New York is made up of five districts, called boroughs. 

  • Manhattan is the central part of New York. It is the smallest district, with an area of only 60 square kilometres. All the city’s major banks and the stock exchanges can be found here. It is the seat of the city’s government and the home of cultural institutions. 
  • Brooklyn is a major seaport and the centre of industry. It has the most residents of all boroughs and is known as the district of churches and homes. 
  • Queens is the largest of New York’s boroughs. It consists of rows of single-family houses and is often referred to as the city’s biggest suburb. Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks live together in Queens. 
  • The Bronx , a residential district with many apartment buildings, is the only borough situated on the mainland. 
  • For many years, Staten Island could only be reached by ferry. Today, the borough is connected with Brooklyn through the Verrazano – Narrows Bridge. The opening of this bridge in 1964 led many New Yorkers to move to Staten Island.



(1) Manhattan - (2) Brooklyn - (3) Queens - (4) The Bronx - (5) Staten Island

Julius Schorzman , CC BY-SA 2.5,
via Wikimedia Commons



Words

  • area = size
  • connect = link to
  • consist of = to be made up of
  • district = part of a city
  • ferry = boat that brings people or goods across a river or sea
  • government = the people who rule the city
  • Hispanic = someone who comes from a country where Spanish or Portuguese is spoken, especially from Central or South America
  • mainland = not on an island
  • major = main, most important
  • referred to as = called
  • resident = a person who lives in the city
  • residential district = area of a town in which people live; without office buildings or factories
  • row = line
  • seaport = a large town on or near a coast with a harbour that ships can use
  • seat = base, center
  • situated = located
  • square kilometre = a square with one km in all directions
  • stock exchange = place where parts of a company are bought and sold
  • suburb = a part of the city that is far away from the center