marathon Swim: page 27T; Jim Baron/The Image Finders: page 20BL; Scott Barrow:pages 4BR, 6T, 7T, 12T, 12BR, 17T, 18T, 18B, 19BL, 19BR, 20T; The Carnegie Library ofPittsburgh: page 19T; Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation Inc.: page 23T; CorbisCorporation: pages 27BR; Corel Corporation: pages 3T, 4BL, 6BL, 10BR, 22BR, 27BL, 28TL,28BR, 29TR; Courtesy of The Atwater Kent Museum: page 16BL; Courtesy of RogersCommunications Inc.: page 17B; Digital Stock Corporation: page 29BL; Digital Vision Ltd.:page 11T; Michael Evans/The Image Finders: pages 8T, 14BR; EyeWire Inc.: pages 13T; CarolKitman: pages 5BL, 8BL, 20BR, 22T; Marine Mammal Stranding Center: page 10BL; LisaMeyer/Bruce Bennett Studios: page 26B; Michael S. Miller Photography: pages 3M, 4T, 5T,6BR, 7B, 8BR, 9B, 10T, 11B, 12BL, 13B, 21T, 21B; © Mosaic Images/CORBIS: page 23B; NewJersey Performance Arts Center/Press: pages 3B (Barron Claiborne), 24BL (Ronald Knapp),24BR (Barron Claiborne); PhotoDisc, Inc.: pages 9T, 15T; Photofest: pages 24T, 25T;Photos.com: pages 14T, 28B; PhotoSpin Inc.: pages 22BL, 26T; Princeton University: page 15B;Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc./Great Adventure & Wild Safari: page 25B; Marilyn "Angel" Wynn:pages 16T, 16BR.

This edition published 2008 by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-59339-745-6 (Set)International Standard Book Number: 978-1-59339-776-0 (Volume)

© 2008, 2002 by Weigl Publishers Inc.

Additional material © 2008, 2005 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or byany means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the publisher.

ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica: DISCOVER AMERICAVolume 30: New Jersey 2008, 2005

Britannica.com may be accessed on the Internet athttp://www.britannica.com.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Britannica, and the Thistle logo are registeredtrademarks of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

EB STAFFACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EditorsAnthony L. GreenWilliam L. HoschMichael I. LevyRobert M. LewisAmy TikkanenJeffrey Wallenfeldt

Copy EditorsMichael AndersonAndrea R. FieldLorraine Murray

Cover Design and ArtKurt HeintzSteve Kapusta

WEIGL STAFFACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Project CoordinatorMichael Lowry

Copy EditorBryan Pezzi

DesignersWarren ClarkTerry Paulhus

LayoutSusan Kenyon

Photo ResearcherDiana Marshall

CONTENTSIntroduction .......................................... 4

Land and Climate ................................. 8

Natural Resources................................ 9

Plants and Animals ........................... 10

Tourism ............................................... 12

Industry ............................................... 13

Goods and Services ........................... 14

Native Americans............................... 16

Explorers and Missionaries .............. 17

Early Settlers...................................... 18

Population .......................................... 20

Politics and Government .................. 21

Cultural Groups .................................. 22

Arts and Entertainment .................... 24

Sports .................................................. 26

Brain Teasers...................................... 28

Facts and Resources .......................... 30

Glossary .............................................. 31

Index.................................................... 32

LAND ANDCLIMATEAlthough New Jersey is a highly urbanized state,it still contains a wide variety of naturalhabitats. The state is made up of four distinctland regions, which range from mountainous tomarshy. The Appalachian Ridge and Valleyregion sprawls across the northwest corner ofthe state. The state’s highest peak, High Point,can be found here. It stands 1,803 feet above sealevel. Much of the New England section iscomposed of gneiss, a hard rock that is formed

under intense heat and pressure. The Piedmont region, in theeast, is largely made up of carrot-red sandstone and is thesite of many of the state’s major cities and suburbs. To thesouth, the Atlantic Coastal Plain covers three fifths of NewJersey.

In the summer tropical air currents from the ocean can resultin hot and humid conditions. The average temperature in Julyranges from 70° F in the north to 76° F in the southwest. InJanuary mild ocean currents moderate the climate, keepingthe average temperature at about 31° F.

N E W J E R S E Y8

The Delaware Water Gap, a nationalrecreation area, is a “gap” in theAppalachian Mountains through which the Delaware River flows.

New Jersey contains morethan 4,000 lakes, ponds,rivers, and streams.

The longest river in thestate is the Raritan. Weavingthrough the northern portionof the state, the Raritan Riveris 75 miles long.

Within the coastalplain is an extensive area ofstunted pinewoods called thePine Barrens. This regioncovers more than 1,700square miles—more than onefifth of the state’s total landarea.

Cape May, on the southerntip of the New Jersey coast,has beaches that appear tobe glittering with diamonds.These “diamonds” areactually dazzling quartzpebbles.

Salt marshes along the state’s coastal plain attract birds such as the egret.

The oak is the most commontree in the forests ofnorthern New Jersey. Thestate’s oak trees were onceused in shipbuilding.

New Jersey’s Departmentof Environmental Protectionwas formed on Earth Day in1970. It is responsible forprotecting plants andanimals in New Jersey as wellas maintaining water and airsupplies.

Downer soils are the mostcommon soil type found inNew Jersey. Occurring onuplands and formed in sandyareas, they cover about300,000 acres of land in thestate.

G E O G R A P H Y 9

NATURALRESOURCESCoastal waters and inland lakes supply New Jersey’sfishing industry with hard clams, crabs, squid, flounder,mackerels, menhaden, oysters, and swordfish.Overfishing of lobsters, scallops, and tuna has been aconcern in the state, leading to careful management ofthe catches.

During the American Revolution northern New Jerseywas an important source of iron ore. Today, however,only a few minerals are mined in the state. The most

important of these include basalt, sand, gravel, clay, andgreensand marl. While most of the trees in New Jersey are toosmall to be used for lumber, some are used to make woodpulp.

Early settlers once relied on the state’s soils for a living.When industrialization spread across New Jersey in the1800s, manufacturing replaced raw materials as the state’smain source of income. Still, New Jersey has thousands offarms, most of which are run by families.

New Jersey’s Pesticide ControlProgram works to protect thestate’s wildlife by monitoringchemicals in the environment.

New Jersey’s fishingindustry brings inmore than $100million each year.

PLANTS ANDANIMALSForests cover more than two fifths of New Jersey.Woodlands in the northern part of the state containhickory, oak, red maple, and hemlock trees. Less hardytrees grow closer to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Theseinclude scrub oak, pitch pine, and white cedar. Manyflowers flourish in the state, including honeysuckles,goldenrods, azaleas, buttercups, and Queen Anne’slace.

New Jersey is home to a wide variety of animals. Thereare about 90 species of mammals and 80 species ofreptiles and amphibians. Common animals found in thestate include otters, muskrats, opossums, rabbits,deer, minks, skunks, and raccoons. Black bears oncebecame scarce in New Jersey because of overhuntingand habitat loss, but protective measures have helpedtheir numbers go up again.

N E W J E R S E Y10

Kittatinny Valley State Park contains glacial lakes and anabundance of wildlife.

Migrating birds may findsanctuary at Edwin B.Forsythe National WildlifeRefuge.

Island Beach, a state park,has more than 3,000 acres ofplant and animal life. Thepark is known for its sandycoastal dunes and tidalmarshes.

The Marine MammalStranding Center,based in Brigantine savesstranded dolphins, whales,sea turtles, and seals.

In 1975 there were an estimated 100 coyotes in New Jersey. Today about3,000 coyotes roam the wooded and grassy areas of the state.