Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by New Hampshire and Vermont to the north; New York to the west; Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The capital and largest city is Boston.

Massachusetts has a long colonial and revolutionary history. The Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony helped establish New England. It joined the United States as one of the original thirteen states. Its 1780 Constitution is the oldest functioning written constitution in use in the world.

The state’s economy is diversified, with strengths in higher education, health care, technology, finance, and tourism. It is home to leading universities such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to major biotechnology and research centers in the Greater Boston area.

Geography ranges from the coastal plains of the Atlantic to the Berkshire Mountains in the west, with islands such as Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket off Cape Cod. The population centers are concentrated in the Greater Boston area, with suburban communities across the state.

Massachusetts has a Democratic-leaning political culture and a long-standing state government known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It maintains a two-house legislature, the Massachusetts General Court, and a governor as its chief executive. The state is known for prominent cultural institutions and historic sites.