Portal:New York (state)/Intro

New York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. New York City and Long Island are located on the southeastern-most part of lower New York State, and Upstate New York is in the north.

New York is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; it shares a water border with Rhode Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. New York is the United States' third most populous state.

The Algonquian, Iroquois, and Lenape Native American groups inhabited New York when Dutch and French nationals moved into the region in the early 17th century. First claimed by Henry Hudson in 1609, the region came to have Dutch forts in Fort Orange by 1614, near the site of the present-day state capital, Albany. The state was colonized by the Dutch in 1624, at both Albany and Manhattan; it later fell to British annexation in 1664. About one third of all of the battles of the Revolutionary War took place in New York. It became an independent state on July 9, 1776 and enacted its constitution in 1777. The state ratified the United States Constitution on July 26, 1788 to become the 11th state. According to the United States Department of Commerce, New York is the state of choice for foreign visitors, leading Florida and California in tourism.