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New York: the city symbol of the United States

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New York is located at the mouth of the Hudson River in the Atlantic Ocean. The city lies on numerous islands (Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island) and on the mainland, and is made up of the 5 districts of Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. New York, famous for its skyscrapers, is today the most populous city in the United States with over eight million inhabitants, which considering the metropolitan area becomes almost nineteen million. The city is a world pole for finance, commerce, culture and industry. Its port and its airports are among the most important in the world. It is also home to numerous world institutions such as the United Nations.

HISTORY

The bay of New York was discovered by the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524, but the area was colonized only from the beginning of the seventeenth century by the Dutch. They founded the fort Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan in 1626, around to which arose the city of Nieuw Amsterdam (today New York). The city was the capital of the colony of New Holland (Nieuw Holland), which extended from Delaware to Connecticut and inland to Albany.

In 1664, during the second Anglo-Dutch war, the British occupied the city and renamed it, in honor of the Duke of York, New York, with the treaty of Breda (1667) the city was assigned to the British, but during the third Anglo-Dutch War, in 1673 the Dutch recaptured the city, and retained possession of it until 1674 when it was ceded to Great Britain. In the following centuries New York developed considerably becoming the most important and populous city in the United States of America.

WHAT TO VISIT IN NEW YORK: TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The city of New York is made up of five districts: the original island of Manhattan, the Bronx – is the northernmost of the neighborhoods and is located on the mainland -, Richmond on Staten Island, Brooklin and Queens on Long Island.

The island of Manhattan is the financial center of the city and the place where the main places of interest are located. The financial district of the city is located on the southern tip of the island of Manhattan. Here the narrow streets of the original city have been preserved, dominated however by the tall skyscrapers that characterize the New York skyline.

STATUE OF LIBERTY

In addition to the numerous and various skyscrapers in this area there is the Fraunces Tavern. This is a reconstruction of a Georgian-style building from 1719. In the vicinity along the river bank there is Battery Park with the ruins of Castle Clinton, a fortification of 1807. In front of the park there are various islands, including Liberty Island where the famous Statue of Liberty stands. The statue was donated in 1885 by France to the United States as a sign of friendship. 91 meters high, it is the work of the sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi.

In the northern part of the financial district is Trinity Church, a 19th century neo-Gothic building. Here is also the New York Stock Exchange, the famous Wall Street, built where the walls of the Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam stood. Saint Paul’s Chapel is a beautiful 18th century colonial style church.

SKYSCRAPERS, MUSEUMS AND PARKS

To the east of the church stood the World Trade Center Twin Towers, two 410-meter high buildings, completely destroyed by the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. West of the church is the famous Brooklyn Bridge, the oldest bridge in New York, built in the late 19th century. In this area of the city there is also the Chinatown of New York. Further north to Central Park are Greenwich Village and East Village, home to artists and intellectuals.

The famous Empire State Building skyscraper is located north of Greenwich Village. The building that was the tallest skyscraper in the city for many years rises to a height of 380 meters. In the area close to Central Park, the so-called Theater District there are Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square and further east the United Nations building.

CENTRAL PARK

The famous Central Park is a vast urban park of approximately 340 hectares with paths, lakes, statues, monuments and fountains. The park also houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the United States and one of the most important art museums in the world. There are sections dedicated to painting, archeology, sculpture, ceramics with unique masterpieces in the world.

Not far away, on the other side of Central Park is the American Museum of Natural History, an interesting museum dedicated to natural history, paleontology, mineralogy, animals and plants. Near the Metropolitan Museum of Art is also the Salomon Guggenheim Museum, a museum dedicated to contemporary art. A visit to the Museum of the City of New York is a must for anyone who wants to learn more about the New York stroia from its foundation to today.

Among the many other New York attractions, the Bronx has a huge zoo and a beautiful botanical garden. In the Brooklin neighborhood, the New York Aquarium is worth visiting.

The climate of New York.

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