The island of Manhattan is 21.5 km long and 3.7 km wide (at its widest point). It is connected by bridges and tunnels to New Jersey to the west, the Bronx to the northeast, Brooklyn and Queens (the boroughs on Long Island) to the east and south. The only direct connection to New York's fifth borough, Staten Island, is by ferry from The Battery. In the middle of the island is the large Central Park. The island attracts many tourists.
Manhattan is known for its skyscrapers, the wide avenues, the many yellow taxis and the financial center Wall Street. The dense construction with skyscrapers has given rise to the term Manhattanization.
In 1626 Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from the Lenape Indians for the Republic of the United Netherlands for goods worth fl 60 (see the letter on the right). The area of "'t eylant Manhettes" was reported to be 11.000 morgen, about 94 km², larger than the current borough of Manhattan. The 'purchase' would be the beginning of New Amsterdam, from which New York emerged.
In September 1776, shortly after the start of the American Revolt, British soldiers occupied Manhattan, which they kept for the duration of the war.
There are several explanations of the name Manhattan. Sometimes it is said that Manhattan was named after the Manna-Hatta Indians who lived on the island. It is also said that Mannahatta in the dialect of the Lenape Indians meant Island with hills or Island with (the) many hills. According to another legend, Manhattan co
Ik fotografeer al een aantal jaren, maar na het volgen van een aantal fotografie reizen onder begeleiding van professionele fotograven heb ik mijn fototoestel redelijk onder controle. Mijn stijl wil ik omschrijven als kleurrijk en het meest fotografeer ik natuur, landschappen en op reis... Read more…