Though the existence of an arc or chain of islands[1][2] in this archipelago is widely acknowledged by geographers, it is rarely given a specific name; occasionally a descriptive term such as southern New England islands[3][4][5][6] or a technical term such as Cape Cod/Long Island ecoregion[7] or Long Island–Cape Cod Coastal Lowland[8] is used. The Isles of Stirling was the name granted in 1635 when the islands came into the possession of William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling. "Outer Lands" is a term popularized by author Dorothy Sterling in her 1967 natural history guide of the same name,[9] and used by later natural history authors such as Patrick J. Lynch.[10]
Divisions
The Massachusetts section is often called the "Cape and Islands", with the "Islands" subregion very specifically referring to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and other smaller islands in Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Long Island is often informally considered a part of the "New York islands" alongside Staten Island and Manhattan. These islands are geographically contiguous with the broader region. (The insular Massachusetts sections were actually part of the Province of New York for most of the late 17th century.)
Some of the islands are included in the archipelago due to proximity, despite key geological differences, such as Manhattan, which is instead part of the Manhattan Prong.
The islands are separated from the mainland by a series of bays and sounds that used to make up Lake Connecticut, Lake Narragansett, and other glacial lakes.
The region is designated the "Long Island-Cape Cod Coastal Lowland", Major Land Resource Area 149B, by the United States Department of Agriculture, which also includes Staten Island.[8]
Culture
The region has historically had a strong maritime culture, with an emphasis on fishing. From eastern Long Island east, much of the region has in recent decades taken on a summer colony character.[15]
^Sterling, Dorothy (1967). The outer lands: a natural history guide to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, and Long Island. Garden City, New York: Natural History Press. LCCN67011253.