New York State

 

 

Territory (land area)

47,214 sq miles = 122,283 sq kms (Ranks 30th among states)

Population (July 2005 estimate):

19,254,630

Admitted:

July 28, 1778, as the 11th state of the US

Capital:

Albany

Largest city (incl. metropolitan area):

New York City

Abbreviation:

NY

Nickname:

The Empire State

Region:

The Middle Atlantic, The Northwest

 

New York is the largest city of the whole US, with more than 7 million people living within its 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island), and some 20 million in the larger metropolitan area around the city. It is perhaps the biggest center of world finance and business: the name of Wall Street, where the New York Stock Exchange is, stands for American finance in general. It is also an American capital of culture, home of the largest publisher firms, the most prestigious theaters (one of the oldest streets in Manhattan, Broadway, became a synonym for American theater), several world-famous museums, Columbia University, and the headquarters of national radio and television networks. The island of Manhattan, the oldest and central part of New York, is among the most famous places in the world: its huge skyscrapers and the large Central Park tucked in among them, are easily recognizable for most people in in the world. It is a city of extraordinary diversity, the largest mixture of immigrants and migrants in the country. It is also a city of extremes: elegant and expensive hotels, apartment houses, restaurants and shops coexist with huge slums, abandoned buildings, lots of homeless and addicted people.