New York skyline - view from the Rockefeller Center

The New York City is situated in the east coast of USA in the state of New York. It is located at the center of the BosWash megalopolis, 218 miles (350 km) driving distance from Boston and 220 miles (353 km) from Washington, D.C.. The area of the city is 321 square miles (830 square kilometres), but the city's total area is 468.9 square miles (1,214.4 square kilometres). Most of the city is situated on islands – there are three major islands – Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island.

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the most densely populated major city in North America. Its population is over 8.1 million; when considering all metropolitan area it is about 22 million that makes New York one of the largest urban areas in the world. The population density is 26 402 inhabitants per square mile. Besides density, other notable New York’s demographic feature is diversity. The city has always been a major point of entry for immigrants to the United States – more than 35 % of population is foreign born. Therefore, New York was nicknamed The Big Apple. As far as racial division is concerned, there are around 45 % of White, identically 27 % of Black and Hispanic and about 10 % of Asian.

The city is a center for international finance, fashion, entertainment and culture, and is widely considered to be one of the world's major global cities with an extraordinary collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations and financial markets. It is also home to the headquarters of the United Nations.

The city proper consists of five boroughs. Bronx – is considered to be the home to the Yankees. It is a multi-ethnic borough that offers much to visitors and citizens alike. However these positive aspects are sometimes overshadowed by the poverty of some districts. Bronx is the only borough of the city that is on the mainland of the United States. Brooklyn was once an independent city and it still has a strong native identity. It is the most populous borough. There is a long beachfront and Coney Island, famous as one of the earliest amusement grounds in the country. Manhattan, probably the most famous of all boroughs is the business center of the city. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city's skyscrapers. It is loosely subdivided into downtown, midtown, and uptown regions. Queens is geographically the largest borough and also the most ethnically diverse county in the United States with many immigrant enclaves. There are 138 languages used there. Staten Island is quiet and the most suburban in character of all the five boroughs.

From the 25 largest American cities, New York is surprisingly the safest one.