Earth. It is not unusual for them to live
for 3,000 to 4,000 years. They grow in
dry, mountainous regions in California
and Nevada.
Uses
People have used the wood of conifers
for thousands of years. Ancient peoples
built great sailing ships out of cedars
from the Middle East. More than 500
years ago, warriors in Europe made long
bows from the bendable wood of yews.
Today people use the wood of pines to
make houses and furniture.
People today also plant conifers in gardens,
parks, and yards. They grow them
indoors as decorative plants. People in
North America and western Europe use
pines, firs, spruces, and other conifers as
Christmas trees. In addition, conifers are
used to make such products as paper
and turpentine.
#More to explore
Cedar • Cypress • Fir • Juniper • Larch
• Pine • Redwood • Tree • Yew
Conifers grow their seeds inside cones. They usually have needle-shaped leaves. Redwoods
are the tallest conifers and the tallest trees on Earth.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Conifer 183
Connecticut
The state of Connecticut was
named for the Connecticut
River. Algonquian Indians called the
river Quinnehtukqut, meaning “land on
the long tidal river.” Connecticut is
nicknamed the Constitution State
because its early settlers wrote a set of
laws to govern themselves that later provided
ideas for the U.S. Constitution.
Those laws, known as the Fundamental
Orders of Connecticut, were created in
1638 and covered such issues as elections,
powers of officials, and taxation.
The capital of Connecticut is Hartford.
Geography
Connecticut is the southernmost New
England state. It is bordered by Massachusetts
on the north, Rhode Island on
the east, New York on the west, and the
Long Island Sound on the south.
Connecticut has highlands in the west
and east with a lowland in the middle.
The northern part of the western highlands
is called the Litchfield Hills. They
include Mount Frissell, which is the
state’s highest point at 2,380 feet (725
meters). The central lowland includes
the fertile Connecticut River valley. The
eastern highlands are low, wooded hills
with many rivers.
People
At the time of the first U.S. census, in
1790, almost all of Connecticut’s people
were English. In the 1800s Irish, French
Canadian, Italian, Polish, and other
European immigrants settled in the
state. Today more than four fifths of
Connecticut’s residents are of European
heritage. African Americans and Hispanics
each make up about 9 percent of the
population. The state’s Asian American
and Native American groups are small.
Connecticut has a large population for
its size. As a result, it is one of the country’s
most crowded states. Most of its
people live in cities or towns. Bridgeport,
on the coast, is the largest city.
Other large cities are Hartford, New
Haven, and Stamford.
Economy
Real estate, finance, and the insurance
industry are major parts of Connecticut’s
economy. Hartford is known as the
Insurance Capital of theWorld because
of the many insurance companies with
offices there. Manufacturing businesses
in Connecticut produce jet aircraft
engines, computer equipment, chemicals,
machinery, and other goods. Hart-
184 Connecticut BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ford, Bridgeport, Danbury, and New
Haven are the state’s leading manufacturing
centers. New Haven is also the
site of Yale University, one of the leading
educational institutions in the United
States.
History
The first residents of the Connecticut
region were Algonquian Indians. Europeans
arrived from nearby colonies in
the 1630s. In 1633 Dutch colonists
built a fort and trading post where Hartford
now stands. English colonists from
Massachusetts established posts at what
are nowWethersfield andWindsor.
Later the English took over the Hartford
site. In 1662 the English king made
Connecticut an independent colony. In
1788 Connecticut entered the Union as
one of the original 13 states.
Connecticut was a farming region until
the early 1800s, when textile factories
were established. By 1850 more people
worked in manufacturing than in agriculture.
In the 1900s Connecticut was
called an “arsenal of democracy” because
it produced many firearms used in
WorldWars I and II and the Korean and
Vietnam wars. Manufacturing later
declined in value, but high-technology
industries boosted the economy.
..More to explore
Hartford
The museum called Mystic Seaport focuses
on the time in Connecticut’s history when
wooden sailing ships were important to the
area’s economy.
The writer Mark Twain lived in Hartford, Connecticut, for more than 15 years. The house
that he lived and worked in is now open to the public.
Facts About
CONNECTICUT
Flag
Population
(2000 census)
3,405,565—
rank, 29th state;
(2008 estimate)
3,501,252—
rank, 29th state
Capital
Hartford
Area
5,543 sq mi
(14,357 sq km)—
rank, 48th state
Statehood
January 9, 1788
Motto
Qui Transtulit
Sustinet (He Who
Transplanted Still
Sustains)
State bird
American robin
State flower
Mountain laurel
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Connecticut 185
Conquistador
The Spanish word for conqueror is conquistador.
Many Spanish soldiers and
explorers traveled to the Americas after
Christopher Columbus made the first
