The Delaware river, from its junction with the Neversink creek to the capes, flows along the western and southern borders of the State for a distance of 245 m., and has a total drainage area in New Jersey of
sq. miles. Of equal importance is the Hudson, whose lower waters, forming the north-eastern boundary of New Jersey for a distance of 22 m., drain a very small part of the State, but have contributed materially to the State's commercial development. Of the streams of the High lands and the Triassic Lowland, the Passaic river is the most important. Rising in the north-east—in the southern part of Morris county—it pursues a winding north-easterly course, passing through a gap in the trap rock at Little Falls, and by means of a cascade and a mile of rapids descends 4o feet. At Paterson (q.v.), 3 m. farther, the stream passes through a crevasse in the trap rock and has a sheer fall of 7o ft. (the Great Falls of the Passaic). The stream then makes a sharp bend southward and empties into Newark bay. The Passaic and its small tributaries drain an area of about 95o sq. miles. The Hackensack river enters the State about 5 m. W. of the Hudson river, flows almost parallel with that stream, and empties into Newark bay, having a length of 34 m. and a drainage area of 201 sq. miles. The Raritan river, flowing eastwardly through the centre of the State, is the largest stream lying wholly within New Jersey, and drains 1,105 sq. miles. Among the Highlands are numerous lakes, which are popular places of resort during the summer months. Of these the largest and the most frequented are Lake Hopatcong, an irregular body of water in Morris and Sussex counties, and Greenwood lake, lying partly in New York and partly in New Jersey.
The soils of the State exhibit great variety. Those of the northern and central sections are made up in part of glacial drift ; those of the south are sandy or loamy, and are locally enriched by deposits of marl. The most fertile soils of the State lie in the clay and marl region, a belt from 1 o to 20 m. wide extending across the State in a general south-westerly direction from Long Branch to Salem.
Between the extreme northern and southern sections of the State there is a greater variation in climate than would naturally result from their difference in latitude. This is due to the proximity of the ocean in the south and to the relatively high altitudes in the north. The mean annual temperature ranges from
F at Dover, in the north, to
at Bridgeton, in the south. At Dover the mean for the winter is 28°, with an extreme minimum recorded of —13° ; and the mean for the summer is 70°, with an extreme maximum recorded of 102°. At Atlantic City the mean annual temperature is 52° ; for the winter it is
with an extreme of —7° ; and for the summer, 70°, with an extreme of 104°. The beaches of New Jersey have rapidly built up with towns and cities that have become popular summer resorts —among the best known of these are Long Branch, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Atlantic City (also a winter resort) and Cape May. The normal annual precipitation is 47.7 in., varying from 46.6 in. on the sea-coast to 49.1 in. in the Highlands and the Kittatinny valley.
The population of New Jersey at certain selected censuses was as follows: 184,139 in 1790; 211,149 in 1800; 489,555 in 1850; 1,131,116 in 188o;
in 1890; 1,883,669 in 1900; 2,537,167 in 191o; and 3,155,900 in 1920, or an increase of 24.4% during the last decade. The State's rank in
population was, in 1920, tenth among the States of the Union. In 193o the population was 4,041,334, an increase of 885,434 or 28.1%, making the State ninth in order. Of the native-born white population in 1930, 1,571,528 were of native parentage, 1,044,704 were of foreign parentage and 368,535 were of mixed parentage. The negro population was 208,828 or 5.2% of the whole. Among the various elements comprising the foreign-born population (844,442) were 190,858 Italians; 112,753 Germans;
Poles; 62,152 Russians ; 47,486 Irish; 51,629 English. New Jersey, with 537.8 inhabitants per square mile, ranks second among the states in density of population. The urban popula tion (in places of 2,500 or more) was 82.6% of the total. The principal cities in 1930 were Newark
Jersey City (316,715), Paterson (138,513), Trenton (123,356), Camden (118,700), Elizabeth (114,589), Bayonne (88,979), East Orange (68,020), Atlantic City (66.198), Passaic (62,959).
The State is governed under the Constitution of 1844, with subsequent amendments of 1875 and of 1897. The only other Constitution under which the State has been governa was that of 1776. The right of suffrage is conferred upon al citizens of the U.S., 21 years of age and over, who have resided it the State for one year and in the county for five months precedinf the election. The executive power is vested in a governor, whc is elected for a term of three years and may not serve two suc cessive terms, though he may be re-elected after he has been oul of office for a full term. He receives a salary of $io,000 a year. If the governor die, resign or be removed from office, or if his office be otherwise vacant, he is succeeded by the president of the senate, who serves until another governor is elected and qualified. The governor's appointive power is unusually large. With the advice and consent of the State senate, he selects the secretary of State, attorney-general, superintendent of public instruction, chancellor, chief justice, judges of the supreme, circuit, inferior and district courts, and the so-called "lay" judges of the court of errors and appeals, in addition to the minor administrative officers. The State treasurer, comptroller and commissioners of deeds are appointed by the two houses of the legislature in joint session. The legislative department consists of a senate and a general assembly. In the senate each of the 21 counties has one repre sentative, chosen for a term of three years, and about one-third of the membership is chosen each year. The members of the general assembly are elected annually, are limited to 6o, and are apportioned among the counties according to population, with the important proviso, however, that every county shall have at least one member. The annual salary of senators and members of the general assembly is $500. The governor may (since 1875) veto any item in any appropriation bill, but any bill (or item) may be passed over his veto by bare majorities of all members elected to each house. Bills not returned to the legis lature in five days become law, unless the legislature adjourns in the meantime. Amendments to the Constitution must first be passed by the legislature at two consecutive sessions (receiving a majority vote of all members elected to each house), and then be ratified by the voters at a special election.