Vermont

Vermont (English pronunciation [vɚˈmɑnt]) is a state of the United States of America and part of New England. It is best known for its maple syrup, marble quarrying and processing, and idyllic mountain landscapes. The Green Mountains and Lake Champlain are popular recreational areas. Consequently, the nickname is also Green Mountain State. Many wealthy people from the surrounding states own weekend homes here.

In the fall, the landscape is dominated by the changing colors of the autumn leaves ("Indian Summer"). In 2013, about 12.8 million tourists came to Vermont. The mountains, rivers and lakes lend themselves to recreational activities ranging from skiing in winter to fishing (fly fishing), hiking, trekking, water hiking and camping in summer and fall. Vermont's quiet towns and villages are also part of the visitor's itinerary.

Geography

Vermont borders Canada to the north (15 border crossings), New York (state) to the west, Massachusetts to the south, and New Hampshire to the east, where the Connecticut River forms the border. Seventy-seven percent of the state is covered by deciduous forests, especially maple trees. Lake Champlain is Vermont's largest lake and the ninth largest inland body of water in the United States. It is about 180 kilometers long, 19 kilometers wide, and forms about 50 percent of Vermont's western border. At the edge of the lake is the fertile Champlain Valley. The Green Mountains are a heavily forested low mountain range; its north-south axis runs nearly the entire length of Vermont. In southwestern Vermont lie the Taconic Mountains.

Fauna and flora

Forests were cleared for farmland; by 1850, nearly 70 percent of the once large stands had been cleared. In the following decades, many of Vermont's farmers moved to the Wild West or to industrial cities on the East Coast. Quite a few of the farms gradually fell into disrepair and the land again became forested. Populations of previously nearly extirpated species (brown bear, moose, coyotes, and wild turkeys) rebounded.