Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

New York: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

News •

Appeals court says US wrongly withheld highway funds to NY over immigrant licenses • Nov. 14, 2026, 5:00 AM ET (AP)
Generations of anglers have made the pilgrimage to Montauk to catch striped bass • Oct. 30, 2026, 12:00 PM ET (AP)
Black literary luminary Ralph Ellison's works have a new home at Bard College • Oct. 30, 2026, 9:03 AM ET (AP)
Man accused in Cornell rape lawsuit wants Letitia James removed from investigation over her posts • Oct. 29, 2026, 7:49 PM ET (AP)
New York state woman charged with voting illegally says she recently learned she wasn’t a citizen • Oct. 23, 2026, 8:14 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Empire State
Capital Albany
Population1 (2020) 20,201,249; (2024 est.) 19,867,248
Governor Kathy Hochul (Democrat)
Date Of Admission July 26, 17882
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (Democrat) • Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat)
State Nickname Empire State
State Motto "Excelsior (Ever Upward)"
State Bird eastern bluebird
State Flower3 rose
State Song “I Love New York”
Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives 26 (of 435)
Time Zone Eastern (GMT − 5 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km) 141,297
Total Area (Sq Mi) 54,555
1Excluding military abroad.2Original state; date shown is that of ratification of Constitution.3Species not designated.

Photos and Videos

New York: flag
State seal of New York
The bluebird is the state bird of New York.
The rose is the state flower of New York.
Map of New York
Adirondack Mountains
The Empire State Building rises above the Midtown Manhattan skyline in New York City, surrounded by other high-rise buildings under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
New York City: Brooklyn Bridge
Loon Lake, Warren county, New York
Map of the Middle Atlantic region of the United States, showing New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, along with parts of surrounding states. The map highlights major cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., as well as state capitals, lakes, rivers, mountain ranges, and other physical features like the Adirondack Mountains, Catskill Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains. Major water bodies such as Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Atlan
The Life and Inventions of George Eastman
Explore Cooperstown and its famous National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
View talks on racing in America and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Learn about New York City's Confederate sympathies and how upstate New York provided troops and ships to the Union during the Civil War
Explore the busy streets, famous skyscrapers, and the art and culture of New York City
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Franklin D. Roosevelt smiling and leaning on a surface, holding a cigarette in a holder, wearing a suit and glasses, photographed in 1937.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
president of United States
Oil portrait by John Trumbull of Alexander Hamilton, shown from the waist up in a tan coat and white cravat, gazing to his left against a dark background.
Alexander Hamilton
American statesman
Oil portrait of Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent showing Roosevelt standing with one hand on a wooden pedestal and the other on his hip, dressed in a dark suit.
Theodore Roosevelt
president of United States
Making her point
Letitia James
American attorney
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
president of United States
Kathy Hochul
Kathy Hochul
American politician
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes
American jurist and statesman
U.S. President Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
president of United States
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
American politician
Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
American politician
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
vice president of United States
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
American lawyer and politician
Benjamin Cardozo
Benjamin Nathan Cardozo
United States jurist
John Jay
John Jay
United States statesman and chief justice
William H. Seward
William H. Seward
American politician
Robert Moses seated at a desk, holding a candlestick telephone to his ear, with papers and office items in front of him.
Robert Moses
American public official
A history-making politician
Shirley Chisholm
American politician and activist
W. Averell Harriman
W. Averell Harriman
American diplomat
Samuel Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
American politician
Al Smith
Al Smith
American politician

Related Places

United States
United States
country, North America
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island with the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building, visible across the water in New York City.
New York City
New York, United States
default image
North Tonawanda
New York, United States
View of Coney Island Beach from the water, with crowds of beachgoers, the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel, Cyclone roller coaster, and tall apartment buildings in the background.
Coney Island
amusement area, New York City, New York, United States
New York City: Manhattan Bridge
Brooklyn
borough, New York City, New York, United States
map of Buffalo, New York, and the Niagara Frontier c. 1900
Buffalo
New York, United States
Albany, New York
Albany
New York, United States
Harlem
Harlem
district, New York City, New York, United States
Rochester
Rochester
New York, United States
Locator map of Westchester County, New York.
Westchester
county, New York, United States
Hempstead
Hempstead
New York, United States
Clinton Square, Syracuse, New York
Syracuse
New York, United States
View talks on racing in America and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Saratoga Springs
New York, United States
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Staten Island
island and borough, New York City, New York, United States
Central New York City
Manhattan
borough, New York City, New York, United States

Related Quizzes

USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
Color map of United States. Color USA map. Color USA map. Color dot USA map. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Anywhere USA
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Close-up of a weathered, old American flag of the United States of America, used as a patriotic decoration on Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other national holidays.
U.S. State Nicknames Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Australia, United States, Canada, or Ireland? Quiz