New York
The City of New York is the biggest and most populous city in the USA and one of the biggest cities in the world. With a population of 8.4 million people distributed over a land area of just 790 square kilometers, New York is the most densely populated city in the United States; over 800 languages are spoken in this city. New York was found in 1624 by Dutchmen. Today, it’s one of the world trade and financial centers and it has impact on global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, education and entertainment.
New York’s popular nicknames are “The big apple” or “The city that never sleeps”.
History
The first European, who explored the area of New York, was an Italian Giovanni de Verrazzano, it was in 1524. The first settlement in this area was established by Dutchmen in 1616. They called it “New Amsterdam”. Dutch general Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians in 1626 for 60 guilders (1000 US dollars today). In 1664, the city was conquered by British army and renamed “New York” after the English Duke of York.
New York grew in importance as a trading port. There was founded a Columbia University in 1754, in 1789 the first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated and the government of the United States was assembled in Federal Hall on Wall Street. In 1790, New York became the biggest city of the United States.
In the 19th century, the city was changed by the immigration and development. The grid of streets in New York was expanded and the Central park in the centre of city was established.
During the 20th century the city became the world center of trade and industry. New York became a home of the biggest black community in the North America and the most populous urbanized area in the world. It became the first megacity in human history. Prohibition and building skyscrapers were characteristic for this era.
In the 1960s, New York began to suffer from economic problems and rising criminality, but during the 80s was the economic health returned. In the 90s, crime rates started to drop and new huge wave of immigrants from Asia and Latin America arrived.
In the September 11, 2001, the city was attacked by terrorists. Two planes flew into the Twin towers. In destruction of those skyscrapers died nearly 3000 people. Responsibility for this attack claimed terroristic organization called Al-Kajida, but there are many conspiracy theories, that this attack was in charge of American government.
Geography
New York City is located in the Northeastern United States, in state New York. Through the city flow the Hudson River and the East River. The Hudson River separates New York State from New Jersey State. The East River separates Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The Bronx River connects those two rivers together.
The city’s land area is estimated at 790 square kilometers, but the total area of the New York metropolitan area is nearly 1220 square kilometers. The highest point in the city is Todt Hill on Staten Island, which is nearly 125 meters high.
Boroughs (Parts of New York)
New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Manhattan is the most densely populated borough and it is financial center of the city. The Bronx is the location of New York’s Yankees Stadium, home of baseball team New York Yankees. Brooklyn is well known for its cultural and ethnic diversity. Queens is the largest borough. Staten Island is one of the most popular attractions in New York.
Sightseeing
New York is world famous for its Manhattan skyline – a large number of skyscrapers on a small area. The most famous skyscrapers are Empire State building, Chrysler Building or Pan Am Building.
There is only one quit place in New York and it’s the Central Park, which was the first park in the United States. There are several lakes, two ice-skating rinks, a zoo or the theater in this park. But there are many other attractive places to visit, for example the Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated to the America by France, as a symbol of freedom and friendship of those two countries. You can also walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, see the Times Square at night and visit some of the New York museums, City Hall or the St. Patrick Catherdral.
Washington DC
Washington DC (D.C. means District of Columbia, NOT “Da City”) is the capital city of the USA, the seat of president and congress of the United States. There live about 590 000 inhabitants, most of them speaks English, rest of them speaks Spanish. It’s a center of the federal government of the USA. Washington DC motto is: “Justice for all”. Through the city flows the Potomac River. There are no skyscrapers in Washington because of law, that there aren’t allowed higher buildings than US Capitol Building.
History of Washington DC:
City was planned by the French engineer Pierre L’ Enfant in 1790. City is divided into 4 quadrants; its structure is very strict. In 1800, it became the capital city of the USA. During the war in 1812, most of the city was burned to the ground. In the end of the Civil War, there was killed Abraham Lincoln, the president of the USA. In 1960s and 1970s was old buildings renovated because of process of protection of historic structures. In 2001, Pentagon was attacked by group of terrorist.
Sightseeing:
Interesting places to visit in Washington DC are for example National Mall – 1 mile long park, surrounded by museums; it connects Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, Washington monument is 169 m high obelisk; Pentagon – seat of federal government; the White House – seat of the president; US Capitol Building – seat of American Congress; many memorials, theaters and museums. Washington DC welcomes approximately 15 million visitors each year.
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