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The Geography of Vermont

In comparison with most states, Vermont's land area is small geographically.

Still, Vermont is the second largest state in New England after Maine, just a few hundred square miles larger than New Hampshire.

The Green Mountain State is bordered by Canada, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It is 157.4 miles in length, 90.3 miles wide at the Canadian border*, and 41.6 miles along the Massachusetts border. The Connecticut River forms the eastern boundary, while the western boundary runs down the middle of Lake Champlain for more than half of its length.

The state has 223 mountains over 2,000 feet in elevation. The mountainous areas of the state are primarily forested. In fact, although Vermont was virtually clear-cut of timber during the late 19th century, more than 75 percent of the state's total area is now forested. Beneath the mountains and rolling hills are the fertile valleys that support extensive dairy, crop, vegetable, and fruit production.

As mountain ranges go, the Green Mountains are very old, and have been sculpted to their present form during several ice ages.  Granite, marble, slate, asbestos and talc have all been mined from the range.

Vermont Geographic Stats

Total Area: 9,609 square miles

Highest Elevation: Mt. Mansfield, 4,395.3 ft.

Lowest Elevation: Lake Champlain shoreline, 95 ft.

Major Mountains: Killington, 4,229 ft., Mt. Ellen, 4,083 ft., Camel's Hump, 4,083 ft., Mt. Abraham, 4,017 ft.

Major Rivers: Missisquoi River, Lamoille River, Winooski River, White River, Otter Creek, West River, Batten Kill, and the Connecticut River which runs along Vermont's Eastern boundary with New Hampshire

Major Lakes: Lake Memphramagog, Lake Willoughby, Lake Bomoseen, Lake St. Catherine, and Lake Champlain, the nation's sixth largest fresh water lake, which runs along Vermont's western boundary with New York

* From the International Boundary Commission