New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch settlement located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland and originated from an initial trading factory established around Fort Amsterdam. The fort was positioned strategically to defend the fur trade operations of the Dutch West India Company within the North River.
The settlement became a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic in 1624 and was designated as the capital of the province in 1625. New Amsterdam officially achieved city status upon receiving municipal rights on February 2, 1653.