Most people don't realize that the present city limits of New York are only a little more than a hundred years old. Prior to that time, Manhattan was New York City. Also, borough is also a county. Manhattan is New York, Queens is Queens, Brooklyn is Kings, Staten Island is Richmond, and the Bronx is the Bronx. Notice the only borough that is said with a "the" in front of it is the Bronx. When I first moved out of state, people would frequently ask me where I was from and I'd say "Queens" and they would reply "Oh, the Queens". Right there and then I knew that the person had never been to N.Y.C..