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FloridaCapital: Tallahassee State abbreviation/Postal code: Fla./FL Governor: Charlie Crist, R (to Jan. 2011) Lieut. Governor: Jeff Kottkamp, R (to Jan. 2011) Senators: Mel Martinez, R (to Jan. 2011); Bill Nelson, D (to Jan. 2013) U.S. Representatives: 25 Historical biographies of Congressional members Secy. of State: Kurt S. Browning (appt'd. by gov.) Atty. General: Bill McCollum, R (to Jan. 2011) Chief Financial Officer: Alex Sink, D (to Jan. 2011) Organized as territory: March 30, 1821 Entered Union (rank): March 3, 1845 (27) Present constitution adopted: 1969 Motto: In God we trust (1868) State symbols: | flower | orange blossom (1909) | | bird | mockingbird (1927) | | song | “Suwannee River” (1935) |
Nickname: Sunshine State (1970) Origin of name: From the Spanish Pascua Florida, meaning “feast of flowers” (Easter) 10 largest cities (2005 est.): Jacksonville, 782,623; Miami, 386,417; Tampa, 325,989; St. Petersburg, 249,079; Hialeah, 220,485; Orlando, 213,223; Fort Lauderdale, 167,380; Tallahassee, 158,500; Pembroke Pines, 150,380; Hollywood, 145,629 Land area: 53,927 sq mi. (139,671 sq km) Geographic center: In Hernando Co., 12 mi. NNW of Brooksville Number of counties: 67 Largest county by population and area: Miami-Dade, 2,376,014 (2005); Palm Beach, 2,034 sq mi. State forests: 31 (more than 890,000 ac.) State parks: 159 (over 723,000+ ac.) Residents: Floridian, Floridan 2005 resident population est.: 17,789,864 2000 resident census population (rank): 15,982,378 (4). Male: 7,797,715 (48.8%); Female: 8,184,663 (51.2%). White: 12,465,029 (78.0%); Black: 2,335,505 (14.6%); American Indian: 53,541 (0.3%); Asian: 266,256 (1.7%); Other race: 477,107 (3.0%); Two or more races: 376,315 (2.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 2,682,715 (16.8%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 77.2; 65 and over: 17.6; median age: 38.7. See additional census data Area codes Tourism office |
In 1513, Ponce de León, seeking the mythical “Fountain of Youth,” discovered and named Florida, claiming it for Spain. Later, Florida would be held at different times by Spain and England until Spain finally sold it to the United States in 1819. (Incidentally, France established a colony named Fort Caroline in 1564 in the state that was to become Florida.) Florida's history in the early 19th century was marked by wars with the Seminole Indians, which did not end until 1842. Florida's economy rests on a solid base of tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. Leading the manufacturing sector are 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 attractions are 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. The Orlando area, where Disney World is located on a 27,000-acre site, is Florida's most popular tourist destination. Also drawing many visitors are the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, Everglades National Park, and the Epcot Center. See more on Florida:
Encyclopedia: Florida
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National Public Radio Stations Selected famous natives and residents:
- Norman E. Thargard astronaut;
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. More on Florida from Infoplease:
- Straits of Florida - Florida, Straits of Florida, Straits of, passage, c.90 mi (145 km) wide, between the Florida Keys ...
- University of Florida - Florida, University of Florida, University of, at Gainesville; land-grant and state supported; ...
- West Florida Controversy - West Florida Controversy West Florida Controversy, conflict between Spain and the United States ...
- Florida: Temperature Extremes - Florida: Temperature Extremes Month Maximum °F Year Place Minimum °F Year Place Jan. 92 ...
- Florida - Map of Florida & articles on flags, geography, history, statistics, disasters, and current events.
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