Florida
History: Native Americans entered Florida from the north around 12,000 years ago. They continued arriving in small numbers after 500 BCE, with contacts with Cuba, the Bahamas, and possibly the Yucatan region of Mexico. There was conflict between the Spanish, French, and English for the land and wealth of the region. Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer, was first to arrive in the area in 1513. The city of St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is the oldest European settlement in the U.S. Britain received Florida from Spain in exchange for Havana (Cuba) in 1763. Florida was given back to Spain after the American Revolution, then it was ceded (given) to the US in a treaty in 1821. Lots of fighting and wars took place between the Americans and Native Americans (Seminole). Many were transferred to Oklahoma. Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845, then seceded from the US in 1861 and joined the Confederacy. Florida rejoined the U.S. in 1868.
Economy: Florida has the 4th largest economy in the U.S. The top five agricultural products that bring in most of its revenue are greenhouse and nursery products, oranges, cane for sugar, tomatoes, and cattle and calves. Florida derives much wealth through international trade, tourism, space industry, agriculture, construction, health technology, and much more.
Climate: Florida is warm and wet throughout the year. The climate is subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Average temperatures in Florida range from 65 to 70 degrees in the north, and from 74 to 77 degrees in the south. The ocean and gulf temperatures can get up to the 80’s in the summer. You can swim year-round in south Florida.
Geography: The larger part of Florida lies on a peninsula that protrudes (sticks out) from the continent, separating the waters of the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico, and pointing south toward Cuba and the Caribbean Sea beyond. Florida only borders two states, Georgia and Alabama, along the northeast and northwest. The closest foreign territory is the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, about 50 miles away. The southern part of Florida is known as the “Florida Keys” which is a 125 mile-long chain of islands that begins south of Miami, then curving through the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Fun Facts:
- There are more golf courses in Florida than any other state in the U.S.
- About 1,000 people move to Florida each day.
- No dinosaur fossils have ever been discovered in Florida.
- You must register your car in Florida — even if you only live there part-time.
- Florida is the flattest state in America; the highest point is only 345 ft high.
- Florida is the only place where US manned spaceflights are launched.
Points of Interest:
- Everglades National Park, home to alligators and crocodiles
- Walt Disney World in Orlando
- Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral
- Miami Beach and the Art Deco Historic District
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Castillo de San Marcos National
Six additional sites for more information:
kids.nationalgeographic.com/florida/