The Republic of Venice was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important centre of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century.
More land, Lewis and Clarke went there, fertile land
I know Ellis Island is a major immigration station in New York... Is there a specific time period though?
