NEW YORK CITY IS THE LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. IT IS THE TEEMING CENTRE OF ONE OF THE MOST POPULOUS METROPOLITAN AREAS. THE CITY COVERS MORE THAN 785 SQUARE KM (303 SQUARE MILES), ON THE ATLANTIC COAST ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN WASHINGTON, DC, AND BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. IT IS BUILT ON A GROUP OF ISLANDS AND PENINSULAS, WITH THE HUDSON RIVER AND NEW YORK BAY AT THE RIVER’S MOUTH TO THE SOUTHWEST, AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE EAST. WITH AN IDEAL NATURAL HARBOUR, NEW YORK CITY HAS BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST PORTS AND A WORLD LEADER IN TRADE AND INDUSTRY.
NEW YORK CITY IS MADE UP OF FIVE BOROUGHS: THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN; BROOKYLN, WHICH ALONG WITH QUEENS IS AT THE WESTERN END OF LONG ISLAND; THE BRONX, NORTH OF MANHATTAN€ROSS THE HARLEM RIVER, WHICH IS THE ONLY PART OF NEW YORK ON THE UNITED STATES MAINLAND; AND RICHMOND (OR STATEN ISLAND), ADJACENT TO THE NEW JERSEY SHORE AND CONNECTED WITH BROOKYLN BY VERRAZANO NARROWS BRIDGE. THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE FIVE BOROUGHS IN 1986 WAS 7,262,700.
WITH AN AREA OF ONLY 58 SQUARE KM (22 SQ MILES), MANHATTAN IS THE SMALLEST BOROUGH. BUT IT HAS MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE AND IS THE ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND INTELLECTUAL CENTRE OF THE CITY, IF NOT OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. MANHATTAN IS REALLY LIKE SEVERAL CITIES IN ONE. AT ITS SOUTHERN END IS THE BUSY FINANCIAL DISTRICT, WHICH WAS ONCE CROWNED BY THE TWIN 110-STOREY TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE. ALONG THE EAST RIVER AND ADJOINING BROOKLYN BRIDGE LIES SOUTH SEA PORT, AN AREA OF COBBLESTONE STREETS AND REVITALIZED 19TH CENTURY BUILDINGS.
FURTHER NORTH ARE SOME OF THE CITY’S BEST PRESERVED OLD WORLD COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS CHINATOWN AND LITTLE ITALY. SOTTO, AN AREA WITH MUCH OLD CAST-IRON ARCHITECTURE, ORIGINALLY WAREHOUSES, HAS BEEN RESTORED TO HOUSE ARTISTS STUDIES, BOUTIQUES AND CAFES. WEST IS GREENWICH VILLAGE, AN OLD-FASHIONED RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT. LONG THE HOME OF ARTISTS AND WRITERS, IT HAS IRREGULAR, TWISTING STREETS THAT REVEAL CHARMING SHUTTERED TOWN HOUSES, ALLEYWAYS WITH GARDENS, AND NEW HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS. NORTH OF HOUSTON STREET, MANHATTAN’S STREETS FORM A MORE REGULAR CRISS-CROSS PATTERN.
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN CONTAINS MANY OF THE BUILDINGS, MONUMENTS, AND SIGHTS THAT ONE ASSOCIATES WITH NEW YORK CITY: THE 102-STOREY EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, THE UNITED NATIONS BUILDING, TIMES SQUARE, AND THE ROCKEFELLER CENTER. ALSO IN MIDTOWN ARE MANY OF THE CITY’S BEST-KNOWN RETAIL STORES. SOME OF THE MOST ELEGANT ONES LINE FIFTH AVENUE. THE FAMOUS GARMENT DISTRICT STRETCHES ALONG SEVENTH AVENUE. IN THE CENTRE OF MANHATTAN IS CENTRAL PARK, A MASTERPIECE OF 19TH CENTURY LANDSCAPING.
FOR THOSE WHO LIVE ELSEWHERE, MANHATTAN IS NEW YORK. FAMOUS WRITER O. HENRY CALLED IT “BAGHDAD ON THE SUBWAY”, SO VITAL, VARIED, AND COLOURFUL WAS ITS URBAN ATMOSPHERE. THERE IS A HUGENESS TO NEW YORK CITY THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND, UNLESS ONE SEES IT FOR ONESELF. IT IS NOT ONLY THE NUMBER AND HEIGHT OF THE SKYCRAPERS, NOR JUST THE MASSES OF PEOPLE. THE CITY IS A CENTRE OF WEALTH, POWER, POLITICAL INFLUENCE, AND ARTISTIC CREATIVITY LIKE NO OTHER PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD. NEARLY 100 OF THE LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE NATION HAVE THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN THE CITY. THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE AND THE AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE DOMINATE THE COUNTRY’S FINANCIAL MARKETS. ITS FAMED “MADISON AVENUE” IS THE ADVERTISING CENTRE OF AMERICA. SIX OF THE LARGEST COMMERCIAL BANKS AND THREE OF THE LARGEST INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE THEIR HEADQUARTERS THERE. THE MAJOR TV NETWORKS ARE IN THE CITY: THE AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY, THE COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM, AND THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY. THE CITY’S NEWSPAPERS, THE NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL, HAVE BECOME NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, INFLUENCING THOUGHT AND POLICY THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
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