Land

New Hampshire includes a number of regions like the coastal lowland in the southeast, the New England Uplands, covering most of the south and west; and the White Mountains to the north.  Mt. Washington, at 6,288 ft (1,918 m), is the highest peak in the northeastern US. The terrain of New Hampshire is generally hilly, rocky, and in many areas densely wooded.
There are about 1,300 lakes and ponds, of which the largest is Lake Winnipesaukee, covering 70 sq mi (181 sq km). The main rivers are the Connecticut, Merrimack, Salmon Falls, Piscataqua, Saco, and Androscoggin. Near the coast are the nine rocky Isles of Shoals, three of which belong to New Hampshire.

Climate

The climate of New Hampshire fluctuates with wide variations in daily and seasonal temperatures. Summers are short and cool, while winters are long and cold. Concord has a normal daily mean temperature of 46°F (8°C), ranging from 21°F (–6°C) in January to 70°F (21°C) in July and an annual average precipitation of  37.6 in (95.5 cm). The average annual snowfall in Concord is 65 in (165 cm) with more than 100 in (254 cm) yearly in the mountains.

Flora and Fauna

New Hampshire is densely forested with an abundance of elm, hemlock, maple, oak, beech, pine, and fir trees. Among wild flowers, several orchids are considered rare. Three New Hampshire plant species were listed as threatened or endangered in 2003 included the small whorled pogonia and Jesup's milk-vetch and Northeastern bulrush.
The white-tailed deer, muskrat, beaver, porcupine, and snowshoe hare are the native mammals of New Hampshire. Nine animal species were listed as threatened or endangered in 2003, including the Karner blue butterfly, bald eagle, dwarf wedgemussel, finback whale, and leatherback sea turtle.

People

A total of 223,026 residents of New Hampshire claimed English ancestry in 2000. Inhabitants of French origin numbered about 180,947, and Irish ancestry included 240,804 inhabitants. In 2000, there were 9,035 black Americans, 15,931 Asians, 371 Pacific Islanders, and 2,964 Native Americans in New Hampshire. In the same year, there were 20,489 residents of Hispanic origin, or 1.7% of the total population.

The first settlers of New Hampshire were Separatists, precursors of the modern Congregationalists. Their first church was probably built around 1633. The first Episcopal church was built in 1638 and the first Quaker meetinghouse in 1701. Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists built churches later in the 18th century. The state remained almost entirely Protestant until the second half of the 19th century, when Roman Catholics began settling in large numbers along with  some Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians.

In 2000, Roman Catholics were the largest single Christian denomination with about 431,259 adherents. Leading Protestant denominations were the United Church of Christ, with 34,299 adherents; the United Methodist Church, 18,927; the American Baptist Churches–USA, 16,359; and the Episcopal Church had 16,148 adherents. There were about 10,020 Jews and 3,782 Muslims throughout the state. A few small groups have reported considerable growth since 1990 includes the the Salvation Army, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and the Christian Churches and the Churches of Christ.