Long Island is an island in the U.S. state of New York. Stretching northeast from New York Harbor into the Atlantic Ocean, the island comprises four counties, including two (Kings and Queens) that form the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, and two (Nassau and Suffolk) that are farther out on the island and mainly suburban. Many people in the New York metropolitan area (even those on the island in Queens and Brooklyn) use the term “Long Island” or “the island” to refer to Nassau and Suffolk counties only. North of the island is Long Island Sound, across which are the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. With a Census-estimated population of 7,740,208 in 2013, embodying nearly 40% of New York State's population, Long Island is the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory, and the 17th-most populous island in the world (ahead of Ireland, Jamaica, and Hokkaidō). Its population density is . If it were a U.S. state, Long Island would rank 13th in population (after Virginia) and first in population density. Both the longest and the largest island in the contiguous United States, Long Island extends eastward from New York Harbor to Montauk Point, with a maximum north-to-south distance of between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic coast. With a land area of 1,401 square miles (3,629 km2), Long Island is the 11th-largest island in the United States and the 148th-largest island in the world — larger than the of the smallest state, Rhode Island. Two of the New York City area's major airports, LaGuardia Airport and JFK International Airport, are located on Long Island, in Queens. Nine bridges and 13 tunnels (including railroad tunnels) connect Brooklyn and Queens (and thus Long Island) to the three other boroughs of New York City. Ferries connect Suffolk County northward across Long Island Sound to the state of Connecticut.
