The Statue of Liberty commemorates the American Declaration of Independence and was a gift from the people of France.
The statue was assembled on its pedestal after being constructed in France and sent to the US in crates.
It was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi.
The female form represented by the sculpture is based on Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. She holds a torch and a tabula ansata (tablet) that has the date of the American Declaration of Independence inscribed in it (July 4, 1776).
A broken chain also lies at the feet of the statue which is hard to see from the ground.
The statue has been closed for renovation a number of times, including between 1984 and 1986 when the torch and much of the internal structure was replaced.
The Statue of Liberty stands 151 feet (46 metres) in height, and 305 feet (93 metres) from the ground to the torch.