New York is a melting pot of different nationalities, with people who have their origins all over the world. Hispanics, African Americans and people of European origin make up most of the city’s population. Ellis Island, not far from the Statue of Liberty, was once the main entry point for the millions of immigrants who have come to America in the past two centuries. 

The first immigrants came from England, Germany, and Scandinavia at the beginning of the 19th century. Between 1880 and 1930 Eastern Europeans, Italians, and the Irish came to America. After World War II, Asians, Cubans and Hispanics came to New York in large numbers. The city also has the largest Jewish community in the world.

Ellis Island - aerial view 
David.Clay.Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0,
via Wikimedia Commons



Words

  • century = a hundred years
  • community = here: population , group of people
  • entry point = place where an immigrant enters a new country
  • immigrant = someone who goes to another country to live and work there
  • melting pot = place where people from different races, countries or social classes come to live together
  • origin = the country or place which someone comes from
  • Hispanic = person who comes from a country where Spanish or Portuguese is spoken, especially from Central or South America.