Cathy Kronen, age 8, of Twin Falls, Idaho, for her question:

HOW DID BROOKLYN, N.Y., RECEIVE ITS NAME?

When Dutch pioneers founded the city of Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1636, they gave it the name of Breuckenlen. This was the same name as a town in Holland. The spelling has changed several times during the years although the pronunciation was about the same then as it is now.

Brooklyn was incorporated as a city in 1834. It had its own government until 1898 when it was absorbed by New York City.

Today Brooklyn is one of the five districts, called "boroughs," which make up New York City. The borough is one of the leading seaports and manufacturing centers in the United States.

In Brooklyn, factories turn out textiles, clothing, shoes, paper, paint, machinery and chemical goods. It also has many sugar refineries.

The U.S. Coast Guard maintains an air base, Floyd Bennett Field, in Brooklyn.