New York City

:This is an article about New York City; see also NYC, New York, New York (disambiguation) and New York.

Geography and climate

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New York City is situated among an archipelago of islands astride the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of North America, surrounding the fine New York Harbor, which was the very reason for the city's founding. The city itself has been built on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens), as well as on the mainland in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the surrounding waters.

Related Topics:
Archipelago - Island - Atlantic Ocean - Eastern Seaboard - North America - New York Harbor - Long Island - Mainland

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The Hudson River flows from the Hudson Valley into New York Bay, becoming a tidal estuary that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from New Jersey. The East River and Harlem River, really a single tidal strait, stretch from the Long Island Sound to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island.

Related Topics:
Hudson River - Hudson Valley - New York Bay - Tidal - Estuary - New Jersey - East River - Harlem River - Strait - Long Island Sound

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Upper New York Bay is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is connected by the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island to Lower New York Bay, which is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New

Related Topics:
Upper New York Bay - The Narrows - Lower New York Bay

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Jersey, and opens to the Atlantic Ocean.

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The shape of the land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation along the waterfronts since Dutch times, most dramatically in Lower Manhattan, and continuing in modern developments like Battery Park City. Much of the natural variations in topography have been evened out, particularly in Manhattan (one possible meaning for Manhattan is "island of hills"; in fact, the island was quite hilly before European settlement). A number of smaller islands have been artificially enlarged, and the map of islands in Jamaica Bay has been completely transformed.

Related Topics:
Land reclamation - Lower Manhattan - Battery Park City - Artificially enlarged - Jamaica Bay

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New York has a humid continental climate, though being adjacent to water it suffers less temperature fluctuation than inland areas. New York winters are typically cold (though not severely so; temperatures below 0 °F (-18 °C) only occur about once per decade on average), and sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of snow. Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s °F (10 to 15 °C) in late March to the lower 80s °F (25 to 30 °C) in early June. Summers in New York are hot and humid, with temperatures commonly exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), although high temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are about as rare as subzero (F) lows in winter. Autumns are comfortable in New York and similar to spring in temperature. However, the weather is notably unpredictable, with mild, almost snowless winters (such as in 1997-98) and relatively cool summers (such as in 1992) an occasional surprise, and huge snowstorms arriving as late as the second week in April (significant snow after mid-March is fairly rare though). Temperatures have been as high as 106 °F (38 °C) set on July 9th, 1936 or have dipped as low as -15 °F (-26 °C) set on February 9th, 1934. These temperatures are not common and have not been matched or surpassed in more than six decades. Travelers are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers of clothing in late fall and in the early spring months (e.g., November, March, April).

Related Topics:
Humid continental - July 9th - 1936 - February 9th - 1934 - Decades

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,214.4 km² (468.9 mi²). 785.6 km² (303.3 mi²) of it is land and 428.8 km² (165.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 35.31% water. Although most of the city is adequately above sea level, parts of it could be threatened in the future if the current patterns of global warming continue.

Related Topics:
United States Census Bureau - Km² - Mi²

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