Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east that also extends from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The elevation of the area never rises above 40 ft (12 m) and averages at around 6 ft (2 m) above mean sea level in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The highest undulations are found along the coastal Miami Rock Ridge, whose substrate underlies most of the eastern Miami metropolitan region.

The main portion of the city lies on the shores of Biscayne Bay which contains several hundred natural and artificially-created barrier islands, the largest of which contains the city of Miami Beach and its famous South Beach district. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, runs northward just 15 miles (24.1 km) off the coast, allowing the city's climate to stay warm and mild all year.

Miami is partitioned into many different sections, roughly into North, South, West and Downtown. The heart of the city is Downtown and is on the eastern side of the city. Downtown includes Brickell, Midtown Miami, Virginia Key, Watson Island, and the Port of Miami. Downtown is South Florida's central business district, and home of many major banks, financial headquarters, cultural attractions, and high-rise residential towers.

Miami is one of the country’s most important financial centers and is considered the "Financial Capital of the Americas". It is a major center of regional commerce, major corporate headquarters, and boasts a strong international business community.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Miami".