New York City is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world’s largest natural harbours. The city comprises five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island — and serves as a global centre of finance, culture, technology and international diplomacy as home to United Nations headquarters.
With an estimated population of 8.6 million in July 2025 spread across 300.46 square miles, New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States and one of the world’s most populous megacities. The metropolitan area is home to more than 20 million people and approximately 5.9 million foreign-born residents as of 2023. An estimated 800 languages are spoken across the city, making it the most linguistically diverse urban area on Earth. Manhattan Island was inhabited by Munsee-speaking Lenape when Dutch colonists established Fort Amsterdam in 1624. The settlement became New Amsterdam in 1626, passed to English control in 1664 and was permanently renamed New York in 1674. The modern city was formed by the 1898 consolidation of its five boroughs.
