Middle Atlantic state of the E United States. It is bordered by New York State (and, across the Hudson R. and New York Harbor), the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware, across Delaware Bay, and Pennsylvania, across the Delaware R.
Area, 7,836 sq mi (20,295 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 8,414,350, an 8.9% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital, Trenton. Largest city, Newark.
Nickname, Garden State.
Motto, Liberty and Prosperity.
State bird, Eastern goldfinch.
State flower, purple violet.
State tree, red oak.
Only four states are smaller in size than New Jersey, yet New Jersey ranks ninth in the nation in population and has the highest population density of any U.S. state, facts owing in part to its proximity to both New York City and Philadelphia but also indicative of its economic importance. New Jersey is a major industrial center, an important transportation corridor and terminus, and a long-established playground for summer vacationers.
The state is noted for its output of chemicals and 
pharmaceuticals, machinery, and a host of other products, including electronic equipment, printed materials, and processed foods. Bayonne is the terminus of pipelines originating in Texas and Oklahoma, and there are oil refineries at Linden and Carteret . The long history of heavy industry in New Jersey has left the state with the largest inventory of U.S. Superfund sites, and industrial cleanup is an important issue in its cities.
*Information from Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition