Regions and Ecoregions


The problem in defining the regions of Massachusetts, or any state is that you will find political regions, tourist regions and land regions.



     According to information at Newenglandtime.com, Massachusetts has 12 regions.  These are divided by geographic tourist location rather than by ecosystems.  These regions are as follows:

    1.  The Berkshires and the Mohawk Trail
    2.  Franklin County and the Mohawk Trail
    3.  Greater Springfield
    4.  Central Massachusetts
    5.  The Greater Merrimack Valley
    6.  North of Boston
    7.  Boston and Cambridge
    8.  Bristol County
    9.  Plymouth County
   10. Cape Cod
   11. Martha's Vineyard
   12. Nantucket Island



http://www.mass.gov/anf/images/itd/massgis/datalayers/eco-reg.jpg

    At the Mass.gov website, they list 10 ecoregions but combine these into three major regions..    These are:

    1.  The Northeastern Highlands:  Includes high hills and low mountains.  There are northern hardwood trees and evergreens.  There are rivers, lakes and gradient streams that drain into the Connecticut River Basin.

    2.  The Northeastern Coastal Zone:  This area is made up of bedrock, low rolling hills, central and transitional hardwood forests, cropland and urban cities.

    3.  Cape Cod and the Islands:  Formed by the advance and retreat of the Wisconsin Ice Sheet, this area is contains terminal moraines. outwash plains, and coastal deposits.  There are dunes, sand beaches, marshes and scrub pine.  There are also kettle hole ponds and swamps.












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