PHYSICAL AND CLIMATIC SETTIXG 3 



In outline the State is roughly an equilateral tri- 

 angle, with the apex to the west. More accurately, 

 the shape is that of a great shoe with the heel resting 

 on the shore of the Atlantic at New York City, and 

 trailed by Loug Island. The toe rests against Lake 

 Erie. Lake Ontario forms the instep and the St. 

 Lawrence river reaches up the front. It has also been 

 likened to a ship sailing westward. Long Island being 

 the rudder. 



The length of the State from east to west is ap- 

 proximately 335 miles, to which should be added the 

 extension of Long Island beyond the main east line 

 for seventy-five miles further, and lying south of 

 Connecticut, making a total extreme length of 410 

 miles. The extreme breadth north and south is 

 315 miles. 



Within these dimensions, New York State has a 

 total area of 49,170 square miles, of which 1550 

 square miles are water surface. The net land surface 

 is, therefore, 47,G20 square miles or 30,476,800 acres. 

 This is equal to the area of Ohio plus that of Massa- 

 chusetts. It is four-fifths the area of all New Eng- 

 land ; about equal to that of North Carolina or Louisi- 

 ana; a little less than the area of Iowa or Wisconsin, 

 and one-third that of California. It is two-fifths the 

 area of the British Isles, one fourth that of France, 

 and three-tenths that of Japan, and considerably 

 larger than the Island of Cuba with its depending 

 islands. 



The boundary is exceedingly irregular. In part it 

 follows water courses but long stretches strike across- 



