New York, sometimes called New York State,[b] is a state in the Northeastern United States. A Mid-Atlantic state, New York borders New England, and has an international border with Canada.[c] With almost 19.7 million residents, it is the fourth-most populous state in the United States and seventh-most densely populated as of 2022. New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2).

New York has a varied geography. The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate, encompasses New York City (the most populous city in the United States), Long Island (the most populous island in the United States), and the lower Hudson Valley. These areas are part of the New York metropolitan area, the world’s most sprawling urban landmass,[8][9] and account for approximately two-thirds of the state’s population. The much larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain, while its Southern Tier region extends to the border of Pennsylvania. Upstate includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects the more mountainous regions, and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany. Western New York, home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is dominated by the Finger Lakes, a popular tourist destination.