The Narrows
Geographical location
The Narrows is a narrow strait in New York City. It separates the boroughs Staten Iceland and Brooklyn, and connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay.
Location
The approximately 4.5 -mile waterway is a tidal waters and the main access to the port of New York. It provides the underlying coves shelter from the Atlantic Ocean. The Narrows has at the narrowest point in the south a width of about 1.7 kilometers, on the northern side it is about 3.2 km wide. The entrance to the Strait from the south is marked by the lighthouse Coney Iceland Light, which is located at Norton's Point at the western end of the island Coney Iceland.
History
The Narrows was formed until about 12,000 to 13.0000 years, before Staten Iceland and Brooklyn were connected by the deposition of a moraine of the last glacial period ( about 18,000 years ago). At this time the Hudson River drained through the riverbed of today's Raritan River. The breakthrough opened The Narrows and erosion widened the channel to its present form.
The first documented entry into the strait found by the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano instead. He anchored there and was greeted by Delaware Indians, who paddled with boats on the Narrows beyond.
Crossing
After Giovanni da Verrazano, the Staten Iceland and Brooklyn connecting Verrazano- Narrows Bridge is named that leads across the strait. After its completion in 1964 it was up to the year 1981 as the largest suspension bridge in the world.