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Southern New England: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island

wide) area and empties into the Long Island Sound. Crops such as potatoes, corn, and shade tobacco grow in the fertile soil of this region. The Western New England Upland covers the western one-third of the state. The soil is rocky and poor for farming, although some dairy cattle are raised here. Stone is quarried in this region and crushed into gravel for road building.

Inland from the coast, the Eastern New England Upland is made up of many river valleys and low hills cov- ered in forests. This region is part of a larger land formation that stretches across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. Bordering the Eastern Upland to the west is the Connecticut Valley Lowland. The Connecticut River flows through this 30-mile-wide (48 km

Words to Understand in This Chapter

comptroller— an elected official in the executive branch of the state of Connecticut who is responsible for paying the state’s bills. electoral votes— People vote in a popular election for the president, but the president is officially elected by electoral votes. Each state has votes equal to the total of its U.S. senators and Representatives. median— middle. poverty level— the level of income below which a person or family is declared poor by government standards. ratify— to formally approve a document such as a treaty or the Constitution. secretary of the state— In Connecticut, an elected official who is responsible for keeping the state’s public documents in order. shade tobacco— tobacco grown under netting that creates shade. The leaves are used as the outer wrapper for expensive cigars.