New York

It´s probably the most famous city in the world. People have written songs about it. You´ve seen it in hundreds of films and TV programmes. Think of America and you think of the Big Apple - New York.

The centre of New York is the island of Manhattan. Today the island is full of skyscrapers, but four hundred years ago it was the home of the Alconquin Indians. The first Europeans to arrive were from the Netherlands. In 1626, a Dutchman, Peter Minuit, bought the island from the Indians for just 24 dollars and built some houses there. He called it New Amsterdam. In 1664 howerer, the British took it and they called it New York, because the King´s brother was the Duke of York.

Over the next three hundred years New York grew into the lagest city in the USA. People from countries like Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland and China came to find a new life there.

There are hundreds of things to do and places to go in New York - museums, art galleries, theatres and nightclubs plus thousand of restaurant and shops in the world Macy´s. On this page you can see some of the most famous New york landmarks.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France and it stands on Liberty Island. You can get a ferry to the island and climb the stairs inside the statue.

Until 1970 the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It has 102 flors and on a clear day you can see for 120 kilometres from the top. Today the tallest building in New York the World Trade Center. You can see its twin towers in the picture Manhattan above.

Times Square is the entertainment centre of New York. It is full of theatres, bars and restaurants. On New Year´s Eve, New Yorkers come to Time Square to celebrate the New Year.

In the middle of Manhattan is Central Park. Here you can walk, take a boat on the lake, play baseball or just relax away from the noise and the traffic.