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Long Island, part of New York State, is an island off the North American coast, some 118 miles (190 km) long, and from 12 to 20 miles wide, extending from New York Harbor into the North Atlantic Ocean. To the north of the island is Long Island Sound, which separates it from the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island. To the south are the Great South Bay, South Oyster Bay, and Jamaica Bay, which are actually lagoons, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by a string of narrow barrier islands, most notably Fire Island. The island separates into two forks at the eastern end, known as the North Fork and South Fork.
On the western part of Long Island are the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and QueensUnisphere, unofficial symbol of Queens Queens is one of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. Established on November 1, 1683 when coun; east of them are NassauNassau County is a county located in the U. State of New York. As of 2000, the population is 1,334,544. It was named for William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, who became King William III of England. Its county seat is Mineola. Nassau and Suffolk counties a and SuffolkFor other places named "Suffolk," see SUFFOLK''. Suffolk County is a county located in the U. State of New York. As of 2000, the population is 1,419,369. It was named for Suffolk, a county in England, from which its earliest settlers came. Its county seat counties. Most New Yorkers reserve the term "Long Island" or "the island" for Nassau and Suffolk counties only. Some others also consider Queens (with its neighborhood Long Island City) and sometimes even Brooklyn, to be part of "Long Island".
frame Mercator projectionThe Mercator projection is a map projection devised by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is a conformal map, that is, it preserves angle. Any straight line on a Mercator map is a line of constant bearing, a loxodrome or rhumb line. This makes it particularly of Long Island
Geologically, the island is formed of two spines of glacial moraine, consisting largely of gravel and loose rock over deeply-buried bedrock, formed during the two most recent pulses of the Wisconsinan glaciationThe Wisconsinian was the last major advance of continental glaciers in North America. This glaciation is made of three glacial maximums (commonly called ice ages) separated by inter-glacial periods (such as the one we are living in). These ice ages are ca, with a sandier outwash plain beyond. Technically speaking, the island is actually a peninsula separated from the mainland by the East River, a tidal estuary of the Hudson River. The eastern end of the island is still partly agricultural, now including many vineyards as well as traditional truck farming. Fishing also continues to be an industry, at Northport and Montauk.
Since World War II, however, Long Island has become increasingly suburban and, in some areas, fully urbanized. Levittown was only the first of many new suburbs, and businesses followed residential development eastward. The South Fork contains the area known as the Hamptons, which also experienced a population boom after World War II.
The Long Island Rail Road, Long Island Expressway, and Northern and Southern State Parkways, all products of the automobile-centered planning of Robert Moses, make east-west travel on the island straightforward, if not always quick.
Long Island is home to numerous colleges, including Stony Brook University, Southampton College, Hofstra University, and SUNY-Old Westbury. It is also home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.
In the 2000 census, the population of Suffolk, the easternmost county on the island, was over a million; the total population of Long Island, including Brooklyn and Queens, was more than 8 million.