The Statue of Liberty is located in New York on Liberty Island. It is a statue of a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand with the date of the Declaration of Independence in Roman numerals: July 4, 1776. Her crown has seven points that represent rays of light and also the seven seas and continents; the original name for the statue is “Liberty Enlightening the World.” There are broken chains, or shackles, at her feet that also symbolize her freedom.

The statue was a gift to the United States from the people of France. Planning for the statue was started not long after slavery was abolished in the United States, but the statue was not completely assembled and dedicated until 1886. The U.S. Lighthouse Board maintained the statue from 1886 to 1902; maintenance then passed to the War Department from 1902 to 1933. Since 1933, the Statue of Liberty has been maintained by the National Park Service.

Statue of Liberty facts and figures:

• The Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall and stands on a pedestal that is 154 feet tall, making the height of the entire sculpture 305 feet.
• The green color of the statue comes from copper sheets that are supported by an internal iron framework.
• The weight of the copper sheets is 62,000 pounds, or 31 tons, and the copper is about the thickness of two pennies.
• The iron framework is 250,000 pounds, or 125 tons.
• The torch in her right hand is no longer an actual flame. In 1986, the original flaming torch was replaced with a copper torch covered in 24 karat gold that reflects sunlight and is lit at night.

To learn more, see the National Park Service Statue of Liberty site.

To learn more statistics about the monument, see the Statue Statistics site from the National Park Service.