Outer Lands
40°48′N 73°18′W / 40.8°N 73.3°W
The Outer Lands is the prominent
, as well as surrounding islands and islets.Though the existence of an arc or chain of islands[1][2] in this archipelago is widely acknowledged by geographers, it is rarely given a specific name; occasionally a descriptive term such as southern New England islands[3][4][5][6] or a technical term such as Cape Cod/Long Island ecoregion[7] or Long Island-Cape Cod Coastal Lowland[8] is used. The Isles of Stirling was the name granted in 1635 when the islands came into the possession of William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling. "Outer Lands" is a term popularized by author Dorothy Sterling in her 1967 natural history guide of the same name,[9] and used by later natural history authors such as Patrick J. Lynch.[10]
Divisions
The Massachusetts section is often called the "Cape and Islands", with the "Islands" subregion very specifically referring to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and other smaller islands in
Long Island is often informally considered a part of the "New York islands" alongside Staten Island and Manhattan. These islands are geographically contiguous with the broader region. (The insular Massachusetts sections were actually part of the Province of New York for most of the late 17th century.)
Other islands in Long Island Sound and Rhode Island Sound (Narragansett Bay Islands) are also often included in the region.
More rarely,
Geology
The Outer Lands forms the insular northeasternmost extension of North America's
Some of the islands are included in the archipelago due to proximity, despite key geological differences, such as
The islands are separated from the mainland by a series of bays and sounds that used to make up Lake Connecticut, Lake Narragansett, and other glacial lakes.
Ecology
For eastern Long Island and areas east, the region is designated
The region is designated the "Long Island-Cape Cod Coastal Lowland", Major Land Resource Area 149B, by the United States Department of Agriculture, which also includes Staten Island.[8]
Culture
The region has historically had a strong maritime culture, with an emphasis on fishing. From eastern Long Island east, much of the region has in recent decades taken on a
See also
- Atlantic coastal pine barrens
- Cape and Islands
- Narragansett Bay
- New York Islands
- Outer Barrier Islands
- Sandy Hook, New Jersey
- Thimble Islands
References
- ISBN 9780679761532.
- ISBN 9780940160392.
- ^ Geological Survey Research 1964. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1964. pp. C134.
- ISBN 9781555570019.
- ^ The Indian Use of Block Island Between 500 B.C. and A.D. 1676, National Register Nomination. Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. 1990. p. 3.
- ISBN 9780080556277.
- ^ a b "Ecoregions of New York" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 2010.
- ^ a b "Ecological Site Description System". esis.sc.egov.usda.gov. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
- LCCN 67011253.
- ^ "Field Guide to Cape Cod | Yale University Press". yalebooks.yale.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
- ISBN 9783642783609.
- ISBN 9780123978066.
- ^ "USEPA Ecoregions Level III and IV". ArcGIS Hub. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
- ^ "Breeding Bird Atlas 2 Full Ecoregions". Mass Audubon. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
- ^ A Summer Place. New York Magazine. 1980-12-29. p. 30.