Flag of New York Seal Nickname(s): The Empire State Motto(s): Excelsior[1]

Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Largest metro area New York metropolitan area Area  Ranked 27th in the US  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km?)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13.3  - Latitude 40°?30' N to 45°?1' N  - Longitude 71°?51' W to 79°?46' W Population  Ranked 3rd in the US  - Total 18,976,457  - Density 401.92/sq mi  155.18/km? (6th in the US) Elevation    - Highest point Mount Marcy[2] 5,344 ft  (1,629 m)  - Mean 1,000 ft  (305 m)  - Lowest point Atlantic Ocean[2] 0 ft  (0 m) Admission to Union  July 26, 1788 (11th) Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Congressional Delegation List Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Abbreviations NY US-NY Web site www.ny.gov New York state insignia Motto Excelsior (Ever upward) Slogan I Love New York Bird Eastern bluebird Animal Beaver Fish Brook trout; salt water - Striped bass Insect Ladybug Flower Rose Tree Sugar maple Song "I Love New York" Quarter

2001 Reptile Snapping turtle Beverage Milk Colors Blue & Gold Fossil Sea scorpion Gemstone Garnet New York (pronounced /nju?'j?rk/) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. With 62 counties, it is the country's third most populous state. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and shares a water border with Rhode Island as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. New York City, which is both the largest city in the state and in the entire United States, is known for its history as a gateway for immigration to the United States and its status as a financial, cultural, transportation, and manufacturing center. New York was inhabited by the Algonquian, Iroquois, and Lenape Native American groups at the time Dutch and French nationals moved into the region in the very early 17th century. First claimed by Henry Hudson in 1609, the region came to have Dutch forts in Fort Orange, near the site of the present-day capital of Albany in 1614 and 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. New York 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 US Department of Commerce, it is also the state of choice for foreign visitors, leading both Florida and California in tourism respectively.