| New York City is located on the
Eastern Atlantic coast of the United States, at the mouth of the
Hudson River. The city center resides at the exact location of 40
degrees, 42 minutes, 51 seconds N latitude, and 74 degrees, 0
minutes 23 seconds W longitude. New York City is made of five
boroughs, each of which is a county. Brooklyn (Kings Co.) and Queens
occupy the western portion of Long Island, while Staten Island
(Richmond Co.) and Manhattan are compeletely on their own land
masses. The Bronx, to the north, is attached to the New York State
mainland.
New York was briefly (1789-90) the U.S. capital
and was state capital until 1797. By 1790 it was the largest U.S.
city, and the opening (1825) of the ERIE CANAL, linking New York
with the GREAT LAKES, led to even greater expansion. In 1898 a new
charter was adopted, making the city Greater New York, a metropolis
of five boroughs.
|
