POCONO MOUNTAINS

also called Poconos highland region in Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and eastern Carbon counties of northeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. The Poconos are bounded on the west by the Lehigh River; on the northwest by river valleys containing the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre; and on the east by the Delaware River, which forms the PennsylvaniaNew York and PennsylvaniaNew Jersey borders. The Poconos were part of the notorious Walking Purchase (1737) negotiated between Thomas Penn (then proprietor of Pennsylvania) and the Delaware Indians. The Poconos are a series of flat-topped mountains that reach 1,400 to 1,800 feet (430 to 550 metres) in elevation. They trend southwest to northeast and link up with the Catskill Mountains to the northeast. Hard sandstones and conglomerates in the Poconos have resisted erosion and thus kept the mountains raised above the surrounding lowlands, forming a heavily forested plateau that is flat to hilly in character. The plateau's southern and eastern edge drops abruptly to the lowlands and is specifically known as the Pocono Mountains. This escarpment, with its relatively cool climate and the scenic beauty of its forests, lakes, and streams, has long been the site of many resort facilities for tourists in both summer and winter.