In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, most people’s introduction to New York was the sight of the Statue of Liberty resting in its harbour. The immigrants, from all over the world, came through the port into New York to populate the city so that by the nineteen twenties it was the most densely populated urban area in the world.

New York is renowned as a global city as it’s business, financial and cultural influence has spread across the world. The city was under the world’s spotlight after the horrific events of what the Americans term 9/11 when the Twin Towers were attacked and thousands of people lost their lives. Home to the United Nations headquarters, New York City, (so called to distinguish it from the larger area of New York State) is also a city of importance in international affairs.

The city is situated on the Hudson River in a natural harbour; the river separates NYC from New Jersey and flows out into the Atlantic Ocean. Although the city is densely populated it is one of the most energy efficient cities in America because most people use public transport rather than drive around the city. New York has the largest compressed natural gas bus fleet in the country. Fresh water is fed into the city from the Catskill Mountains watershed, and this makes it one of only four US cities to have drinking water that does not need treating.

Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are the five boroughs that make up the city of New York, which has the most diverse population in the world and where at least 800 different languages are spoken. Manhattan is the most densely populated area of the city and houses many of New York’s skyscrapers as well as the famous Central Park. The borough of Brooklyn is situated on the western tip of Long Island and has been part of the city since 1898. Queens is the largest and most ethnically diverse of the city’s boroughs, while the northernmost borough of the Bronx is home to the Yankee Stadium, it is also the only area of the city that is part of the US mainland. Staten Island is a suburban borough and the Staten Island Ferry is one of the most popular tourist attractions because of the views it offers of the Statue of Liberty.

New York is noteworthy for the size of its buildings and its skyscraper skyline, fifty of which are more than 650 feet high, second only to Hong Kong. The architecture of New York is a mix of styles, from the strictly modern, to the Art Deco, and the brown stone terraces and other brick and stone built buildings that replaced the wood framed homes that existed prior to the Great Fire of 1835. Despite the impression of an overcrowded concrete jungle, New York City has thousands of acres of public parks, including seven state parks within NYC that includes Riverbank State Park which has 28 acres and rises to 69 feet over the Hudson River.