Connecticut is a small state that borders Massachusetts on the south. Like Massachusetts, it was once known for its shipping industry. The important role whaling played in Connecticut history is recalled by its state animal, the sperm whale.
New England’s longest river, the Connecticut River, flows through the Connecticut Valley, which stretches north into Massachusetts. Aside from the Connecticut Valley, Connecticut appears as an irregular rocky land with high hills here and there. Ice Age glaciers left hundreds of large and small lakes and ponds, along with waterfalls, rock ridges, and boulders. The direction glaciers traveled is indicated by drumlins—longish piles of rocks and gravels left behind by glaciers.
The highest and most rugged part of Connecticut lies in the northwest corner, in the Taconic Mountains. Low ranges of hills extend along each side of the state.
Early settlers in Connecticut generally lived along the coast or in the Connecticut Valley. Connecticut has no coal, oil, or valuable minerals and little fertile soil. This lack of natural resources forced colonists to become self-reliant. Connecticut Yankees were famous inventors who embraced factories.
Connecticut’s original settelrs in 1614 were Dutch, but it became a British colony by 1636. It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.
Today, Connecticut is one of the richest states, with the highest per capita income in the U.S. and the highest median household income. Yet many Americans are probably less familiar with Connectict than with its capital, Hartford, nicknamed the Insurance City.
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - Paperback
