  Metaheuristic algorithms are often nature-inspired, and they are becoming
very powerful in solving global optimization problems. More than a dozen of
major metaheuristic algorithms have been developed over the last three decades,
and there exist even more variants and hybrid of metaheuristics. This paper
intends to provide an overview of nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithms,
from a brief history to their applications. We try to analyze the main
components of these algorithms and how and why they works. Then, we intend to
provide a unified view of metaheuristics by proposing a generalized
evolutionary walk algorithm (GEWA). Finally, we discuss some of the important
open questions.
