Geography

Geography of Connecticut
The State of Connecticut is divided into five sections by the shape of the land. In the northwest corner are the Berkshires, which are the highest elevations constituting the Western New England Upland. The lowest elevation is along the coast of [|Long Island Sound], the Coastal Lowlands. The Long Island Sound is 90 miles long and anywhere from 3-20 miles wide depending on the area you are traveling. The Sound receives water from the Housatonic, Connecticut, and Thames Rivers. The south slope of [|Mount Frissell] is the highest point in Connecticut at 2,380 feet above sea level. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the Connecticut, Mount Frissell peaks at 2,453 feet in [|Massachusetts]. The [|geographic center] of Connecticut is located in Hartford County, in East Berlin. Longitude: 72° 42.4'W and Latitude: 41° 35.7'N

The [|Connecticut River Valley] or Connecticut Valley Lowland is a historically significant agricultural land, rich and fertile, famous for its shade tobacco, which is grown for its large leaves, as cigar wrappers (I'd put a link here, but the filter blocked me). Because of its importance, it was actually the first area in the United States to have its soils mapped.

In the mid section of the state is [|Talcott Mountain], and the eastern part of the state is hilly and rocky, being in the Eastern New England Uplands. In northeastern Connecticut is the Quinebaug-Shetucket River Valley, also known as the [|"Last Green Valley"].

The two major rivers and their drainage basins are The Connecticut and the Thames Rivers. The Thames River drains the Eastern Uplands into Long Island Sound, and the Connecticut drains the Berkshires and the Connecticut Valley. Each section of the State has its own distinctive bioregional culture and history, shaped by the topography and the geology. The Connecticut River Valley was the center of early settlement based on shipping, and later, agriculture. The northeast section of the state has a rich textile history shaped by the many sources of water power in the fast running streams draining the rocky hills. The Berkshires and the western part of the State were rugged enclaves for rebels, and later, the recreational refuge for the wealthy industrialists of the mill towns in the east, while the [|Talcott Ridge] is filled with rich quarries, providing granite, brownstone, and traprock. The coast towns were once booming with whaling ships, international shipping, pirates and patriots. There is no doubt that geography, the shape of the land, is paramont in shaping history.

Connecticut is rich in geographical history and we can see the [|5 Themes of Geography] in each area of the state. The 5 Themes are location, place, human/environment interaction, movement, and regions.