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Connecticut [kəneʹtikət], abbreviated CT, state of northeastern
United States; 13,000 km2, 3.6 million inhabitants (2018).Connecticut
is on the Atlantic coast and is the southernmost of the six New England
states. It is one of the smallest areas of the US states and one of the most
densely populated. The capital is Hartford.
Connecticut. State Map.
Nature
Connecticut belongs from a terrain point of view to the Appalachian
Highlands, which, however, here through the central Connecticut Valley is
divided into two highland areas. Both slopes slowly towards the coast to the
south and are built up by individual ridge ridges, which sweep in the
north-south direction and are interrupted by deep, narrow valleys. The western
highlands are at the far north-west of the Taconian Mountains in the
Appalachians. Here is also Connecticut's highest point, Mount Frissell (725 m
above sea level).
The central lowland is a fault block, about 32 km wide, filled with sandstone
and slate and lava rocks from periodic volcanism. Due to faults, numerous small
hornbills have been formed, some of which reach 300 m above the surroundings.
The coastal plain along the Long Island Strait is less than 150 m above sea
level. and forms alternating marshland and sandy coasts with several smaller
islands offshore. Numerous smaller rivers drain off the state to the south; the
largest is Connecticut.
There are more than 1,000 small lakes and several ponds, some with
waterfalls.
Connecticut. Chapman Falls at East Haddam in
central Connecticut.
The climate is characterized by mild winters with temperatures around the
freezing point and summers with average temperatures between 21 °C and 24 °C as
well as a precipitation that varies from 900 to 1200 mm per year. Most typical
of the weather in Connecticut is its great variability, described in Mark
Twain's famous phrase: "If you don't like the weather in Connecticut - wait a
minute."
Population
During the first half of the 1900s, Connecticut had a strong population
increase, but now population growth has leveled out. More than 80 percent of the
population are white, descendants of immigrants from Italy and Poland,
etc. Italian origin is particularly strong in the New Haven area. About 12 per
cent of the population was black, mainly living in the larger cities. The
urbanization rate is over 80 percent. The settlement is concentrated to the
coastal area and to a north-south zone in the middle of Connecticut. There is
Hartford, with suburbs 1.2 million inhabitants and thus the state's largest
city. The coastal zone of southwestern Connecticut is largely a contiguous urban
area, which can be considered a suburban area of New York and also
statistically included in its metropolitan area. This includes cities such as
Greenwich, Stamford and Bridgeport.
Business
Average income is high. Manufacturing and service industries dominate while
agriculture is of little importance nowadays. However, dairy management,
vegetable cultivation and production of eggs and chicken play a role for the
local market. The state is one of the most industrialized in the United
States. Almost all raw materials are imported. The previous manufacture of
rifles and other metal products as well as household appliances has been
completed, and the industry is now very versatile. Often there is a link to the
defense industry (weapons, ammunition, submarines, jet engines, aircraft and
helicopter manufacturing), but the manufacture of scientific instruments and
chemical products is also important. The industry is mainly concentrated to
Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford with surroundings. Many large corporations
are headquartered in Connecticut, for example in Stamford, one of the cities
closest to New York. Hartford has many insurance companies. The US Coast Guard
Academy is headquartered in New London. Among the universities, Yale University
in New Haven is one of the most famous in the United States. Connecticut is
crossed by major highways, in part due to the passage of the Boston-New York
transit route.
Tourism and gastronomy
Connecticut is not primarily associated with any major tourist attractions,
but for the state's economy, tourism is becoming increasingly important. The
income comes mainly from domestic visitors. Many of the tourists come from
nearby metropolitan areas and are drawn to Connecticut's coastal areas and lakes
for recreation. The annual Harvard-Yale Street in June on the Thames River in
New London attracts many spectators. Others are interested in historical
monuments and of the city's older buildings, such as the Old State House (1796)
and Mark Twain's restored home in Hartford.
Connecticut. Mark Twain's home in Hartford
Gastronomically, the state is characterized by its historical heritage and
proximity to the rich, international food culture of New York. The English
colonists were met by a rich landscape of cold winters. They had access to
countless fish, seafood, root vegetables, herbs, turkeys and buffalo meat - but
hardly time or knowledge to develop any higher cuisine. Even today, robust food
that manages itself on the stove is common; the excellent ingredients require no
finesse. Clam chowder(red mussel soup), boiled lobster with butter
sauce, oysters that are fried, grilled, cooked or dipped raw in ketchup, the
obligatory chestnut-filled turkey for Thanksgiving Day, pots of beans and cod,
corn and chicken mixed with mussels - all are dishes that show an astonishing
traditionalism, especially considering that all the more exotic, international
dishes are accepted without a hitch; Oriental, Jewish, Indian and Mediterranean
foods are at least as popular.
History
The area's indigenous population was algon kin. Connecticut began to be
colonized in the 1630s by Dutch and English. In the 1660s, the scattered
settlements gathered into a colony. Connecticut was one of the 13 colonies that
started the North American War of Independence. Trade and industry developed
early and were accelerated by extensive immigration during the 19th
century. After 1945, Connecticut gained a significant high-tech industry and a
strong economy, with 1986 having the highest per capita income in the United
States. Party politics have long dominated Republicans, but after 1945,
Democrats have usually had a certain takeover.
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