The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most

populous city in the United States.[9] Located at the southern tip of the State
of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, one of th
e most populous urban agglomerations in the world.[10][11] A global power city,[
12] New York City exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art
, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace[13]
defining the term New York minute.[14] Home to the headquarters of the United N
ations,[15] New York is an important center for international diplomacy[16] and
has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world.[17][18][1
9][20][21][22]
Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors,[23][24] New York City co
nsists of five boroughs, each of which is a separate county of New York State.[2
5] The five boroughs Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island w
ere consolidated into a single city in 1898.[26] With a census-estimated 2015 po
pulation of 8,550,405[1] distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (
790 km2),[27] New York is the most densely populated major city in the United St
ates.[28] The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway for
legal immigration to the United States,[29][30][31] and as many as 800 languages
are spoken in New York,[32][33][34] making it the most linguistically diverse c
ity in the world.[33][35][36] By 2015 census estimates, the New York City metrop
olitan region remains by a significant margin the most populous in the United St
ates, as defined by both the Metropolitan Statistical Area (20.2 million residen
ts)[5] and the Combined Statistical Area (23.7 million residents).[6] In 2013, t
he MSA produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of nearly US$1.39 trillion,[3
7] while in 2012, the CSA[38] generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion, both ran
king first nationally by a wide margin and behind the GDP of only twelve and ele
ven countries, respectively.[39]
New York City traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading post by colonis
ts of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626.[40] The city and i
ts surroundings came under English control in 1664.[40][41][42] New York served
as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.[43] It has been the co
untry's largest city since 1790.[44] The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of i
mmigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th c
enturies[45] and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its de
mocracy.[46]
Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known, and the ci
ty received a record of nearly 60 million tourists in 2015,[47] hosting three of
the world's ten most visited tourist attractions in 2013.[48] Several sources h
ave ranked New York the most photographed city in the world.[49][50][51] Times S
quare, iconic as the world's "heart"[52] and its "Crossroads",[53] is the bright
ly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District,[54] one of the world's busi
est pedestrian intersections,[55][56] and a major center of the world's entertai
nment industry.[57] The names of many of the city's bridges, skyscrapers,[58] an
d parks are known around the world. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial Dis
trict of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the most economical
ly powerful city and the leading financial center of the world,[21][59][60][61][
62][63] and the city is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total
market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.[64][65] Manhatta
n's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world.[66][67] Manhatt
an's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the W
estern Hemisphere,[68][69] with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across
the city.[70][71] Providing continuous 24/7 service,[72] the New York City Subwa
y is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 469 stations in ope
ration.[73][74][75][76] New York City's higher education network comprises over
120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, New York Universit
y, and Rockefeller University, which have been ranked among the top 35 in the wo
rld.[77][78]