Outline of Florida
Florida is one of the leading tourist states in the United States. This land of swaying palm trees and warm ocean breezes attracts visitors the year around, usually about 60 million annually. Many of these vacationers enjoy Walt Disney World Resort, a theme park near Orlando. Miami Beach, a suburb of Miami, is one of the state's many famous resort centers. Other popular seaside resorts include Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Palm Beach, Panama City, and Sanibel Island.
Florida is the southernmost state on the U.S. mainland. A large part of the state consists of a peninsula that juts south about 400 miles (640 kilometers) into the sea. The state's northwestern part, called the Panhandle, extends along the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Florida faces the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the west. The southern tip of Florida is less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Cuba. Florida's coastline is longer than that of any other state except Alaska.
Florida's population is growing faster than that of all but a few other states. Its economy is also expanding rapidly, especially in banking, business services, and the manufacture of computers and other electronic equipment. Florida farmers grow about four-fifths of both the nation's orange and grapefruit crops. Almost all the frozen orange juice produced in the United States is processed in Florida.
In 1565, the Spaniards established St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in what became the United States. Britain gained control of Florida in 1763 but ceded it back to Spain in 1783. After the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783), the United States controlled all the land it now occupies from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River except for Spanish Florida.
The United States formally obtained Florida from Spain in 1821, and Congress established the Territory of Florida the next year. Florida became a state in 1845. Shortly before the American Civil War began in 1861, Florida left the Union and then joined the Confederacy. Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that Union forces did not capture during the war. Florida was readmitted to the Union in 1868. The population of Florida started to swell during the early 1900's and has been growing ever since.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain of Florida covers the entire eastern part of the state. It is a low, level plain ranging in width from 30 to 100 miles (48 to 160 kilometers). A narrow ribbon of sand bars, coral reefs, and barrier islands lies in the Atlantic Ocean, just offshore from the mainland. Lagoons, rivers, bays, and long, shallow lakes lie between much of this ribbon and the mainland.
Great stretches of sandy beaches and a warm, sunny climate make Florida a year-round vacationland. Southern Florida is one of the world's most beautiful resort areas. Its attractions include Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys, a chain of small islands that extends into the Gulf of Mexico. People enjoy swimming, fishing, and water-skiing in the inland and coastal waters. Visitors may see historic sites that date back to the Spanish explorers. The Orange Bowl football game in Miami on or near New Year's Day is one of Florida's leading annual events. The state has professional baseball, basketball, football, and hockey teams. Horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai games are popular.
In 1513, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed the Florida region for Spain. He named the region Florida, probably because he arrived there a few days after Easter, which the Spanish called Pascua Florida (Easter of the Flowers). Florida has been nicknamed the Sunshine State because it has many sunny days. Partly as a result of the warm, sunny climate, millions of older people spend their retirement years in the state. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida. Jacksonville ranks as the state's largest city.
