National monument, Liberty Island (formerly Bedloe's Island), New York Harbor, New York, U.S. Covering 58 ac (23 ha), it includes the colossal statue Liberty Enlightening the World , sculpted by
The 302-ft (92-m) statue of a woman holding a tablet and upraised torch was given to the U.S. by France and commemorates the friendship of the two countries; a plaque at the pedestal's entrance is inscribed with a sonnet by Emma Lazarus . The Statue of Liberty was declared a national monument in 1924; in 1965 nearby {{link=Ellis Island">Ellis Island was added to the monument.