The Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, is a colossal neoclassical sculpture that was a gift from the people of France to the United States. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, the statue symbolizes freedom and democracy. It features the Roman goddess Libertas holding a torch and a tabula ansata inscribed with the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The statue became an iconic symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea and is a major tourist attraction maintained by the National Park Service.