The city of Orlando is the seat of Orange County and is the central city of the metropolitan area of the same name, as well as the head of the region known as Central Florida, in the state of Florida, in the southeastern United States. In 2017 the city had a population of 280,250 inhabitants (the population in the metropolitan area is 2,509,800). It is the sixth largest city in Florida and the largest non-coastal city. It is also the head of the third largest metropolitan area in the state, behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Tampa-St. Petersburg.
Minneapolis and Saint Paul are the only cities that rival Orlando due to the number of natural lakes found in its metropolitan area. The Orlando area is home to more than 100 lakes, the largest of which are the Apopka Lakes, Eustis, Griffin, Harney, Harris, Jesup, Monroe, Sand Lake, Conway, and Tohopekaliga.
The region of Orlando is generally flat except for the minimal sand hills formed by the action of the waves in the ancient geological eras when the sea level was much higher. These sandy hills were originally located in the western section of the metropolitan area especially in Lake County. The area is very prone to the natural creation of drain holes due to the underground presence of numerous limestone caves. Many of these lakes, as well as caves, were born in recent geological history.
Its main road is Interstate 4, which crosses the Florida's Turnpike, which is another important highway; both depart from southern Florida. Orlando is the second largest city in the United States that has only one interstate highway, second only to Austin, Texas. The interstate begins in Tampa, Florida, and travels northeast through the central region of the state, ending at Daytona Beach. The East-West Expressway (SR 408) is being improved since 2005 with the construction of additional lanes, concrete walls and design improvements.
The city is mainly known for its hotels and its many tourist attractions of child and youth interest, particularly Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort. Another attraction includes SeaWorld. Downtown Orlando has undergone continuous restructuring, despite being away from major tourist attractions. It is home to Orlando Sentinel, one of the largest newspapers in the state, the Orlando Magic, an NBA professional basketball team, and the Orlando City Soccer Club of the Major League Soccer; It also hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational PGA Tour golf tournament.
