In 1664 the English took possession of New Netherland--the Dutch Colony including New York and New Jersey, King Charles II granted it to his brother, the Duke of York, who in turn granted that part of it lying between the Hudson and Delaware rivers to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The latter had been governor of the Isle of Jersey, and their new grant was named New Jersey in his honor. Disagreements between Carteret and Berkeley led the latter to sell his interest to other proprietors, among whom afterwards was William Penn. In 1676 the colony was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey by a line running from Little Egg Harbor to the Delaware in the northern part of the state. It is because of this division that the state is still often referred to as "the Jerseys." In 1702 the proprietors surrendered their proprietary rights to the crown. From that time to its independence the whole of New Jersey was under royal government. Five representatives from New Jersey signed the Declaration of Independence. The position of the state made it "The War Path of the Revolution." Paulus Hook, Springfield, Morristown, Monmouth, Princeton, and Trenton are famous names in Revolutionary history. The troops of the state were in every conflict. In the army of General Wayne, which punished the Indians after the Wyoming massacre, one third were New Jersey soldiers under General Maxwell. [Illustration: Trenton Battle Monument] [Illustration: Physical and Political New Jersey (north half)] [Illustration: Physical and Political New Jersey (south half)] POSITION AND SIZE New Jersey lies between 73° 55′ and 75° 32′ west longitude and between 38° 56′ and 41° 21′ north latitude. Its northernmost point is marked by a rock on the shore of the Delaware River just south of Port Jervis, New York, known as Tri-States Rock. From this point to Cape May the length of the state is 166 miles. Its narrowest part, between Trenton and Raritan Bay, is 335 miles wide. Its widest part, measured on a line extending northwest from Great Egg Inlet, is 57 miles wide. It is the smallest of the Middle Atlantic states and has an area of 8224 square miles, of which 7514 square miles are land surface and 710 square miles are water surface. It is the forty-fifth of the states in size. RELIEF In a general way the surface of New Jersey may be described as mountainous in the northern part, undulating in the middle part, and low and sandy in the southern part. The state is divided into four provinces or zones; namely, the Appalachian zone, the Highlands, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. These zones extend from southwest to northeast. [Illustration: Tri-States Rock in the Delaware River. The rock on which the man stands is at the intersection of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York boundaries] [Illustration: Topographic provinces of New Jersey]