The city of Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. The continuously-developed county is comprised of many jurisdictions and municipalities, including Miami Beach, Bal Harbor, North Bay Village, Sunny Isles, North Miami Beach, Aventura, North Miami, Opa-Locka, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, Medley, Miami Springs, Westchester (unincorporated), West Miami, Kendall (unincorporated), Pinecrest, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, Islandia, Sweetwater, Homestead, and Miami Shores.

This explosive population growth has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country, especially the U.S. Northeast, as well as by immigration, especially in more recent years. Today, Greater Miami is regarded as a cultural melting pot, touched by its diverse populations, the majority of whom originate from Latin America and the Caribbean. Partially due to its Romance-friendly linguistic nature, it has also attracted a fair amount of Latin Europeans.

The region's importance as an international financial and cultural center has elevated Miami in the eyes of many to world city status. Three vessels of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Miami in honor of the city. The name "Miami" comes from a Native American word for "sweet water". The area was a concentration of water because the Miami River is essentially a funnel for water from the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean. Native Americans are known to have settled in the Miami region for about 10,000 years. Its most noteworthy early inhabitants were the Tequesta people, who controlled an empire covering most of South Florida.

Because of its proximity to Latin America, Miami serves as the headquarters of Latin American operations for many multinational corporations, including American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, Exxon, FedEx, Microsoft, Oracle, SBC Communications and Sony. Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are among the nation's busiest ports of entry, especially for cargo from South America and the Caribbean. Additionally, downtown Miami has the largest concentration of international banks in the country. Miami was also the host city of the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations, and is one of the leading candidates to become the trading bloc's headquarters.

Tourism is also an important industry: the beaches of Greater Miami draw visitors from across the country and around the world, and the Art Deco nightclub district in South Beach (located in Miami Beach) is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. In addition to these roles, Miami is also an industrial center, especially for stone quarrying and warehousing. Several large companies are headquartered in or around Miami, including Burger King, Norwegian Cruise Line, Ryder System, and Wachovia.

Miami is also the site of the Orange Bowl, an annual collegiate football championship played at Pro Player Stadium. The city has hosted the Super Bowl several times. There are also two well-known but largely disused sporting venues in Miami: Miami Arena and the Orange Bowl Stadium.

Attractions
Bayside Marketplace
Little Havana
Coconut Grove
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Hibiscus Island, Palm Island and others
Lowe Art Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCa)
Miami Art Museum
Historical Museum of South Florida
Fairchild Tropical Gardens
Miami Seaquarium
Parrot Jungle Island

Attractions
Bayside Marketplace
Little Havana
Coconut Grove
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Hibiscus Island, Palm Island and others
Lowe Art Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCa)
Miami Art Museum
Historical Museum of South Florida
Fairchild Tropical Gardens
Miami Seaquarium
Parrot Jungle Island