Wedged between Philadelphia and New York City, New Jersey has long been a distributor of goods and a giant of industry. The state ranks first in production of pharmaceuticals, which account for 12 percent of all jobs. Along a narrow strip—part of the megalopolis stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C.—population density far exceeds that of India, yet 57 percent of the state remains forested or in farms. In million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, a model of pragmatic environmental management, development is diverted from the most fragile areas. Ocean resorts from Cape May to Asbury Park were fashionable by the late 19th century. Today some $300 million in taxes collected from Atlantic City casinos are used to benefit the state's elderly and handicapped.
ECONOMYIndustry: chemicals, printing and publishing, food processing, machinery, electronics.
Agriculture: nursery stock, vegetables, grain and hay, fruits and berries, dairy products.Text source:
National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
