Fact sheet about New York

Planning your trip to New York? These pages will give you the essential information: from visas, embassies, banks and emergency telephone numbers .....


Population

New York City : 7,380,900. Metropolitan New York (including the Tri-State area): 19,938,492.

Area of City—Manhattan is 23 sq mi/59 sq km. The total area of all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) is 301 sq mi/780 sq km.

County—New York City is not located in one county; the five boroughs serve as counties.

Weather—Hot summers and cold winters; mild springs and pleasant, crisp falls. Clear skies 29% of the time; partly cloudy skies 34%; cloudy skies 37%. Annual rainfall: 40 in; heaviest rain in July and August. Annual snowfall: 29 in.

Average temperatures:

Jan 24-37 Fahrenheit/-4-3 Celsius; Feb 24-38 F/-4-3 C; Mar 30-45 F/-1-7 C; Apr 42-57 F/6-14 C; May 53-68 F/12-20 C; Jun 66-82 F/19-28 C; Jul 66-82 F/19-28 C; Aug 66-80 F/19-27 C; Sep 60-79 F/16-26 C; Oct 49-69 F/9-21 C; Nov 37-51 F/3-11 C; Dec 29-41 F/-2-5 C.

City Holidays—1999: 31 May, Memorial Day; 4 Jul, Independence Day; 6 Sep, Labor Day; 11 Oct, Columbus Day; 11 Nov, Veterans Day; 25 Nov, Thanksgiving; 25 Dec, Christmas.

2000: 1 Jan, New Year’s; 17 Jan, Martin Luther King Day; 21 Feb, Presidents’ Day; 29 May, Memorial Day; 4 Jul, Independence Day; 4 Sep, Labor Day; 9 Oct, Columbus Day; 11 Nov, Veterans Day; 23 Nov, Thanksgiving; 25 Dec, Christmas.

Sales or Use Tax—Sales tax is 8.25%. You will pay an additional 5% tax for your hotel room.

Emergency Numbers—Dial 911 for police and medical emergencies. Dial 212-577-7777 for the Crime Victims Hotline; Victim Services provides assistance to victims of rape and robbery and helps visitors find a way home if their money has been stolen.

Telephone Codes—Manhattan: area code 212; a second area code, 646, is in the process of being introduced. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island: 718.

Time/Weather—Time: 212-976-6000. Weather: 212-976-1122.

Time Zone—Eastern Standard Time, five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

Passport/Visa Requirements— Confirm travel document requirements with carrier before departure.

Currency— US Dollar