| Vermont is located in the New England region in | | | | valley is Lake Bomoseen. |
| the eastern United States and comprises 9,614 | | | | Several mountains have timberlines: Mount |
| square miles (24,902 km2), making it the 45th | | | | Mansfield, the highest mountain in the state, as |
| largest state. Of this, land comprises 9,250 square | | | | well as Killington are examples. About 77 percent |
| miles (23,955 km2) and water comprises 365 | | | | of the state is covered by forest; the rest is |
| square miles (948 km2), making it the 43rd | | | | covered in meadow, uplands, lakes, ponds and |
| largest in land area and the 47th in water area. | | | | swampy wetlands. |
| The west bank of the Connecticut River marks | | | | Areas in Vermont administered by the National |
| the eastern border of the state with New | | | | Park Service include the Appalachian National |
| Hampshire (the river itself is part of New | | | | Scenic Trail and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller |
| Hampshire). Lake Champlain, the major lake in | | | | National Historical Park in Woodstock. |
| Vermont, is the sixth-largest body of fresh water | | | | Climate |
| in the United States and separates Vermont from | | | | Vermont has a humid continental climate (Koppen |
| New York in the northwest portion of the state. | | | | climate classification Dfb), with warm, humid |
| From north to south, Vermont is 159 miles (256 | | | | summers and cold winters, which become colder |
| km). Its greatest width, from east to west, is 89 | | | | at higher elevations. Vermont is known for its |
| miles (143 km) at the Canadian border; the | | | | mud season in spring followed by a generally mild |
| narrowest width is 37 miles (60 km) at the | | | | summer and a colorful autumn, and particularly for |
| Massachusetts line. The state's geographic center | | | | its cold winters. The northern part of the state, |
| is Washington, three miles (5 km) east of | | | | including the rural northeastern section (dubbed |
| Roxbury. | | | | the "Northeast Kingdom") is known for |
| There are six distinct physiographic regions of | | | | exceptionally cold winters, often averaging 10 |
| Vermont. Categorized by geological and physical | | | | °F (6 °C) colder than the southern |
| attributes, they are the Northeastern Highlands, | | | | areas of the state. Annual snowfall averages |
| the Green Mountains, the Taconic Mountains, the | | | | between 60 to 100 inches (150–250 |
| Champlain Lowlands, the Valley of Vermont and | | | | cm) depending on elevation, giving Vermont some |
| the Vermont Piedmont. | | | | of New England's best cross-country and downhill |
| The origin of the name Green Mountains (French: | | | | ski areas. |
| Verts monts) is uncertain. Some authorities say | | | | In the autumn, Vermont's hills experience an |
| that they are so named because they have much | | | | explosion of red, orange and gold foliage displayed |
| more forestation than the higher White Mountains | | | | on the sugar maple as cold weather approaches. |
| of New Hampshire and Adirondacks of New York. | | | | This famous display of color that occurs so |
| Other authorities say that they are so named | | | | abundantly in Vermont is not due so much to the |
| because of the predominance of | | | | presence of a particular variant of the sugar |
| mica-quartz-chlorite schist, a green-hued | | | | maple; rather it is caused by a number of soil and |
| metamorphosed shale. The range forms a | | | | climate conditions unique to the area. |
| north-south spine running most of the length of | | | | The highest-recorded temperature was 105 |
| the state, slightly west of its center. In the | | | | °F (41 °C), at Vernon on July 4, 1911; |
| southwest portion of the state are the Taconic | | | | the lowest-recorded temperature was -50 |
| Mountains; the Granitic Mountains are in the | | | | °F (-46 °C), at Bloomfield on December |
| northeast. In the northwest near Lake Champlain | | | | 30, 1933. |
| is the fertile Champlain Valley. In the south of the | | | | |