New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, bordered by New York, the Atlantic Ocean, Pennsylvania and Delaware. At 7,354 square kilometres it is the fifth-smallest state by land area but the most densely populated, with over 9.5 million residents.
The region was inhabited by Paleo-Indians from around 13,000 BC, with the Lenape the dominant Indigenous group when Dutch and Swedish colonists arrived in the early 17th century. Britain later seized control and established the Province of New Jersey, named after the Channel Island of Jersey. The state played a central role in the American Revolution, hosting pivotal battles and earning the designation “Crossroads of the American Revolution”. Its fertile lands and relative religious tolerance attracted a large, diverse population. After the Civil War, New Jersey became a major manufacturing centre and destination for immigrants, driving the Industrial Revolution in the United States through industrial, technological and commercial innovation.
