The Statue of Liberty towers above Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor in upper New York Bay. In 1884 the people of France gave it to the United States in recognition of the bond of friendship they developed during the American Revolution and the ideal of liberty shared by both. The statue shows Liberty as a goddess draped in a loose robe of graceful folds. Her uplifted right hand holds a glowing torch. Adorning her head is a crown with 25 windows symbolizing gemstones found on earth and the heaven’s rays shining over the world. The seven spikes represent the light of liberty shining on the seven seas and seven continents. Cradled in her left arm is a tablet bearing the date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776, in Roman numerals. A chain lies broken at her feet representing the overthrow of tyranny, or unjust rule. The statue has become a symbol of the United States, an expression of freedom, democracy and international friendship to people throughout the world.