ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Florida The Sunshine State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
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
INTRODUCTION5 For most Americans a trip to Florida means heading south perhaps for thousands of miles Except for Hawaii Florida is the southernmost state in the country It is the closest state to South America Georgia and Alabama border Florida to the north and water surrounds most of the rest of the state Florida is 447 miles long from the St Marys River in the north to the tip of the Florida Keys It is 361 miles wide across the northern panhandle from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Perdido River on the west The greatest width of the peninsula is 150 miles ALABAMA 65 Florida Location Map ALABAMA 10 Pensacola L Seminole Dead L L Talquin a l o c i h c a l a p A Flint 75 GEORGIA L Iamonia Tallahassee nee n a w u S S a t i l l a 95 St Marys Atlantic Ocean Jacksonville 10 95 Gainesville Orange L L George Daytona Beach 75 L Harris Orlando Gulf of Mexico Clearwater Largo St Petersburg 4 Tampa St Johns L Kissimmee 95 75 L Istokpoga L Okeechobee 75 BIG CYPRESS NATʼL PRES West Palm Beach Pompano Beach Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Miami Beach Miami Kendall BISCAYNE NATʼL PARK Hialeah EVERGLADES NATʼL PARK A K RID O L F S Y E Key West Population 15,982,378 Size 58,680 square miles Highest point Walton County 345 feet Capital Tallahassee Interstate highways Mi 10 20 0 Scale 0 16 1 32 2 Km Florida’s beaches are one of its many attractions QUICK FACTS Tallahassee the capital city was chosen in 1824 because it was halfway between St Augustine and Pensacola The new location meant the government no longer had to make the 20-day trip by horse between St Augustine and Pensacola for alternating sessions Florida’s state flag includes a red diagonal cross with the state seal in the middle The native Seminole Indians of Florida are represented on the seal as are flowers palm trees rivers lakes and the motto In God We Trust
