New York referred to as New York City or the City of New York to distinguish it from

the State of New York, of which it is a part is the most populous city in the United States and
the center of the New York metropolitan area, the premier gateway for legal immigration to the
United States[6][7][8] and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world.[9] A global
power city,[10] New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion,
research, technology, education, and entertainment. Home to the headquarters of the United
Nations,[11] New York is an important center for international diplomacy[12] and has been described
as the cultural and financial capital of the world.[13][14][15][16][17]
On one of the world's largest natural harbors,[18] New York City consists of five boroughs, each of
which is acounty of New York State.[19] The five boroughs Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan,
the Bronx, and Staten Island were consolidated into a single city in 1898.[20] With a censusestimated 2013 population of 8,405,837[1]distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles
(790 km2),[21] New York is the most densely populatedmajor city in the United States.[22] As many
as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[23][24] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the
world.[25] By 2013 census estimates, the New York City metropolitan region remains by a
significant margin the most populous in the United States, as defined by both the Metropolitan
Statistical Area (19.9 million residents)[26] and the Combined Statistical Area (23.5 million
residents).[27] In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of nearly
US$1.39 trillion,[28] while in 2012, the CSA[29]generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion, both
ranking first nationally by a wide margin and behind the GDP of only twelve nations and eleven
nations, respectively.[30]
New York traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch
Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626.[31] The city and its surroundings came under
English control in 1664.[31][32][33]New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until
1790.[34] It has been the country's largest city since 1790.[35] The Statue of Liberty greeted millions
of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries[36] and is a
globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy.[37]
Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to the city's
approximately 55 million annual visitors.[38] Several sources have ranked New York the most
photographed city in the world.[39][40][41]Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the
World",[42] is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District,[43] one of the world's
busiest pedestrian intersections,[44][45] and a major center of the world's entertainment
industry.[46] The names of many of the city's bridges, skyscrapers,[47] and parks are known around
the world. New York City's financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, has
been called the world's leading financial center,[48][49][50][51] and the city is home to the world's
two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock
Exchange and NASDAQ.[52][53] Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the
world.[54][55] Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in
the Western Hemisphere,[56][57] with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the
city.[58][59] Providing continuous 24/7 service,[60] the New York City Subway is one of the most

extensive metro systems worldwide, with 468 stations in operation.[61][62][63][64] New York
City's higher education network comprises over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia
University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which have been ranked among the
top 35 in the world.[65]