New York City:

The State has Canada on its northern border. Pennsylvania lies to the West and New Jersey is to the South. Connecticut is on the East and the Atlantic is always close at hand. Though it is conventional to sing New York city's praises, the Capital is actually is Albany . The land of this State was amongst the first to be inhabited by Native Indian tribes and many generations of them lived in harmony with nature long before the English named it after a piece of their own land. Its chain of moraine islands was formed by retreating glaciers and it has produced some of the best farm land anywhere. The sub-terrain rocks are geological treasures that hold primordial secrets uncovered but in small part. New York is home to large water bodies with more than 6 major river systems. The Hudson and the Mohawk have played major roles in the economic evolution of the State and area. The falls of the Genesee have been used to move turbines for electricity. The Niagara is most sought after by tourists, though its falls also generate power, while the Saint Lawrence is an important contributor to logistic infrastructure. Mere mention of all New York lakes would need volumes, but Erie and Ontario are too momentous to escape listing. Oneida is important as well for it is the largest to lie entirely within the State's borders. A web of reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains supplies water to New York City . Their protection from any kind of pollutant is an example of most laudatory civic action.

The surfeit of water all around and in the State makes it a place of high relative humidity. Mexico and Canada send winds of warmth and ice by turn as New York flits between torrid summers and winters that chill to the bone. However the State has an edge in terms of agriculture and gardening with a generous growing window of 200 days. An average of 40 inches of rain per year is generally distributed evenly throughout the year, and this helps farming as well. All available cultivable land is used intensively with the lucrative and large attraction of consuming markets at hand. The State has compensated from earlier over-harvesting of timber resources to now achieve 54% forest cover. Deciduous trees and conifers dominate the 1900 species of plants resident here. Ferns, sedges and flowering plants are part of the rich bio-inventory.

The entire State is a veritable exposition of all kinds of animal life from common squirrels to their more rare flying brethren. Bears, rarely seen in other populated regions roam free in vast tracts of New York with moose, while whales once hunted to near extinction live in the pelagic waters off the coast in freedom and without threat. Dolphins and seals also grace New York's coastal waters. The timber rattlesnake is protected in this State which is home to many species of amphibians and reptiles. The Eastern Blue Bird is a symbol of the State and numerous meadow, game and song birds are resident here. The Bald Eagle has reappeared of late after being rendered extinct by the pesticide DDT. The peregrine falcon has adapted to the concrete of Manhattan so well that it is as much a New Yorker as the Asian cab drivers on the streets.

New York has played a role of which it can be especially proud in the development of mass communications. Newspapers born here in the 19th century set new standards of reporting and influence on public opinion. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal remain as international classics to this day. New York is home to more than 70 newspapers. Radio came to New York in the 1920s and TV 2 decades later. ABC, CBS and NBC lead a galaxy of some 350 radio and almost 50 TV stations in the State today.

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