Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and intricate canal system, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area.The city is a popular tourist destination, with 10.35 million visitors in 2006.The city is a major yachting center, with 42,000 resident yachts and 100 marinas and boatyardsFort Lauderdale and its suburbs host over 4100 restaurants and 120 nightclubsBest Real Estate Deals in Florida!Goran Jovanovic Keller Williams Elite Properties.For best Real Estate Deals CALL ME NOW: 954-243-7570http://www.goranflorida.comProduction: http://www.FloridaSearchonLine.comemail:floridasearchonline@gmail.comFort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict. Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed; the first was at the fork of the New River, the second at Tarpon Bend, in what is now known as the Sailboat Bend neighborhood, and the third near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93.2 km²), 31.7 square miles (82.1 km²) of which is land and 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of which is water (11.91%). Fort Lauderdale is known for its extensive network of canals; there are 165 miles (266 km) of waterways within the city limits.The city of Fort Lauderdale is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, includes 7 miles (11 km) of beaches.