Florida
Florida is famous for its sandy beaches and warm,
sunny weather. Some people say the balmy weather is Florida’s most important
resource. It has helped make Florida one of the fastest-growing states in the
United States. Florida’s nickname, the Sunshine State, shows the importance of
its climate.
On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th
state to join the United States. Tallahassee is Florida’s capital, and
Jacksonville is the largest city. Miami is the state’s biggest metropolitan
area.
Facts About Florida
|
|
Capital
|
Tallahassee
|
Population
|
18,300,000
people
|
Rank
among states in population
|
4th
|
Major
cities
|
Jacksonville,
Miami, Tampa, Saint Petersburg
|
Area
|
65,800
square miles
170,000 square kilometers |
Rank
among states in area
|
23rd
|
Statehood
|
March
3, 1845, the 27th state
|
State
nickname
|
The
Sunshine State
|
Name
for residents
|
Floridians
|
State
bird
|
Mockingbird
|
State
flower
|
Orange
Blossom
|
State
tree
|
Sabal
Palmetto
|
Abbreviation
|
FL
|
PENINSULA AND PANHANDLE
Florida is the nation’s most southeastern state.
Most of Florida is a peninsula. A peninsula is a strip of land that juts out
into a body of water.
The eastern shores of Florida’s peninsula face the
Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf of Mexico is to the west. No place in Florida is very
far from the sea. Florida has more coastline than any other state except
Alaska.
The northwest part of Florida is called the
panhandle. That’s because it looks like the handle of a frying pan. The state’s
only hills rise in the panhandle. Florida’s highest hill stands just 345 feet
(105 meters). Florida is one of the country’s flattest states.
SUNSHINE STATE
It’s warm and sunny most of the year in
Florida. The pleasant climate makes Florida a playground for vacationers. It’s
also a popular place to live. Many people from Northern states move to Florida
after they retire. Nearly 18 million people live in Florida year-round. Florida
is the country’s fourth most populated state.
Settlers from Spain brought citrus fruit trees to
Florida in the 1600s. Citrus fruits thrive in all that sunshine. Today, Florida
is by far the largest producer of oranges and grapefruits in the United States.
That’s the reason for one of Florida’s other nicknames, the Orange State.
Florida’s biggest business is tourism. Theme parks such
as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando draw millions of visitors
all year long. So do seaside resorts like Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Fort
Lauderdale, and Miami Beach. You can go deep-sea fishing, go snorkeling, or
just relax on the beach.
FLORIDA KEYS
One of Florida’s most popular vacation spots is the
Florida Keys. The keys are a string of tiny, sandy islands that stretch off the
coast of southern Florida. A long road connects the main islands, or keys. The
bridges linking the keys are miles long in places!
For many years, the famous American writer
Ernest Hemingway lived on Key West—one of the larger keys. He wrote about the
area in his novel Islands in the Stream. Today, you can visit the Ernest
Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West.
THE EVERGLADES
Most of southern Florida is covered by the
Everglades. The Everglades is a vast marsh south of Lake Okeechobee, a huge
freshwater lake. The native Seminole Indians called this area Pay-hai-o-kee,
meaning “grassy water.” It’s one of the world’s largest wetlands.
Thousands of tiny islands, called hammocks, dot the
Everglades. Trees such as cypress and sabal palms—Florida’s state tree—grow on
them. Most of the Everglades is wet and covered in high grass. Eagles,
alligators, crocodiles, wading birds, and the rare Florida panther live there.
Part of the Everglades forms Everglades National Park, which sees more than 1
million visitors every year.
But the Everglades is in trouble. For years, people
drained water from it. Fertilizers used in farming have polluted the Everglades
with chemicals. Recently, environmentalists have tried to protect the
Everglades and return it to its natural state.
SPANISH EXPLORERS
The first Europeans to reach Florida were from
Spain. In 1513, the explorer Juan Ponce de León left Puerto Rico in search of
the fountain of youth. This legendary spring supposedly had magical waters that
could keep a person young.
Ponce de León didn’t find the fountain of
youth. But he did find Florida. In 1565, the Spanish established a settlement
on the coast of northeastern Florida that became Saint Augustine. It was the
first permanent European settlement in the United States.
THE SEMINOLE PEOPLE
When the Spanish arrived, many Native Americans inhabited
Florida. Diseases brought by the Spanish killed many native people. Others died
fighting the Spanish. During the 1700s, the Creek people from Georgia moved
into Florida along with escaped African slaves. Together, they were called the
Seminole people.
The United States fought three wars with the
Seminole, the last one ending in 1858. The Seminole fiercely defended their
land, but they were finally defeated. The U.S. government moved most of the
Seminole to Oklahoma. But some Seminole stayed. Most who did retreated to the
Everglades.
Today, the Seminole have five areas called
reservations set aside for them in Florida. They farm, hunt, and fish on the
reservations. Some still live in traditional houses called chickees.
These are houses on stilts with thatched roofs and no walls.
LITTLE HAVANA
Florida belonged to Spain for about 300 years.
People who trace their heritage to Spain, called Hispanics, are important to
Florida. Hispanic food, music, and art remain popular in Florida, and many
people speak Spanish.
One part of Miami is called Little
Havana. Many of its people once lived in Havana, Cuba. In 1959, a revolution
overthrew Cuba’s government. Many Cubans left their country and settled in
Florida, especially around Miami.
CAPE CANAVERAL
When astronauts go into space, they usually go to
Florida first. That’s because Florida is home to the John F. Kennedy Space
Center. This is the main launch site for the United States space program.
The space center is located on Cape Canaveral,
a sliver of land off Florida’s east coast. Every year, visitors come to Cape
Canaveral to witness the thunderous launching of satellites, space probes, and
space shuttles.
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