• Land is flat• Summers cooler and winters

snowier “snow belt”• Lakes Erie & Ontario ports have

direct access to Atlantic Ocean via St. Lawrence River

• North of the Mohawk River• Forested, rounded mountains

with many lakes and streams

• Runs East to West• Only low land (valley) route from

Atlantic Ocean through mountains

• Important trade route through the state

• Albany (state capital) is on the river bank

• Runs North and South• Water route connecting NYC to

Mohawk River and Lake Champlain

• Important trade route and military value

• New York City area, the state’s largest urban areas, located here

• Creates a large sheltered harbor

• East of NYC• South of the Mohawk River• Rocky and rugged landscape

• Occupies 1/3 of the total area of New York State

• Very hilly, less rugged than the Adirondack or Catskill Mountains