Located in the southeastern corner of Florida, the United States, between Biscayne Bay, the Everglades, and the Atlantic Ocean, Miami is the second largest city in the state after Jacksonville. It is also the largest city in the South Florida metropolitan area, which consists of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, with a combined population of more than 5.59 million people.
Miami is a cosmopolitan city with a major presence in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, and international trade. It is home to many corporations, banks, and television stations. It is also considered a melting pot of cultures, with strong influences from the large Latin American community and residents from the Caribbean island countries, most of whom speak Spanish and Haitian Creole. In addition, the city has close cultural and linguistic ties with North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. As a result, it is hailed as the "capital of the Americas".
Miami is home to the Latin American regional headquarters for many multinational companies, such as American Airlines, Cisco, Disney, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Microsoft, Oracle, and Sony. Several large companies, including Alienware, Burger King, Citrix System, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Ryder System, are headquartered in or around Miami.
Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are among the busiest ports in the US, especially for cargo from South America and the Caribbean. In addition, Miami's urban area is home to the largest cluster of international banks in the country. The city also hosted the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations.
Tourism is also a major industry in Miami. The beaches in the greater Miami area attract visitors from all over the country and the world, with the Art Deco nightclub district in South Beach considered one of the most glamorous places in the world.
In 2008, Miami was named America's Cleanest City by Forbes for its excellent air quality, extensive vegetation coverage, pure drinking water, neat streets, and citywide waste collection program. In 2009, Miami was also ranked by UBS as the wealthiest city in the US and the fifth wealthiest city in the world.
On Nov 12, 2010, Xiamen and Miami signed an agreement on the establishment of friendly exchange relations.
