Tampa is a city and the seat of Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida, in the United States of America.

It is the central city of the Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area focused around Tampa Bay. Tampa is a major industrial center and seaport, and since 1980 the city and its surrounding metropolitan region have become one of Florida’s most important hubs of commerce and finance.

Tampa lies at the mouth of the Hillsborough River at the head of Tampa Bay, the largest inlet of the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida Peninsula.

Tampa is often associated with Saint Petersburg, which lies across the bay to the southwest. However, Tampa’s focus on industry and business distinguishes it from its sister city, a leading tourist destination.