Queens is the easternmost and largest in area of the five
boroughs of
New York City, geographically adjacent to the borough of
Brooklyn at the western end of
Long Island. Contained within
Queens County since 1899, the borough of Queens is the second-largest in population (behind Brooklyn), with a census-estimated 2,321,580 residents in 2014, approximately 48% of them
foreign-born. Queens County is also the second most populous
county in
New York State, behind neighboring
Kings County, which is coterminous with the borough of Brooklyn. Queens is the fourth-most densely populated county among New York City's boroughs, as well as in the United States. If each New York City borough were an independent city, Queens would also be the nation's fourth most populous city, after
Los Angeles,
Chicago and Brooklyn. Queens is the most
ethnically diverse urban area in the world.