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Geography and History Activity

Colonial America Lesson 3 The Middle Colonies

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Dutch Names in New York

One of the reasons we study the past is that it helps us understand the present. To millions of people living in the northeast United States today, that means learning about the Dutch, who first settled the region. Evidence of Dutch settlement can still be found in the area today. To geographers, every place has physical characteristics and human characteristics. Physical characteristics include such things as mountains, lakes, rivers, and plateaus. Human characteristics include the names that people give to various places. What people call placesthe names of placesis a human characteristic. These place names are called toponyms.

Understanding the Concept

Directions: Study the table. Then answer the questions.
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Some Toponyms of Dutch Origin in New York City and State Toponym Origin of Toponym The Bowery from the Dutch word for farm, bouwerij; Peter Stuyvesant owned a farm here The Bronx from a Dutch settler Jonas Bronck; he owned a farm here Bushwick from the Dutch words for woods district Coney Island Catskill* Long Island Staten Island Yonkers from the Dutch words for Rabbit Island, Conyne Eylandt from the Dutch words for Cats Stream, Kats Kil from the Dutch words for Long Island, Lange Eylandt; named by the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block from the Dutch words State Island, Staten Eylandt; named to honor the regional Dutch government (the States General) from the title of a Dutch settler, Jonkheer Adriaen Van der Donck; he had an estate here. Jonkheer means esquire.

*Many toponyms in the region end in kill, usually indicating a Dutch origin

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Geography and History Activity Cont.

Colonial America

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Understanding the Concept

1. Defining What is a toponym?

2. Identifying Are toponyms physical characteristics or human characteristics of a place?

Applying the Concept

3. Inferring What does the Dutch word eylandt mean? Kil?

4. Stating the Main Idea Write a sentence that expresses the main idea of the table.
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.