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The Statue of Liberty
The copper colossus in New York Harbor
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a 151-foot copper figure of a robed woman lifting a torch, mounted on a pedestal that brings her full height to 305 feet (93 m). A gift from France dedicated in 1886, she was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with an internal iron framework engineered by Gustave Eiffel. For the millions of immigrants who arrived by ship at nearby Ellis Island, she was the first sight of America.
Her formal name is Liberty Enlightening the World. The seven rays of her crown represent the seven seas and continents, and a broken chain lies at her feet. Weathered from its original copper brown to a green patina, the statue is now a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached by ferry from Manhattan and New Jersey.