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New York is one of the largest cities in the world and the biggest seaport. It's the financial capital of the country. It's the business centre of the United States. The city is situated in New York State, at the mouth of the Hudson river. It's population is over eight million. In early times the New York area was populated by Indians. It is here in Wall Street many business offices, banks and world famous New York stock exchange are situated.
New York is an industrial and cultural centre of the country. The most important branches of industry are those producing vehicles, glass, chemicals. New York is also a great cultural centre. It has many museums, art galleries, theatres. There are two world-famous streets in New York - Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Broadway is the centre of the theatres and night life. Fifth Avenue is the great shopping, hotel and club avenue.
The Empire State Building is at Fifth Avenue. It's a 102-storeyed building, was built in 1931. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at Fifth Avenue. It includes hundreds of world famous masterpieces and attracts many visitors.
The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York port. Liberty carries the torch of freedom in her right hand. In her left hand she is holding a tablet with the inscription "July 4, 1776" - American Independence Day.
Today New York City is informally called "The Big Apple". The origin of this name is unknown, but it is popular all over the world.