The Middle Colonies were a group of four of the original thirteen colonies that were located in the middle of Colonial America. They were situated between the New England Colonies and the Southern Colonies, in the same location as the present day Mid-Atlantic States. Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania comprised the Middle Colonies. This area of Colonial America was settled mostly by non-English Europeans, especially the Dutch and Germans, but it was an ethnically diverse area. It was also diverse in terms of religion. It was influenced by the New England and Southern Colonies that it shared its borders with, as aspects of each could be found throughout the Middle Colonies. With their central location, cities in the Middle Colonies became important distribution centers, and this area became a middle ground for Colonial America.