Geography of New York (state)

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Geography of New York State is very diverse, with farms, forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes all across the state. The Adirondack Park is the largest state park in the contiguous United States, and Niagara Falls on the Niagara River is a famous natural attraction between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Rivers and lakes
- The Hudson River starts in the high country of the eastern part of the state and flows south to the Atlantic Ocean, passing through the landscapes of eastern New York and forming notable features along its route.
- Lake Erie lies on the western border of the state, feeding the Niagara River, which Connects Erie to Lake Ontario and hosts Niagara Falls.
- Lake Ontario sits on the northern border, while the St. Lawrence River forms part of the eastern boundary.
- The Finger Lakes in central New York are a group of long, narrow lakes fed by the Genesee and other rivers.
- The Oswego River and several other streams drain toward Lake Ontario; the Genesee, Mohawk, Delaware, and Susquehanna rivers are major waterways with distinct southern and eastern drainage patterns.

Regions and landscapes
- New York has three main mountain areas: the Hudson Highlands along the eastern edge near the Hudson River; the Catskill Mountains to the south of the Hudson; and the Adirondack Mountains in the northeast, whose highest peak is Mount Marcy at about 5,344 feet (1,629 meters).
- The western part of the state features hills that are part of the Allegheny range’s foothills, with highlands dropping toward Lake Ontario to the north.
- Long Island is mostly flat or gently rolling, with a central ridge of sand, gravel, and clay across the island.

Islands and cities
- Four of New York’s five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island—are located on islands at the mouth of the Hudson River. Queens and Brooklyn sit on Long Island.

Upstate and Downstate
- Upstate New York generally means the counties north of Westchester, Rockland, and Dutchess. It includes the Catskills, the Capital District (Albany area), the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain region, and major rivers like the Delaware, Genesee, Mohawk, and Susquehanna.
- Downstate encompasses the New York City area and nearby regions with a warmer climate and more densely populated areas.

Size, borders, and climate
- New York covers about 54,556 square miles (141,299 square kilometers), making it one of the larger states in the U.S.
- It borders six states—Pennsylvania to the west, New Jersey and Connecticut to the south, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east—as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec to the north. It touches the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast.
- The state also borders the Great Lakes region with Lake Erie to the west and Lake Ontario to the northwest.
- The climate varies: Upstate is mostly humid continental with cold winters and warm summers; Downstate tends to be warmer and can be subtropical in places along the coast. Western New York often has more clouds due to the Great Lakes. Precipitation is fairly even across the year, and lake-effect snow is common in winter.

Parks and nature
- The Adirondack Park, about the size of Vermont, is a major, protected wild area created in the 19th century and nationally recognized for its natural beauty.
- The Catskill Park, established in the late 1800s, protects a large forested area with abundant wildlife and many trails.
- New York also offers numerous campgrounds and multi-use trails across the state, providing widespread access to its natural landscape.