Statue of Liberty

Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty (French: Statue de la Liberté), was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886. It stands at Liberty Island as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans. The copper -clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and is a gesture of friendship from France to the U.S. The statue is of a robed woman holding a lit flame, and is made of a sheeting of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel (originally puddled iron) with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes.) It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft (46 m) tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is 305 ft (93 m) tall.