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New York is the cultural capital of the world; it has global importance in fashion, finance, news, diplomacy, education, medicine and arts.  The city is a world-class tourist destination. It contains many landmarks, including the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Wall Street]], in [[Lower Manhattan]], and many others. The city (along with its #2 rival Chicago) invented the skyscraper, and still has some of the tallest buildings in the world, like [[Empire State Building]]; the [[World Trade Center]] towers were destroyed by terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks. [[File:Gotham1.jpg|thumb|220px]]

New York is the cultural capital of the world; it has global importance in fashion, finance, news, diplomacy, education, medicine and arts.  The city is a world-class tourist destination. It contains many landmarks, including the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Wall Street]], in [[Lower Manhattan]], and many others. The city (along with its #2 rival Chicago) invented the skyscraper, and still has some of the tallest buildings in the world, like [[Empire State Building]]; the [[World Trade Center]] towers were destroyed by terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks. [[File:Gotham1.jpg|thumb|220px]]

 

==Transportation==

==Boroughs==

New York owes its success  to its status as the major hub of world transportation by air and water. It grew because it has one of the world's finest natural harbors.  It is ice-free year-round and deep enough to enable large ships to reach its piers regardless of the tide.  The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was established in 1921 by the two states in order to administer jointly the shared waterfront. Most traffic is now handled through containers. Three major airports serve the city: John F. Kennedy International Airport (for international travel) and La Guardia Airport (for domestic travel), as well as nearby Newark International Airport. All are operated by the Port Authority, which also runs the bridges and subways.

 

Each of New York City's boroughs is coterminous a county in the State of New York. The five boroughs are:

* [[Brooklyn]] (Kings County)

* [[Queens]] (Queens County)

 

All of the non-Manhattan boroughs are sometimes referred to collectively as "the outer boroughs" as they are arranged in a sort of semicircle around Manhattan.

 

Many places have been proposed as "Sixth Boroughs," which can carry a different meaning depending on who is asked. Some areas often cited as "Sixth Boroughs" include:

== History ==

== History ==

 

The first Dutch settlers arrived on Manhattan in 1624, naming the town New Amsterdam.  Indian claims were bought out for the equivalent of $24.  The Dutch sent settlers up the Hudson River (which is easily navigable by sailing vessels) to Albany. The Dutch colony, named New Amsterdam, was run in autocratic fashion by Governor Peter Stuyvesant.  It soon had a cosmopolitan flavor, with freedom of religion and numerous ethnic and religious groups; the Dutch brought slaves as house servants.<ref>Slavery was finally abolished in 1799.</ref> The city was captured in war by the British in 1664; they renamed both the city and the colony for the duke of York (who later became King [[James II]]).  

New York City was formerly named [[New Amsterdam]], in recognition of the original Dutch settlement of the area. It was not the largest city in the colonies ([[Boston]], then [[Philadelphia]], held those honors).  But after the completion of the [[Erie Canal]] in 1820, New York City became a trading center connecting Europe to the [[Great Lakes]] and [[Midwest]].

 

[[File:Nyc2.jpg|thumb|450px|Manhattan neighborhoods]]

[[File:Nyc2.jpg|thumb|450px|Manhattan neighborhoods]]

The use of [[Ellis Island]] as the checkpoint for millions of European immigrants in the late 1800s caused New York City's population to swell, as many settled in nearby areas.

The use of [[Ellis Island]] as the checkpoint for millions of European immigrants in the late 1800s caused New York City's population to swell, as many settled in nearby areas.

•Studio Museum in Harlem

•Studio Museum in Harlem

== See also ==

== See also ==