New Hampshire is one of the six New England states in the northeast region of the United States.  It is bordered on the north by Canada and south by Massachusetts.  ON its western border lies the Connecticut River and Vermont on the river’s opposite shore.  To the east of New Hampshire is Maine to the north and the Atlantic Ocean forming the almost eighteen mile coastline on the southeast side.  

    The state makes up 9,304 square miles, of which 8,969 square miles are land.  It is 180 miles from the Massachusetts border to its northernmost point.  The width of its southern border, 93 miles, is the greatest anywhere in the state; the northern border is the narrowest portion, only 19 miles across.  Among the United States, New Hampshire is ranked forty-fourth in size.

    Characteristic of New England states, the climate of New Hampshire changes greatly throughout the year.  Summers are short and relatively cool, while winters are long and cold.  The White Mountains are the site some of the harshest winters in the eastern U.S.  Temperatures usually run several degrees cooler in the northern highlands than in the south.  Average monthly temperatures for January range from 10 degrees F up north to 21 degrees F in the south.  Mean temperatures in July range from 61 degrees F to 70 degrees F.  Average annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 42 inches, depending on the area, and  reaches an average of 76 inches atop Mount Washington.  Most precipitation in the state is snow.  

    Over 80%, or approximately 4,981,000 acres, of New Hampshire is forested.  The state is covered with mixed hardwoods and evergreens, most noticeably maples and birches.  The white birch, the official state tree, is found throughout the state.  There are hundreds of species of wildflowers.  Most wildlife is found in minimally populated areas.  Common wild animals include the white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, beaver, skunk, porcupine, fox, muskrat, mink, otter, raccoon, woodchuck, squirrel, chipmunk, fisher, bobcat, and snowshoe hare.  The lakes and ponds are stocked each year with trout and salmon by the state, but naturally contain perch, pike, pickerel, trout, horned pout, and bass.  More than 300 species of birds have been sited throughout the state.  

    New Hampshire’s chief resource is its scenery and the recreational and tourism income that comes from it.  Its timber resources provide building materials, pulpwood, and firewood.  The state contains several limited mineral resources, especially granite, feldspar, and mica.  Some of the agricultural products, such as apples, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and maple serious, are the finest found anywhere.  

    Possibly the most notable feature of New Hampshire’s geography are its mountains.  The White Mountains are found throughout the northern part of the state.  Mount Washington, which is 6,288 feet high, is the largest of the peaks.  Franconia, Presidential, and Carter-Moriah are the three other mountain ranges in the state.  Eight of the mountains are over 5,000 feet high: Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Madison, Lafayette, Lincoln, and Franklin.  There are eighty-six mountain peaks in the Presidential Range alone.  One of the most famous rock formations is the "Old Man of the Mountain" on Profile Mountain of the Franconia Range, but its not New Hampshire’s only stone formation.  One is the "Indian Head" on Mount Pemigewasset and the other is the "Old Woman of the Notch" which looks down from Eagle Cliff.

    New Hampshire is often referred to as the "Mother of Rivers".  There are 40,000 miles of rivers and streams within New Hampshire.  Five of the largest streams in New England originate in the state’s granite hills.  The Connecticut River is the longest, with 110 miles forming the state’s western boundary.  The Pemigewasset River starts in the Profile Lake in the Franconia mountains and travels until it flows into the Winnipesaukee to form the Merrimack.  

    There are about 290 square miles of water surface in New Hampshire, which is more than 1300 lakes and rivers.  The largest lake, Winnepesaukee, covers over 70 square miles, and is up to 300 feet deep.  Other large lakes include the Squam, Winnesquam, Sunapee, Mascoma, Newfound, Umbagog, Moore, and Massabesic.  In addition to the natural lakes, there are four large, man-made lakes, formed by dams.  Two are on both the Merrimack River and the Connecticut.