Navigable tidal strait in the U.S. linking Upper New York Bay with Long Island Sound in New York City .
It separates Manhattan and the Bronx from Brooklyn and Queens . About 16 mi (26 km) long and 6004,000 ft (2001200 m) wide, it connects with the Hudson River via the Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek at the northern end of Manhattan Island. Roosevelt (formerly Welfare), Wards, Randalls, and Rikers islands are in the East River, which has numerous port facilities.