New York City exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. As the home of the United Nations Headquarters, it is also an important center for international affairs.  

 

Located on a large natural harbor on the Atlantic coast of the Northeastern United States, New York City consists of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

 

New York traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading post by Dutch colonists and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surrounds came under English control in 1664  and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to outsiders. Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. The city hosts many world renowned bridges, skyscrapers, and parks. New York City's financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the financial capital of the world and is home to the New York Stock Exchang. Manhattan's real estate market is among the most prized and expensive in the world.