text: Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean , Long Island contains four counties , two of which are boroughs ( Queens and Brooklyn ) of New York City , and two of which ( Nassau and Suffolk ) are mainly suburban or rural .
simplified: The island has four counties : Queens and Brooklyn in the west are boroughs of New York City , Nassau County is in the central area , and Suffolk County in the east . To the north is Long Island Sound and to the south is the Atlantic Ocean .