Connecticut

Connecticut (English Connecticut^{? /i} [kəˈnetɪkət]) is a state in the northeastern United States and part of the New England region. Connecticut was one of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American War of Independence. The name originated from the French corruption of the Mohegan word quinnehtukqut, meaning "long river (of tides)".

The state is officially known as The Constitution State, adopted by act in 1959, and is also known as the Provision State. This name comes from the fact that during the American War of Independence, the Continental Army was supplied with provisions from Connecticut; the state hardly saw any combat on its own territory.

Geography

Connecticut, the third smallest state in the USA, is located in the northeast of the USA on the Atlantic Ocean. The state stretches 177 km between 40°58′N and 42°3′N and 113 km between 71°47′W and 73°44′W. Connecticut is bordered by Massachusetts to the north, Rhode Island to the east, Long Island Sound to the south, and New York to the west. The state is flowed through by the largest river in New England: the Connecticut River. Water covers 1,809 square miles (12.6 percent) of the state's land area, and 56 to 63 percent of the land area is forested; otherwise, hills, lakes, and plains (including the 10-mile-wide coastal plain) characterize the state. Part of the Appalachian Mountains form the highest elevations (Mount Frissell 725 m) of the state.

Outline

Connecticut is divided into eight counties: Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham. These have only significance as police and judicial districts, the county administrations were abolished in 1960 and all powers transferred to the next lower level, the towns.