New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world.[7 ] The city is referred to as New York City or the City of New York[8 ] to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part.[9 ] A global power city,[10 ] New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters,[11 ] New York is an important center for international diplomacy[12 ] and has been described as the cultural capital of the world.[13 ] [14 ]

Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors,[15 ] New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a county of New York State.[16 ] The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898.[17 ] [18 ] With a census-estimated 2012 population of 8,336,697[5 ] distributed over a land area of just 302.64 square miles (783.8 km2),[5 ] New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States.[19 ] As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[20 ] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21 ] The New York Metropolitan Area's population is the United States' largest, with 18.9 million people distributed over 6,720 square miles (17,400 km2),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-metro_22-0">[22 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23 ] and is also part of the most populous combined statistical area in the United States, containing 22.2 million people as of 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Combined_4-1">[4 ]

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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u-s-history.com_24-0">[24 ] The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u-s-history.com_24-1">[24 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25 ] and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27 ] New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-senate_28-0">[28 ] It has been the country's largest city since 1790.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29 ] The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30 ] and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31 ]

Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to its approximately 50 million annual visitors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[32 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34 ] Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[35 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[36 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[37 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[38 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[39 ] is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theatre district,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[40 ] one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Joshua_Pramis_41-0">[41 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[42 ] and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43">[43 ] The names of many of the city's bridges, skyscrapers,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44">[44 ] 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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45">[45 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[46 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">[47 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[48 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49">[49 ] and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[50 ] Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[51 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52">[52 ] Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[53 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54">[54 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55">[55 ] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56">[56 ] Providing continuous 24/7 service,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-twentyfour_57-0">[57 ] the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive rapid transit systems worldwide. Numerous colleges and universities are located in New York,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58">[58 ] including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which have been ranked amongst the top 35 in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59">[59 ]