manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City and is coextensive with New York County. It is largely situated on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River, with several smaller surrounding islands such as Roosevelt Island and Randalls Island. The borough is densely built and hosts a wide range of residential, commercial, and cultural districts.

Historically, the area was inhabited by the Lenape people before European settlement. The Dutch established a fur trading post at New Amsterdam on the southern tip of the island in the early 17th century; the English renamed it New York in 1664. Manhattan consolidated with the other boroughs to form the modern city in 1898.

Economically, Manhattan is a global financial center, anchored by Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, while Midtown hosts numerous corporate offices, media, and technology firms. The borough also contains world-famous cultural institutions and museums, Broadway theaters, and landmark parks such as Central Park. Notable sites include the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, and Rockefeller Center.

Manhattan is served by an extensive public transit network, principally the New York City Subway. The Port of New York and New Jersey handles sea traffic, while commercial airports serving the city lie outside the borough, notably LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airport. The population is highly diverse, with neighborhoods ranging from high-density apartments to historic districts; education and culture are prominent features, with institutions such as Columbia University and numerous museums.