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So good they named it twice? Not quite so. While New York State and New York City are synonymous for many people, they are not one and the same. The State of New York was one of the 13 original states of the United States of America and the country’s capital until the honour was passed on to Philadelphia in 1790.

Nestled in the north-east nook of the United States, New York State is a mass of juxtapositions. Divided into upstate and downstate, you can breathe the fresh air of the green open landscapes of upstate New York or, just as easily, get lost in the dizzying subway system of the city, indulge in a killer hot dog at Nathan’s on Coney Island or hide out in a log cabin in the Catskills. From the Great Lakes to the breathtaking Manhattan skyline, it’s all here and it’s all good.

With the Atlantic lapping on its eastern shores, the state boasts rolling green meadows, stunning forestry, over 6,500 natural ponds, 10 freshwater lakes, and of course Niagara Falls, which spills out 40 million gallons of water 55 metres downward every minute, across a ragged ledge nearly a kilometre wide.

New York City is the largest city in the United States and the most densely populated. Often referred to as the Big Apple, Gotham, or ‘The City that Never Sleeps’, it is home to over 40% of the population of New York State.

The city itself is made up of five boroughs: the island of Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. Though much of the city is typical of any metropolis, Central Park, slap bang in the middle of Manhattan, was the first landscaped park in the country. Surprisingly, there are plenty of green bits in the city and the Hudson River, which runs for around 350km, separates Manhattan from the other boroughs as it runs into New York Bay.