- Florida's seal was designed in 1868. The state motto, “In God We Trust,” may have been …
Because it has so many sunny days, the state of Florida is nicknamed the Sunshine State. Other nicknames are the Orange State (because many citrus fruits are grown there), the Peninsula State (because the state is surrounded by water on three sides), the Alligator State (because alligators live in many of Florida's swamps), the Southernmost State (because of Florida's location in relation to other mainland states), and the Everglades State (because of the great swamp at Florida's southern end). In 1513 a Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce de León went searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth. The Fountain of Youth was a spring that was supposed to contain water that would let people live forever. He strayed off his course and landed in what has come to be called Florida. Because he arrived on Easter Sunday, known as Pascua florida in Spanish, he may have named the territory in honor of the holiday. The word florida also means “flowery,” so he could have chosen the name because of the flowers he found growing everywhere. GeographyFlorida is a South Atlantic state. It has a land area of 53,927 square miles (139,660 square kilometers) and more than 4,000 square miles (10,300 square kilometers) of water surface. Georgia and Alabama border Florida on the north. These two states are directly above the area of Florida known as the Panhandle. The Atlantic Ocean is on the east. On the west are Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico. The southernmost mainland point of the United States is Cape Sable, Florida. The Straits of Florida connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. This body of water also separates Florida from Cuba. The Florida Keys are a chain of tiny coral and limestone islands. Key West, on the Florida Keys, is the nation's southernmost city (outside of Hawaii). The state lies entirely within the Coastal Plain, which runs most of the length of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Florida is divided into five regions. Flat plains border the entire coast. In the center of the state broad plains, rolling hills, and thousands of lakes stretch from the Georgia border south through the center of the state to Glades County. The Tallahassee Hills in northern Florida border a flat or gently rolling area west of the Apalachicola River and just south of the Alabama border called the Marianna Lowlands. Finally, the Western Highlands are a gently sloping plateau between the Apalachicola and Perdido rivers. The state's largest rivers are all in the north. The St. Johns River is the longest, stretching for 285 miles (459 kilometers). Its waters flow north and drain into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Jacksonville. Florida is known for its warm, sunny climate. Summer temperatures for the state as a whole are highest in July and August, averaging 82° F (28° C). While cold spells sometimes occur in the winter, they rarely last more than three or four days. Florida's rainfall averages 53 inches (135 centimeters) per year. The heaviest rainfall occurs between May and October, usually in downpours each day that last an hour or two. Hurricanes can be a problem in Florida. In 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida, causing billions of dollars in damage and leaving many people without homes. Natural resourcesForests once covered nearly 90 percent of Florida's land area, but many of the trees were cut down to build cities. Pines are the most common trees in Florida. Parts of Florida are poorly drained because the land is so low and flat. In periods of heavy rainfall, the water remains on the land. Canals and other types of drainage had to be built in order for the land to be useful. - An overview of the Everglades in southern Florida, U.S.
Florida has many plants, birds, fish, and wild animals. Several species, however, have been threatened with extinction because people and industries have damaged their habitats. To help solve this problem, the government decided to make some of the state's land and water protected places for creatures to live and plants to grow. In great need of protection is the Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. People and cultureThe first inhabitants of Florida were Native Americans who arrived in the area as much as 10,000 years ago. The first Europeans arrived in the 17th century, but the territory was sparsely settled for more than 200 years. Although fewer than 1 million people lived in Florida in 1920, it soon became one of the fastest-growing states in the United States. Rumors of big profits to be made in real estate (the buying and selling of land) brought in hundreds of thousands of people hoping to make money. The growth of Army and Navy bases during World War II brought another great wave of people. With 15,982,378 residents according to the 2000 census, Florida ranks fourth in the nation in terms of population. (California, Texas, and New York have more people living in them than Florida.) In addition to people who live in Florida, vacationers add to the total number of people in the state at any given time. Florida has a diverse population. Many senior citizens move to Florida during their years of retirement to enjoy the weather. Because the state is near Cuba and Haiti, people who are escaping political and economic problems in those countries often come to Florida. African Americans make up nearly one fifth of the state's population. Some Seminole Indians live on reservations in southern Florida. CitiesFlorida's capital, Tallahassee, is located in the northwest region of the state. Jacksonville is the largest city in the state. It is important as a seaport and is the business center of northern Florida. Miami, the second largest city in size, is a winter resort and a manufacturing center. Tampa is an important commercial city and port on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. St. Petersburg, near Tampa, is known for its saltwater fishing. The city of Orlando is one of the world's most popular vacation spots because of the area's theme parks and amusement centers, such as Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center, Sea World, and Cypress Gardens. Many people like to visit St. Augustine, which is the oldest city in the continental United States. Pensacola, the second-oldest city in the state, has a fine harbor on the Gulf. Key West, Miami Beach, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Daytona Beach attract many tourists. RecreationPeople enjoy visiting Florida for its pleasant weather and because there are lots of things to do there. White-sand beaches along the coastline attract large crowds. Many people like seeing and learning about marine animals at Orlando's Sea World, Daytona Beach's Marineland, and Miami's Seaquarium. Biscayne National Park, on the Atlantic coast south of Miami, features brightly colored fish, plants, and corals. Many birds fly to the Everglades National Park in the winter on their annual migration, and many other animals reside there throughout the year. Busch Gardens in Tampa has hundreds of African animals roaming in an open environment. Walt Disney World offers guests a variety of rides, shows, restaurants, and water parks. Visitors at the John F. Kennedy Space Center and Spaceport USA at Cape Canaveral can take guided tours and watch space launches. At the winter home of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Venice, animals and performers practice new acts for the summer season. Many major-league baseball teams head to Florida for spring training. Florida has two major-league baseball teams of its own: the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Florida has three professional football teams—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Several college football bowl games also are hosted in Florida. The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic play men's professional basketball, and the Miami Sol and the Orlando Miracle are women's professional teams. The Daytona 500 and other racing events take place at the Daytona International Speedway. EducationThe first school system was authorized in 1849, soon after Florida became a state. In 1969 all of Florida's tax-supported schools, including universities, were placed in a single system of public education. The University of Florida (located in Gainesville) and Florida State University (located in Tallahassee) are major research universities with very large student bodies. EconomyTourism brings a great deal of money into Florida's economy. Many people hold service jobs, such as working at hotels and restaurants. However, agriculture and industry are also important to the Sunshine State. AgricultureCrops are grown year-round in Florida because of the warm weather. Florida is a leader among states in the production of citrus fruits (such as oranges and grapefruits) and the processing of citrus products (such as frozen orange juice). Fruits such as papayas, grapes, peaches, and bananas are also grown in Florida. The bees that live in the orchards pollinate the trees and produce a great deal of honey. Between November and July, Florida truck farmers ship thousands of carloads of fresh food to other parts of the United States. Vegetable crops include tomatoes, sweet corn, potatoes, beans, squash, lettuce, and strawberries. Important field crops are tobacco, corn, peanuts, hay, and cotton. Sugarcane is raised in the Everglades region. The rolling grasslands of Florida provide good food for cattle. Dairy products and poultry are also important to Florida. The city of Ocala is known for its breeding of thoroughbred horses. The state's inland and coastal waters contain fish and shellfish that are caught and sold. IndustryFlorida has many types of businesses. Many companies manufacture computer equipment and electronics. Several companies are involved in printing and publishing. Near Pensacola is one of the world's largest nylon plants. Florida is a leader in the aerospace industry. The Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral employs thousands of people. Spaceport Florida is the country's only commercial spaceport. MiningFlorida is the nation's chief producer of phosphate rock, which is needed to make fertilizers. Limestone, clay, sand, and gravel are mined to make cement. The state also has deposits of the minerals from which titanium is extracted. Titanium is used in steel, paints, and other products. ForestryThe large number of pine trees that grow in Florida are used to produce such things as lumber and turpentine. Other commercially valuable trees are cypress, magnolia, gum, dogwood, sweet bay, cedar, oak, and hickory. HistoryWhen Juan Ponce de León arrived in Florida in 1513, he claimed the land for Spain. In 1528 the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez reached Tampa Bay with about 400 men, but most of them died when ships carrying supplies never arrived. Hernando de Soto sailed into Tampa Bay with in 1539 with 1,000 men. In 1562 French Protestants called Huguenots went to Florida so that they could freely practice their religion. More French colonists followed, but many of them were killed when Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés captured their fort. In 1565 Menéndez founded St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the territory that became the United States. The 19th centurySpain and Britain frequently quarreled about land in America. After the American Revolution freed the United States from British control, the new nation and Spain disagreed on land boundaries in Florida. In an agreement called the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819–21), Spain gave up claims to Florida. From 1835 to 1842, colonists fought the Seminole Indians who lived in Florida. (The Seminoles were descendants of the ancient Indian groups that came to Florida thousands of years ago.) After seven years of war, most of the Seminoles were forced to leave Florida and move to land in the West. Florida entered the Union in 1845 as the nation's 27th state. At the beginning of the American Civil War it left to join the Confederacy because many of its citizens supported the right to own slaves. After the war, Florida was readmitted to the Union in 1868. In the 1880s the era of railroad building opened the state to permanent settlers and a new tourist trade. Better transportation made Florida the winter vegetable and citrus center of the East. The 20th centuryThe growth of Florida in the 20th century was frantic. Land sales boomed and the population exploded. The economy grew as did Florida's international importance. Florida was the center of attention during the 2000 United States presidential election. The race between Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Albert Gore was so close that whoever received the most votes in Florida would win the presidency. Several weeks after the election, the courts determined that Bush had received the most votes in the state. He won the election and was sworn in as president. Population (2000 census), 15,982,378. |