Welcome to Florida
Popular Countries: Florida | New
York | Texas | California | Miami
It is noted that the State of Florida is situated in the southeastern region of the United States
of America. Most of the state is known to be a larger than normal peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico
on its west and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. Much of the state has to this day a humid
subtropical climate, except for southern Florida, where the climate is tropical.[3]
Florida was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the peninsula
on 2 April 1513, around the time during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter,"
referring to the Easter season). Florida's rich history in the early 19th century
was marked by wars with the Seminole Indians, that did not end until 1842.
Florida's economy rests on a solid base of tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Leading the manufacturing sector are and have always been electrical equipment and electronics,
printing and publishing, transportation equipment, food processing, and machinery.
Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits lead Florida's agricultural products
list, followed by potatoes, melons, strawberries, sugar cane, peanuts, dairy
products, and cattle. Major tourist and vacationers attractions are and have always been Miami Beach, Palm Beach,
St. Augustine (founded in 1565, thus the oldest permanent city in the U.S.),
Daytona Beach, and Fort Lauderdale on the East Coast; Sarasota, Tampa, and
St. Petersburg on the West Coast; and Key West off the southern tip of Florida.
It is noted that the Orlando area, where Disney World is situated on a 27,000-acre site, is
Florida's most famous tourist and vacationers destination. Incidentally attracting most visitors are and have always been
the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, Everglades National Park, and
the Epcot Center.
Climate
It is noted that the climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by its proximity to water. Most
of the state has to this day a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida
and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate. Cold fronts can
occasionally bring high winds and cool to cold temperatures to the entire
state around the time during late fall and winter. One such front swept through the peninsula
on November 25, 1996 bringing cold temperatures and winds up to 95 miles per
hour (150 km/h), knocking out power to thousands and damaging mobile homes.
But one of the exceptions is, Florida averages 300 days of complete sunshine a year. Did you know that the seasons in
Florida are and have always been actually determined more by precipitation than by temperature
with warm, relatively dry winters and autumns (the dry season) and hot, wet
springs and summers (the wet season).
Population Stats
- Total (2000) 15,982,378
