Totorus

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Manhattan is one of the most populated islands in the world, and along with Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island, it is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. New York County, which is made up entirely of the borough of Manhattan, is the most populated county in the United States with a population of over 1.6 million people. Manhattan is not only the major commercial and financial center of the United States, but it is also one of the major financial centers of the entire world. The island of Manhattan has a very interesting history including its early Danish settlement before it became property of Great Britain during America's colonial times. With Manhattan having such an important place in America's history and future as well, a great deal of information is known about the borough. But, here are five things that you may not know about Manhattan.

1. Most people are aware that Manhattan Island is included as part of the borough of Manhattan. What many don't know is that Manhattan is also made up of Governor's Island, Roosevelt Island, Randall's Island, Liberty Island (home of the Statue of Liberty), a small percentage of Ellis Island, and a small section of mainland near the Bronx known as Marble Hill.

2. New York City, and Manhattan in particular, is hard to imagine as an area that at one time had animals and an abundance of open spaces. As recent ago as 1934, sheep actually grazed in Manhattan's Central Park. They were removed for fear that homeless residents during the Great Depression may use them as a source of food.

3. While the land above water on Liberty Island that is home to the Statue of Liberty is officially part of Manhattan and New York City as a whole, all land beneath the surface of the water is considered part of the state of New Jersey. The reason for this is that all islands in the area are property of New York, but the border between the state of New York and the state of New Jersey is the middle channel of the Hudson River.

4. From Manhattan's beginnings as a Dutch colony, there is much evidence of reclaiming land from the sea. This has continued into modern times as Battery Park City, located in lower Manhattan, was created with more than one million cubic yards of fill dirt and rocks that were excavated as part of the process in the construction of the World Trade Center.

5. There have been nine different buildings built in Manhattan that at one time were the tallest building in the world. The first one to take the title was the 309 foot tall New York World Building which was completed in 1890, this building stood until the mid 1950s when it was demolished to make way for a new ramp connecting to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Manhattan is one of the most important places in terms of the financial future of the entire United States. The island borough has made an amazing transformation over the years from its early days as massive expanses of rural farmland to a concrete covered island with some of the world's tallest buildings filled with the offices of some of the world's biggest and most successful companies. A visit to Manhattan, whether for business or pleasure, is a great opportunity to see a truly diverse urban area with a number of notable buildings, sites and businesses. Manhattan is a must-see location for anyone lucky enough to pay a visit to the New York City area.