Florida State Facts, Symbols and History
Florida Fast Facts
Capital: Tallahassee (pop. 168,979) (2010 est.)
Florida Population: 19,317,568 ( 2012 est.) (4th)
Florida Quarter: The second quarter released in 2004 honor Florida and 27th in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. Florida was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, becoming our Nation’s 27th state. Called the “Sunshine State,” the Florida Quarter features a 16th-century Spanish galleon, a shuttle, and a strip of land lined with Sabal palm trees. The coin bears the inscriptions “Gateway to Discovery” and “Florida 1845”.
Marshy Plains Facts
Key West Facts
Photos of Key West
Language: English, others
Largest Cities: (by population) Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Petersburg, Orlando, Hialeah
Miami Facts
Miami Beach Facts
Name: Officially discovered in 1513 by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, it is believed that he named it “La Florida”, meaning ‘Land of Flowers’. However, some believe that this land was first discovered in 1497 by the English explorer, John Cabot.
Orlando Facts
Statehood: March 3, 1845 (27th state)
Florida Symbols
- Animal: Florida Panther
- Bird: mockingbird
- Flag of Florida
- Freshwater fish: trout perch
- Flower: orange blossom
- Gemstone: Moonstone
- Marine Mammal: Manatee
- Motto: “In God we trust”
- Nicknames: (most used) Sunny State, Alligator State
- Sea fish: Atlantic sailboat
- Song: River Svani
- State seal
- Tree: Sabal palmetto palm
Florida (Florida) – US state with its capital in Tallahassee, located on a long peninsula of the same name between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It borders the states of Alabama and Georgia. The area of the state is 170,451 km. Population – 19,552,860 people (data for 2013). The largest cities are Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville. See cities and towns in Florida.
Climate of Florida
In most of the territory the climate is humid subtropical, in the south – tropical. There is a constant risk of hurricanes in summer and autumn. On the southern part of the peninsula, in the area of the city of Fort Myers and below, there is a mild tropical climate, which allows the local population to swim in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico all year round.
Before the arrival of Europeans in America, Indian tribes inhabited the peninsula for thousands of years. The Spaniards, who landed here in 1513, claimed the region as their own territory, which they called la tierra florida (“blooming land”). In 1819, Spain sold Florida to the United States. The agreement entered into force on 22 February.
- AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of FL stands for Florida and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of Florida.
In 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States.
The state legislature has two chambers, a 40-member Senate and a 120-member House of Representatives.
Democratic positions have traditionally been strong in the state, but recently, due to the influx of visitors, the influence of Republicans has grown.
Florida is the leading citrus producing state in the US. Every year, two-thirds of the country’s harvest is citrus fruits harvested from Florida’s groves. Mostly oranges and grapefruits.
Only once in the past 100 years has Florida’s citrus crop been killed by a cold snap. This happened in the late 80s of the XX century. Farmers whose farms were located north of the cities of Lakeland and Orlando had to abandon the production of citrus fruits. In the past, when frozen fruit hit the market, citrus prices plummeted and farmers went bankrupt. Now, the Florida Citrus Commission’s strict market controls help keep prices steady even after the cold winters.
Another important agricultural crop of the state is tobacco, which grows mainly in northern Florida. Tobacco cultivation began in the late 1920s. XX century, after hordes of rodents that attacked the cotton plantations of Florida, destroyed most of the crop. Florida’s tobacco market center is Live Oak.
In addition to citrus fruits and tobacco, heat-loving sugar cane is also grown in southern Florida. The city of Claviston, on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, is the center of Florida’s sugar cane cultivation. The production of this crop was expanded after the events of 1961, when, after the Cuban Revolution, the United States stopped importing sugar cane from the island.
Florida is one of the major suppliers of fish to the country’s markets. The main fishing ports of the state, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, are Pensacola and Apalachicola. And on the Atlantic coast – the city of Fernandina Beach (Fernandina Beach) and New Smyrna Beach (New Smyrna Beach). And, of course, the Florida Keys. The pink shrimp, considered one of the most valuable gifts of the southern seas, is mined here, its habitats stretch from Tampa to the barrier islands. In addition to shrimp, Florida fishermen supply the country’s markets with a variety of fish species, including Spanish mackerel, black mullet, as well as shellfish, lobster and crabs. Oysters are grown in the Gulf of Appalachicola.
Sport fishing is very popular in the state. It can be called an important branch of the Florida tourism industry and a good source of income for the state.
45% of Florida is covered in forests. Back in the old days, the pine forests of Florida were the most important source of timber for the US Navy. But in the 19th century, this source was exhausted – the forests of Florida were almost cut down. However, the citizens of the state planted new forests on the site of old clearings, and in 1940 Florida’s sawmilling began to pick up again.
The tourism industry in Florida’s economy is the most important and generates huge income for the state. The most popular tourist centers in Florida are Miami, Miami Beach, Orlando, where Disney parks and Universal Studios, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, Panama City, Pensacola are located. As well as cities located in areas of national parks. It was the tourism industry that in the best way influenced the development of the industrial sectors of the state economy.
