New York City York metropolitan area produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of US$1.73 trillion. If greater New York City were a sovereign state, it would have the 12th highest GDP in the world. New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded by colonists from the Dutch Republic in 1624 on Lower Manhattan; the post was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed "New York" after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. New York served as the capital of
The Encyclopedia of New York City The Encyclopedia of New York City The Encyclopedia of New York City is a comprehensive reference book on New York City, New York. Historian and Columbia University professor Kenneth T. Jackson edited this work that combines informative and interesting information about New York City into one volume, first published in 1995 by the New-York Historical Society and Yale University Press and now available in its second edition, published in 2010. The encyclopedia covers the arts, architecture, demographics, education, environment, government and politics, media, popular culture, science, and transportation. It contains over 4,300 entries, including 680 illustrations, photographs, maps, charts and