... of Manhattan, the heart of the city, with its towering skyscrapers But the city has five sections These sections are called boroughs A borough is similar to a county The five boroughs are Manhattan, ... islands Brooklyn and Queens occupy the western end of Long Island Water surrounds Staten Island and Manhattan These two boroughs face each other across New York Harbor E/ English explorer Henry ... been an important city It was the U.S capital from 1785 to 1790 New York passed Philadelphia in 1 810 to become America’s largest city New York grew because of its excellent harbor The port made...