”’Florida”’ is the most southern American state that lies in the tropical climate zone. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean wash the state in the east, and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the west. The Florida Strait separates Florida and the island of Cuba in the south.
The climate is temperate subtropical almost all over Florida; it is tropical in the south. There is a constant risk of hurricanes in the summer and autumn. In the southern part of the peninsula, near the town of Fort Myers and below, there is a mild tropical climate that allows the local population to swim all year round in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida ranks fourth among the United States of America states regarding GDP (after California, Texas and New York). The main economic sectors of Florida are tourism, agriculture, mining, and industry.
The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.
Florida’s nicknames
The Sunshine State
Area
Florida area
Total 65,755[4] sq mi (170,304[4] km2)
Width 361 miles (582 km)
Length 447 miles (721 km)
History
Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the east coast of Florida in 1513 when he tried to find the beautiful island of Bimini, supposedly located north of Puerto Rico.
According to Indian legends, on this island was the source of eternal youth. Ponce de Leon did not find Bimini and the eternal youth, but, admiring the beauty of the new lands, he invented this name Terra Florida – “the land of flowers.”
In the XVI-XVIII centuries, France and England fiercely fought with Spain for possession of the “land of flowers.” Even the famous English captain Francis Drake appeared here. He plundered and burned the town of St. Augustine. However, Spain continued to retain control of Florida until 1819. Then Spain sold these territories to the United States of America. However, the beautiful peninsula became the twenty-seventh state of the United States only in 1845. During the Civil War between the North and the South of the United States (1861-65), Florida took the side of the South and lost the war.
Demographics
More than 18,800,000 people live in the state of Florida. The average population density in the state is about 384.3/sq mi (121.0/km2).
The largest cities in the state of Florida are Jacksonville (more than 820,000 inhabitants, eleventh place in the list of the largest cities in the USA), Miami (about 400,000 inhabitants), Tampa (about 340,000 inhabitants), St. Petersburg (about 250,000 inhabitants), Orlando (about 240,000 inhabitants) and the capital of the state Tallahassee (about 180,000 inhabitants).
TOP 5 Universities
Best Universities in Florida
* University of Florida
* Florida State University
* University of South Florida
* University of Central Florida
* University of Miami
News
Florida man uses fake ID, steals $41K in dental implants, $10K for French bulldog