Miami is a haven for tourists. It is described as the "only great city of the world that started as a fantasy." Miami is famous for its beaches and has been a major tourist attraction for its subtropical climate. Over the years, the city has experienced unprecedented growth and begun to be reckoned as a center of international finance and commerce and a regional center for Latin American and Haitian art.
Miami is part of Miami-Dade County comprising of unincorporated and incorporated areas. It is located at the mouth of the Miami River on the lower east coast of Florida. It is surrounded on the east by Biscayne Bay, Further east, the islands of Key Biscayne and Miami Beach shelter the bay from the Atlantic Ocean, thus providing Miami with a naturally protected harbor. A man-made canal connects the city to Lake Okeechobee, located 90 miles northwest of Miami.
Greater Miami offers a diversity of lifestyles and attractions to both residents and visitors in a variety of small towns and cities such as Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, South Beach, Coral Gables, Bal Harbor, and Hialeah. It is a major transportation hub with a thriving job and housing market.
Miami's enjoys a semi-tropical climate which makes it suitable for tourists to visit all round the year. It is the second most humid city in the US with humidity levels ranging between 86 to 89 percentage.  Even though hurricanes occasionally affect the area in September and October; tornadoes are rare.

Area: 36 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 12 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 68.1° F; July, 83.7° F; annual average, 76.7° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 58.53 inches

Population: 386,417 (as on July 2005)

Festivals

• Italian Renaissance Festival
  
  
• Carnival Miami
  
  
• Calle Ocho Festival
  
  
• Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival
  
  
• Art Basel Miami Beach
  
  
• Coconut Grove Arts Festival
  
  
• Miami International Film Festival
  
  
• Orange Bowl Festival