the shapes of the states

As a geographer I couldn't help noticing the new book How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein at a local public library. It's full of great stuff... Who remembers that New Netherlands was bound by the Connecticut River on the east and the Delaware River on the west, but included Delaware? By extension, Vermont was a part of New York state, and Protestant Delaware refused to be annexed by Maryland. Instead it was annexed by Pennsylvania so that the latter could secure access to the sea. In a similar land grab, Nevada was extended to the Colorado River, pissing off Arizonans. And who recalls that Massachussetts, Connecticut, and Georgia all extended to the Pacific Ocean? This is a fun book, highly recommended. (image from Wikimedia Commons)