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New Jersey

New Jersey, known as the "Garden State", is situated on the northeast of the United States. Its boundaries are: New York State (north), Pennsylvania (west), Delaware (south) and the Atlantic Ocean (east).

The first inhabitants of New Jersey were the Lenni Lenape who resided in the area for about 10,000 years. Another tribe, the Powhatan Renape, also lived here. The first Europeans to settle the area were the dutch in 1618. In 1702, it became a British colony. During the war of Independence, about 100 battles were fought in New Jersey.

In the beginning of the 1800's, industrialization started in New Jersey and brought a lot of prosperity to the region. Many inventions were created in New Jersey. Here are a few of them: first phonograph is built by Edison at Menlo Park in 1877; the first submarine is built by John Holland of Passaic County in 1878; the first incandescent lamp was made by Edison at Menlo Park in 1879. The first town to be lighted by electricity was, Roselle, in 1883.

In actual times, New Jersey is one of the most industrialized states of the Union. Nevertheless, New Jersey has been able to maintain its natural beauty. New Jersey has 36 state parks, 11 state forests, 42 natural areas, 24 historic sites, more than 800 lakes and ponds, more than 100 rivers and creeks. New Jersey is in fact, the Garden State.

General Facts

Extension: 7,836 sq. miles
Population: 10 millions (aprox.)
Capital: Trenton
Largest City: Newark
Other Cities: Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Paterson, Princeton
Civil Division: 21 Counties and 567 Municipalities