New York City is located in the northeastern United States, in the southeastern part of the state of New York. The largest part of New York is built on three islands, Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island.

The location at the mouth of the Hudson River, which feeds into a naturally sheltered harbor and then the Atlantic Ocean, helped the city develop into an important commercial city.

The Hudson River flows through the Hudson Valley to New York Bay. The Hudson River separates New York City from New Jersey.

The East River – a tidal strait – flows off Long Island and separates the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island.

The Harlem River, another tidal strait between the East River and the Hudson River, separates Manhattan from the Bronx.

The Bronx River, which flows through the Bronx and Westchester County, is the only entirely freshwater river in the city.

The city’s terrain has been significantly altered by human intervention, with significant land reclamation along the waterfront since Dutch colonial times. Restoration is significant in the Lower Manhattan area, with developments such as Battery Park in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the natural variations in the topography have been evened out, particularly in Manhattan.

The land area of the city is estimated at 789 square kilometers. Its total area is 1,214 square kilometers. 425 square kilometers is water and 789 square kilometers is land. The city’s highest point is Todt Hill on Staten Island, which, rising to 124.9 meters above sea level, is the highest point on the southeast coast of Maine.