New York lies in the northeastern United States and borders New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Canada. It also has major water boundaries with Lakes Erie and Ontario, the Niagara River, the St. Lawrence River system, the Hudson River estuary, the Atlantic Ocean, and Long Island Sound. This combination of inland waterways and ocean access has been central to the state’s development.
The state’s physical geography is unusually varied. Northern New York contains the Adirondack Mountains, a vast dome-shaped upland region with extensive forests, lakes, and protected public lands. Eastern New York includes the Hudson Valley, Taconic Mountains, and parts of the Appalachian system. Southeastern New York includes New York City, Long Island, and coastal lowlands. Southern tiers and western sections contain rolling hills, river valleys, and uplands associated with the Allegheny Plateau.
Central and western New York are shaped by glaciation, with fertile plains, drumlins, lake plains, and the Finger Lakes, a long set of narrow glacial lakes that influence local agriculture and tourism. The Mohawk Valley creates an important east-west passage through the Appalachians and historically served as a transportation corridor for the Erie Canal, roads, and rail lines.
New York has abundant freshwater resources, including major rivers, reservoirs, and lakes. Important geological and scenic features include Niagara Falls, the Hudson Highlands, the Catskill escarpment, the Finger Lakes, the Adirondack High Peaks, and the Lake Champlain valley. Forests cover a large share of the state, especially in the Adirondacks and Catskills, while arable land is significant in western and central farming regions.
Natural resources include waterpower, timber, salt, stone, and historically iron ore and other minerals. The state’s geography also underpins recreation, agriculture, shipping, hydropower, and tourism.