Staten Island and Manhattan: Islands Within New York City

It is a common misconception that Staten Island and Manhattan are standalone islands separate from New York City. In reality, both are integral boroughs of New York City, and they are part of the same archipelago that forms the city's geography.

The NYC Archipelago

New York City is built on a collection of islands at the mouth of the Hudson River:

• Manhattan Island – Core of the city, bounded by Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers.
• Staten Island – Southernmost borough, in New York Bay.
• Long Island – Contains Brooklyn and Queens (western end).
• The Bronx – Mainland, attached to North America.
• Dozens of smaller islands (Roosevelt Island, Governors Island, Ellis Island, etc.).

So, Staten Island and Manhattan are indeed islands, but they are not "their own" in a political or administrative sense—they are components of the City of New York.