Long Island: While the name may ring a bell, people often have trouble pinpointing exactly where it is—or talking about it for hours on end… To remedy this, as part of your next teen language study trip to the U.S., LEC is here to share 10 key facts about it.
Long Island is an island off the Atlantic coast of the United States.
It is located in the southeastern corner of New York State, a region you may have the chance to explore during an upcoming teen language study trip to the U.S.
Long Island is separated from the mainland by a 176-kilometer-wide strait known as Long Island Sound.
Long Island covers an area of 4,463 km², which is almost as large, on this side of the ocean, as the French department of Hautes-Pyrénées.
The island is divided into four counties: Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk—the latter should not be confused with the British county of the same name.
In the past, the island was called Paumanok by the Native Americans, a name that translates into English as “island that pays tribute.” According to other sources, this name simply means “fish-shaped island.”
Long Island is home to two legendary airports: JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport.
Many prominent figures from the worlds of art and show business were born on Long Island, including rapper and comedian LL Cool J,former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, activist Harvey Milk, musician Prodigy, author Thomas Pynchon, and singer Mariah Carey.
Long Island is home to Citi Field, the legendary baseball stadium and home of the New York Mets, a major league baseball team in the United States.
The north shore of Long Island is known as the Gold Coast, due to the popularity it gained in the early 20th century.