New York City

"New York, New York" and "NYC" redirect here. For other uses, see New York, New York (disambiguation) and NYC (disambiguation).

This article is about the city. For other uses, see New York City (disambiguation).

City of New York — City — From top left: Midtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations Headquarters, the Empire State Building, and Lower Manhattan with the Brooklyn Bridge Flag Seal Nickname(s): The Big Apple, The Concrete Jungle, The City That Never Sleeps, The Capital of The World (Caput Mundi), The Center of the Universe, NYC, Gotham, The Greatest City in The World, The Empire City, The City So Nice They Named It Twice, The City. Location in the state of New York City of New York Location in the United States Coordinates: 40°43′N 74°0′W / 40.717°N 74°W / 40.717; -74 Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1624 Government - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) [1] Area - City 468.9 sq mi (1,214.4 km2) - Land 304.8 sq mi (789.4 km2) - Water 165.6 sq mi (428.8 km2) - Urban 3,352.6 sq mi (8,683.2 km2) - Metro 6,720 sq mi (17,405 km2) Elevation 33 ft (10 m) Population (July 1, 2008)[2] - City 8,363,710 - Density 27,440/sq mi (10,606/km2) - Urban 18,223,567 - Urban Density 5,435.7/sq mi (2,098.7/km2) - Metro 19,006,798 - Metro Density 2,828.4/sq mi (1,092/km2) - Demonym New Yorker Time zone EST (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP codes 100xx-104xx, 11004-05, 111xx-114xx, 116xx Area code(s) 212, 718, 917, 347, 646 Website www.nyc.gov

New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, and entertainment. As host of the United Nations Headquarters, it is also an important center for international affairs. The city is often referred to as New York City or The City of New York to distinguish it from the state of New York, of which it is a part.

Located on a large natural harbor on the Atlantic coast of the Northeastern United States, the city consists of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. The city's 2008 estimated population exceeds 8.3 million people,^[2] and with a land area of 305 square miles (790 km²),^[3][4] New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States.^[5] The New York metropolitan area's population is also the nation's largest, estimated at 19.1 million people over 6,720 square miles (17,400 km²). Furthermore, the Combined Statistical Area containing the Greater New York metropolitan area contained 22.232 million people as of 2009 Census estimates, also the largest in the United States.

New York was founded as a commercial trading post by the Dutch in 1624. The settlement was called New Amsterdam until 1664 when the colony came under English control.^[6] New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.^[7] It has been the country's largest city since 1790.^[8]

Many districts and landmarks in the city have become well known to outsiders. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district and is one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections. Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a premier global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies. Manhattan's architectural skyline is universally recognized, and the city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the twin towers of the former World Trade Center. The original Chinatown in Lower Manhattan is one of the most prominent ethnic Chinese enclaves outside of Asia and draws throngs of tourists to its bustling sidewalks, restaurants, and discount retail establishments.

Mass transit in New York City, most of which runs 24 hours a day, is the most complex and extensive in North America. Approximately one third of mass transit ridership and two thirds of rail ridership in the United States originates from within the New York metropolitan area. The iconic New York City Subway system is the busiest in the Western Hemisphere, while Grand Central Terminal, also popularly referred to as Grand Central Station, is the world's largest railway station by number of platforms. New York's airspace is one of the world's busiest air transportation corridors. The George Washington Bridge is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge.^[9]

New York City is famous for its ethnic diversity and population density. In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city, and 36% of its population was born outside the United States;^[10][11] the New York region continues to be the largest metropolitan gateway for legal immigrants to the United States.^[12]

New York City carries an important role as a center of culture. The city prominently excels in its spheres of art, cuisine, dance, music, opera, theater, independent film, fashion, museums, and literature. The New York Times has won more Pulitzer Prizes for journalism than any other news publication. The city is the birthplace of many cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art; abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in painting; and hip hop,^[13] punk,^[14] salsa, disco, freestyle, and Tin Pan Alley in music. New York is also widely celebrated in popular lore, featured frequently as the setting for books, movies, and television programs.

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Tokyo

Tokyo 東京
— Metropolis —
東京都 · Tokyo Metropolis
From top left: Shinjuku, Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, Shibuya, National Diet Building
Seal Seal
Location of the Tokyo within Japan
Tokyo Location of the Tokyo within Japan
Coordinates: 35°42′2″N 139°42′54″E / 35.70056°N 139.715°E / 35.70056; 139.715
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Island	Honshū
Divisions	23 special wards, 26 cities, 1 district, & 4 subprefectures
Government
- Type	Metropolis
- Governor	Shintarō Ishihara
- Capital	Shinjuku
Area (ranked 45th)
- Total	2,187.08 km2 (844.4 sq mi)
Population (1st)[1]
- Total	12,790,000
- Density	5,847/km2 (15,143.7/sq mi)
- 23 Wards	8,653,000
	(January 1, 2009)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
ISO 3166-2	JP-13
Flower	Somei-Yoshino cherry blossom
Tree	Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Bird	Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Website	metro.tokyo.jp(English)

Tokyo (東京, Tōkyō; "Eastern Capital"^?), officially Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to^?),^[2] is the capital and largest city of Japan, and is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Tokyo's government also administers the twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, that cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture.

The population of the special wards is over 8 million people, with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 12 million. The prefecture is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 to 39 million people (depending on definition) and the world's largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$1.479 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2008.^[3]

Tokyo was described by Saskia Sassen as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York and London.^[4] This city is considered an alpha+ world city, listed by the GaWC's 2008 inventory^[5] and ranked fourth among global cities by Foreign Policy's 2008 Global Cities Index. In 2009 Tokyo was named the world's most expensive city for expatriate employees, according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys ^[6] and named the third Most Liveable City and the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by the magazine Monocle.^[7]

Tokyo is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family

Tokyo - Etymology

Tokyo was originally known as Edo, meaning estuary.^[8] Its name was changed to Tokyo (Tōkyō: tō (east) + kyō (capital)) when it became the imperial capital in 1868.^[8] During the early Meiji period, the city was also called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same Chinese characters representing "Tokyo". Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei";^[9]. However, this pronunciation is now obsolete.

Tokyo - History

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo his base and when he became shogun in 1603, the town became the center of his nationwide military government. During the subsequent Edo period, Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century.^[11]

It became the de facto capital of Japan^[12] even while the emperor lived in Kyoto, the imperial capital. After about 263 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring imperial rule. In 1869, the 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo. Tokyo was already the nation's political and cultural center,^[13] and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace. The city of Tokyo was established, and continued to be the capital until it was abolished as a municipality in 1943 and merged with the "Metropolitan Prefecture" of Tokyo.

Central Tokyo, like Osaka, has been designed since about 1900 to be centered around major train stations in a high-density fashion^{[citation needed]}, so suburban railways were built relatively cheaply at street level and with their own right-of-way. This differs from many cities in the United States that are low-density and automobile-centric. Though expressways have been built in Tokyo, the basic design has not changed.

Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes in the 20th century, but it recovered from both. One was the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, which left 140,000 dead or missing,^[14] and the other was World War II. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945, with 75,000 to 200,000 killed and half of the city destroyed, were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.^[15]

Ginza during the allied occupation period

After the war, Tokyo was completely rebuilt, and showcased to the world during the 1964 Summer Olympics. The 1970s brought new high-rise developments such as Sunshine 60, a new and controversial^[16] airport at Narita in 1978 (some distance outside city limits), and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area).

Tokyo's subway and commuter rail network became one of the busiest in the world^[17] as more and more people moved to the area. In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during a real estate and debt bubble. The bubble burst in the early 1990s, and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with mortgage backed debts while real estate was shrinking in value. A major recession followed, making the 1990s Japan's "lost decade"^[18] from which it is now slowly recovering.

Tokyo still sees new urban developments on large lots of less profitable land. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennozu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (now also a Shinkansen station), and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. Buildings of significance are demolished for more up-to-date shopping facilities such as Omotesando Hills.

Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now a major shopping and entertainment center. Various plans have been proposed^[19] for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, in order to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial^[20] within Japan and have yet to be realized.

Tokyo - Geography and administrative divisions

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Main article: Politics of Tokyo

Main article: List of mergers in Tokyo

The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km east to west and 25 km north to south. Chiba Prefecture borders it to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the special wards (occupying the eastern half) and the Tama area (多摩地域) stretching westwards.

Also within the administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis are two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south: the Izu Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands, which stretch more than 1,000 km away from the mainland. Because of these islands and mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far underrepresent the real figures for urban and suburban regions of Tokyo.

Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都), translated as metropolis.^[21] Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, most of them conventionally^{[citation needed]} referred to as cities. It includes twenty-three special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city.

In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 more cities (市 -shi), five towns (町 -chō or machi), and eight villages (村 -son or -mura), each of which has a local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters are in the ward of Shinjuku. They govern all of Tokyo, including lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks in addition to its neon jungles, skyscrapers and crowded subways.

Special wards

A Map of Tokyo's 23 Special wards.

The special wards (tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo comprise the area formerly incorporated as Tokyo City. On July 1, 1943, Tokyo City was merged with Tokyo Prefecture (東京府, Tōkyō-fu^?) forming the current "metropolitan prefecture". As a result, unlike other city wards in Japan, these wards are not part of any larger incorporated city. Each ward is a municipality with its own elected mayor and assembly like the other cities of Japan. The wards differ from other cities in having a unique administrative relationship with the prefectural government. Certain municipal functions, such as waterworks, sewerage, and fire-fighting, are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. To pay for the added administrative costs, the prefecture collects municipal taxes, which would usually be levied by the city.^[22] The special wards of Tokyo are as follows:

Adachi Arakawa Bunkyō Chiyoda Chūō Edogawa Itabashi Katsushika

Kita Kōtō Meguro Minato Nakano Nerima Ōta Setagaya

Shibuya Shinagawa Shinjuku Suginami Sumida Taitō Toshima

The "three core wards" of Tokyo are Chiyoda, Chūō and Minato.^[23]

Western Tokyo

A Map of cities in western part of Tokyo.

To the west of the special wards, Tokyo Metropolis consists of cities, towns and villages that enjoy the same legal status as those elsewhere in Japan.

While serving as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of these also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these are often known as the Tama Area or Western Tokyo.

Cities

Shinjuku at night.

Satellite photo of Tokyo taken by NASA's Landsat 7

Mainland portion of Tokyo

Twenty-six cities lie within the western part of Tokyo:

Akiruno Akishima Chōfu Fuchū Fussa Hachiōji Hamura Higashikurume Higashimurayama

Higashiyamato Hino Inagi Kiyose Kodaira Koganei Kokubunji Komae Kunitachi

Machida Mitaka Musashimurayama Musashino Nishitōkyō Ōme Tachikawa Tama

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated Hachiōji, Tachikawa, Machida, Ōme and Tama New Town as regional centers of the Tama area,^[24] as part of their plans to disperse urban functions away from central Tokyo.

Districts, towns and villages

The far west is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishitama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m high; other mountains in Tokyo include Takasu (1737 m), Odake (1266 m), and Mitake (929 m). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake.

• Hinode
• Mizuho
• Okutama
• Hinohara

Islands

Shikinejima

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Tokyo has numerous outlying islands, which extend as far as 1850 km from central Tokyo. Because of the islands' distance from the administrative headquarters of the metropolitan government in Shinjuku, local offices administer them.

The Izu Islands are a group of volcanic islands and form part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The islands in order from closest to Tokyo are Izu Ōshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima, Kozushima, Miyakejima, Mikurajima, Hachijojima, and Aogashima. Izu Ōshima and Hachijojima are towns. The remaining islands are six villages, with Niijima and Shikinejima forming one village.

The Ogasawara Islands include, from north to south, Chichi-jima, Nishinoshima, Haha-jima, Kita Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima, and Minami Iwo Jima. Ogasawara also administers two tiny outlying islands: Minami Torishima, the easternmost point in Japan and at 1,850 km the most distant island from central Tokyo, and Okino Torishima, the southernmost point in Japan. The last island is contested by the People's Republic of China as being only uninhabited rocks. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands have no permanent population, but host Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel. Local populations are only found on Chichi-jima and Haha-jima. The islands form the village of Ogasawara.

National parks

There are several national parks within Tokyo, among them:

• Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, around Mount Takao to the south of Hachiōji
• Ogasawara National Park. As of 2006, efforts were being made to make Ogasawara National Park a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site.
• Ueno Park, well known for its museums: Tokyo National Museum, National Science Museum, Shitamachi Museum and National Museum for Western Art, among others. There are also art works and statues in several places in the park.