the oldest part of the city, the island of manhattan, still has its original lenape name. although native people such as the lenape and canaries had lived there for many thousands of years, new york city was first explored by europeans in the 1500s. florentine explorer giovanni da verrazzano found the entrance to new york harbor in the year 1524 he gived to this site the name of new angoulême in the honor of francois 1st. in 1609, the english explorer henry hudson rediscovered new york harbor while looking for the northwest passage to the orient for the dutch east india company. hudson's first mate said it was "a very good harbour for all windes" and the river was "a mile broad" and "full of fish".