The Dutch colony of New Netherland was established in the early 1600s to develop the fur trade along North America s Atlantic coast. New Netherland was composed of parts of what is now Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, and was settled by a diverse group of immigrants from all across Europe. The settlers shared the region with several Native American tribes, with whom they traded and sometimes fought. New Amsterdam, located on Manhattan Island, was the largest settlement in the colony. When it fell to the English in 1664, New Netherland became the English colony of New York.".