NEW HAMPSHIRE (popularly called the `Granite State'). A North Atlantic State of the United States, belonging to the New England group. It lies between latitudes 42° 40' and 45° IS' N.. and between longitudes 70° 37' and 72° 37' W . It is bounded on the north by the Cana dian Province of Quebec, on the east by the State of Maiue and for a distance of IS miles by the „Atlantic (teen m, on the south by Alassachusetts, and on the west by \ erniOnt , from which it is separated by the Connecticut River. Its general shape is that of a right triangle with the right at the southeastern corner and the Reuter apex pointing north. Its extreme h•ngth is 178 miles, its extreme width SS miles, and its area 9305 square miles, of which 9005 square miles, or 5.763,200 acres are land surface. It ranks fortieth in size among the United States.
TovomtA ell Y. New I];uupshire is relatively more rough and mountainous than the average State on the Atlantic slope. The easternmost extension of the Appalachian system traverses the State lengthwise. running first as ft ridge along 1.1n• western boundary on the east bank of the Con neetieut River, and culminating in the rugged mass of monadnocks known as the White Mountains. These cover about 1300 square miles in the north-central part of the State. and con stitute a region of romantic scenery. _Among the peaks, whose naked. rocky summits reach above the timber-line. the highest is :Mount \Vashington, with an altitude of 6293 feet. Several isolated inonadnncks, outlying members of the group. are seattered over the southwestern quarter of the State. the most prominent being :Mount Rear sarge, 2943 Out high, and Mount Monadnock, with an altitude of 3156 feet. North of the White 5101111tains. in Coos Commity, another eleva tion rises to a height of over 2000 feet, and ex tends indefinitely into Alaine and Canada. The southeastern part of the State is generally low, being relieved by numerous 'drumlins'—rounded glacial drift generally covered with bould ers. Every part of the State is well drained by numerous streams, the narrow western portion by the Conneeticut River, the remainder by rivers [lowing to the Atlantic Ocean. The northern
part of the State is drained by the Androscoggin River. which issues from Lake Umbagog, and after makiii7 an irregular detour to the west tlows into Maine. The Saco also enters that State after draining the eastern group of the \\ bite The principal river of the State after the Conneetieut is the whose main fork. the Peinigewasset. rises in the Franconia or western group of the 'White Moun tains. It flows southward in a series of falls and rapids. furnishing enormous water power. It has been said that the Merrimac turns more spindles than any other river in the world. The lower course of this river is in Massachusetts.
the solltlwastern corner of the State is drained by the streams flowing into the Piseataqua estuary. this being the only harbor on the coast. Like all glaciated areas. New 111101111(1S in bikes —irregular, beautiful sheets of water studded with wooded islets. The largest is Lake \Vinni piseogee, 16 miles lon,g and 6 miles wide. Other notable hikes are 1 mbagog, in the north 011 the boundary; Squaw!. northwest of Winni piscogee: and Sunapee and New Found Lake, in the CIA M.%Tr. The climate is strongly affected by the elevation of the land. It is eolder. on the average, than that of Maine, and the winters are severe, the ground being usually snow•erwered and the rivers frozen from autumn to spring. The lower Alerrimae Valley is the warmest part of the Stale. It is of slight elevation and hut lit tle affected by ocean breezes. Here the mean tem perature for January is 21°, and tor July the corresponding figures for the northern por tion 16° and 67°, and for Mount Washing ton 5° and 47°. The climate is quite humid, and the precipitation sufficient all over the State. It is especially abundant. on the mountain summits, where it reaches 55 inches. and on the eastern slope of the mountains, where it ram•es from 40 to 46 inches. It is least near the seashore and on the western slope, where there is a fall respectively of only 35 and 30 inches. The whole State is, as a rule, very healthful.
For flora and fauna, see paragraphs under UNITED STATES.