Founded in 1870, Miami is Florida's second largest city. Located in Dade County, its name probably stems from the word mayaimi, an Indian voice meaning plentiful water. From 1960 on after the arrival of thousands of Cubans, this modest community started fostering its own development at a white heat all the way to become a huge burg like it is today. Moreover, this bilingual city is dominated by huge glass windows and neon lights, as well as a mesh of roads and highways leading to countless places and locations. Miami is both an international financial hub. Its economy is highly diversified with over 170 international companies operating in town. It's one of the leading cities as far as biomedical research is concerned and brags with having the world's largest cruise liner port and transportation center. For many, Miami is the world's tourist leader. Its beaches and palm trees alternate with eye-popping shopping malls like Aventura, Miami International and Omni. Visitors can enjoy rides aboard luxurious yachts and schooners, the great cuisine of sophisticated restaurants, comfortable hotels and discos. All across Miami, creativity is part and parcel with the local imagination, and its residents share their beaches, their fashion and their contagious Latin rhythms with his guests and visitors. Many people who come to this monumental country prefer Miami's International Airport because of the many attractions this city has to offer. The mere presence of such a world star as Flipper the Dolphin and a 10,000-lb whale named Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium, the largest botanical garden in the United States, the 500-plus apes rambling freely on the premises of the Monkey Jungle and the Metro Zoo displaying animal species from all over the world, are indeed some of the must-sees around town. Distance among all these parks is relatively short. Dade County also harbors other great cities like South Beach, with a one-and-only architectural style; Coconut Grove; Coral Gables, with Spanish-style mansions; elegant Bal Harbor Village and sport-oriented Palm Beach, featuring superb golf courses. Make no mistakes about it: Miami and all of its splendor stand for an top-drawer tourist destination for those interested in meeting America's Latin side.