Around the world – New York

Start spreading the news: Junior Ed PLUS explores the Big Apple

New York – the largest city in North America. Easily recognised for its distinctive skyline and often affectionately known as ‘The Big Apple’ because of its association with the music entertainment industry. It is divided into five areas: Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan and the Bronx, which is the only borough situated on the mainland.

The land on which the city is built was first sighted by the Italian explorer, Giovanni Da Verrazano, in 1524. The city was originally called New Amsterdam, because of its connection with the Dutch, who first settled there permanently in 1624. It changed to New York following capture by the British in 1664, the name coming from King Charles II’s brother, James, the Duke of York.