What it's known for
Miami is a leading centre of finance, commerce, culture and international trade. Its strong ties to Latin America have earned it the name 'Gateway to Latin America', and its seaport, PortMiami, is a major base for cruise ships.
Miami
City in Florida, United StatesMiami stands on the shore of Biscayne Bay, a lagoon on the Atlantic coast of southeastern Florida, with the Everglades to the west and the barrier island of Miami Beach to the east.
Fun facts
- Miami is noted as the only major US city founded by a woman: Julia Tuttle, who became known as 'the mother of Miami'.
- The city is named after the Miami River, whose name comes from Mayaimi, the old name of Lake Okeechobee.
- Miami became a city in 1896 and is called the 'Magic City' because winter visitors saw it grow so fast from one year to the next that it seemed like magic.
Finding it on the globe
Go to the southern end of the Florida peninsula, on the Atlantic side: Miami is on Biscayne Bay, just north of where the chain of the Florida Keys begins.
Easy to mix up
Many players pick Miami, but Florida's capital is Tallahassee, far to the north near the Georgia border.
Sources: Wikipedia: Miami, Wikipedia: Biscayne Bay, Wikipedia: Tallahassee, Florida