Massachusetts

Massachusetts, state in New England, the northeastern region of the United States; bordered by Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, and New York to the west.

Land and climate

Massachusetts can be divided into six land regions. The Coastal Lowlands is a flat or gently sloping plain in the eastern third of the state. Most of the state's people and principal manufacturing centers are here. The hilly Eastern New England Upland extends west of the Lowlands for 40–60 mi (64–97 km). The land then dips into the broad, fertile Connecticut Valley, which is about 20 mi (32 km) wide. West of there, the land rises into the most rugged regions of the state—the Western New England Upland (including Mt. Greylock, the state's highest point), the Berkshire Valley, and the Taconic Mountains. Although there are more than 4,200 mi of rivers in Massachusetts, the Connecticut River is the state's only major navigable waterway. The Merrimack River furnished the water power for Massachusetts's early industries. The state has more than 1,000 lakes and ponds. The climate is humid, with sharply defined seasons. Western Massachusetts is colder and snowier than the east. Principal cities are Boston, Worcester, and Springfield.

Economy

The state's economy is based on such service industries as banking, health care, real estate, and retail trade. Principal manufactured goods are machinery (particularly computers), electrical equipment, scientific instruments, printed materials, transportation equipment, chemicals, and food, plastic, and paper products. Tourism, an important part of the economy, thrives in Boston, Cape Cod, and the Berkshires. Agriculture, fishing, and mining, once of prime importance, are now minor branches of the economy.

Government

The Massachusetts constitution, the oldest state constitution still in use, was adopted in 1780. The governor serves a four-year term. The state legislature, called the General Court, consists of 40 senators and 160 representatives; all serve 2-year terms. In the U.S. Congress, Massachusetts is represented by two senators and 10 representatives.

History

Native American peoples were the area's first known settlers, more than 3,000 years ago. The first European explorers may have been Vikings, about A.D. 1000. The Pilgrims, who came from England in 1620, built the first European settlement. English Puritans settled at and around Boston. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was one of the original 13 British colonies. Indian opposition culminated in King Philip's War (1675–76). The Boston Massacre (1770) and the Boston Tea Party (1773) helped spark the American Revolution, whose first battles were at Lexington and Concord (1775). The new state's commerce flourished, especially in the major seaport of Boston. In 1814, one of the first U.S. factories was built at Waltham; Massachusetts soon became the most industrialized state in the nation. Massachusetts supported the Union during the Civil War. Between that war and World War I, an immigration boom swelled the state's population and helped power its industrial rise. The state economy suffered during the 1920s and 1930s, but World War II brought recovery. Massachusetts, known for its historic universities and colleges (including Harvard and MIT), attracts research and development industries that supported it during the economic slump of the late 1980s.