Florida: The Sunshine State

Florida: The Sunshine State — page 1
INTRODUCTION Millions of people know Florida as a great place to vacation but it is much more than that The long peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other stretches hundreds of miles from Pensacola to Key West This southeastern state produces the most citrus crops of any state in the United States It also produces dairy and beef products and manufactures forest products Throughout the winter months Florida produces fruit and vegetable crops These foods along with Florida’s famous orange juice end up in homes across the United States and in other countries Florida’s warm climate is ideal for growing fruit Florida is well known for its delicious orange juice 4 FLORIDA Florida’s waters are used for business and recreation QUICK FACTS Key West is the southernmost city in the mainland United States Spain sold the land that is now Florida to the United States in 1819 Florida’s first state flag had five horizontal stripes blue orange red white and green and a ribbon with the inscription Let us alone It flew from 1845 to 1861 Florida’s state song The Swanee River Old Folks at Home was written in 1851 The Suwannee River flows from Georgia through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico The gemstone known as the moonstone was adopted as Florida’s state gem after American astronauts landed on the moon in 1969 The stone is not found in Florida and astronauts did not find it on the moon