Portal:Florida
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Florida is a U.S. state located in the southeastern United States. It was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the coast on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter", referring to the Easter season). It became a territory in 1822, when the United States purchased it from Spain for five million dollars. Florida was made the 27th state on March 3, 1845.
According to the U.S. Census of 2000, Florida's population was 15,982,378. It is the fourth most populous state, due in large part to its appeal to retirees. The 2000 Census found that 17.6 percent of Florida's population is over 65, the highest of any state.
The capital is Tallahassee in the northern panhandle, and the largest city is Jacksonville. Tallahassee's non-central location as the capital came about in 1822. The two major cities of the time, Pensacola and St. Augustine, each wanted to be the capital of the new territory. A compromise could not be reached, so a point midway between the former regional capitols, was chosen, which became Tallahassee. Residents are called Floridians.
Nicknamed "The Sunshine State," Florida is best known for its temperate climate, beaches and attractions. However, at one point in it's history, snow fell as far south as Fort Lauderdale. The state also has more golf courses than any other in the U.S.
Florida is the nation's primary source for oranges, tangelos, snap beans, bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, cane sugar and cut ferns. It is the number two national producer of tomatoes and strawberries, and of fresh vegetables overall.
The state leads the world in grapefruit production, accounting for 27.8 percent of global production. It also produces 13.9 percent of the world's oranges, ranking second only to Brazil. Florida is the world leader in phosphate rock production as well, producing 75 percent of the national supply and 25 percent of the world supply annually.
I-75 and I-95, two major interstate highways that reach all the way to north to the Canadian border, pass through Florida to end in Miami. An important state thoroughfare that has its terminus in Miami is Florida's 265 mile long toll road Turnpike, which also contains the longest stretch of controlled access highway in the United States. Though designated the Ronald Reagan Turnpike by the Florida Legislature in 1998, it is usually referred to by Floridians simply as 'the Turnpike.' A third interstate highway, I-10, runs east to west from I-95 in Jacksonville through Pensacola, and eventually ends in Santa Monica, California.
The Walt Disney World Resort, often referred to as simply Walt Disney World or Disney World, is a major recreational resort most famous for its theme parks. The resort is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt Disney Company. The resort is located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida, outside the city limits of Orlando.
Walt Disney World's construction began in 1967, in fact, just a year after Walt Disney's death. The property opened on October 1, 1971, with the Magic Kingdom, and since has added Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. In addition to the four main theme parks, the resort contains two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, an auto race track, twenty resort hotels, and numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment offerings. The 47-square-mile (122 km²) property is the largest theme park resort in the world....
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Florida from space, taken by Shuttle Mission STS-95 on October 31st, 1998 from above Cuba.
- Nickname: The Sunshine State
- Capital: Tallahassee
- Governor: Charlie Crist (R)
- Lieutenant Governor: Jeff Kottkamp (R)
- Secretary of State: Kurt Browning
- Attorney General: Bill McCollum (R)
- Chief Financial Officer: Alex Sink (D)
- Total area: 65,794 sq.mi
- Land: 54,017 sq.mi
- Water: 11777 sq.mi
- Highest elevation: 345 ft (Britton Hill, Walton County)
- Senators: Mel Martinez (R), Bill Nelson (D)
- Representatives: Gus Bilirakis (R), Allen Boyd (D), Corrine Brown (D), Ginny Brown-Waite (R), Vernon Buchanan (R), Kathy Castor (D), Ander Crenshaw (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), Tom Feeney (R), Alcee Hastings (D), Ric Keller (R), Ron Klein (D), Connie Mack IV (R), Tim Mahoney (D), Kendrick Meek (D), John Mica (R), Jeff Miller (R), Adam Putnam (R), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), Cliff Stearns (R), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), Dave Weldon (R), Robert Wexler (D), Bill Young (R)
State symbols:
Animal:
- Land Animal: Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi)
- Freshwater Mammal: Florida Manatee
- Saltwater Mammal: Porpoise
- Reptile: American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
- Bird: Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
- Saltwater Fish: Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans)
- Freshwater Fish: Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus)
- Butterfly: Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius)
Plant:
- Fruit: Orange
- Flower: Orange blossom
- Wildflower: Coreopsis
- Tree: Cabbage Palmetto
Mineral:
- Shell: Horse Conch (Pleuroploca gigantea)
- Gemstone: Moonstone
- Rock: Agatized Coral
- Soil: Myakka Fine Sand
Other:
- Motto: In God We Trust
- Song: Swanee River (Old Folks at Home) by Stephen Foster
- Play: Cross and Sword by Paul Green
- Festival: Calle Ocho Open House
- Renaissance Festival: Italian Renaissance Festival at Vizcaya
- Beverage: Orange Juice
- Pie: Key lime pie (as of July 1, 2006)
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was a United States tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad developer and Rockefeller partner in Standard Oil. He was a key figure in the development of the eastern coast of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and was founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway. He is known as the father of Miami, Florida.
Articles:
Lists:
- June 25, 1868 - Florida's congressional representation was restored after the Civil War
- June 29, 1931 - The hottest temperature in the state's history, 109°F (or 43°C), was recorded in Monticello
- February 03 - A severe storm hit central Florida, killing at least 19 people.
- June 23 - Seven suspected terrorists were arrested in a warehouse in Miami, where they reportedly plotted attacks against targets to include the Sears Tower in Chicago.
- June 20 - The Miami Heat basketball team won the 2006 NBA Championship, defeating the Dallas Mavericks four games to two. Earlier this year, the University of Florida basketball team won the NCAA Championship, making this the first time in over a decade that both the college and professional champions in this sport have come from the same state.
For more Florida-related news, visit Wikinew's Florida Portal.
Subcategories of Florida category:
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- Help rewrite Miami Beach, Florida
- Create missing articles linked from Template:Florida ports
- Clean up Florida-related categories:
- Consolidate or populate Category:Hospitals in Florida, Category:Florida maps, Category:Florida organizations
- Tag all Florida categories with {{WikiProject Florida category}}
- Obtain pictures for historic Florida places
...that after the Civil War, Alabama rejected an offer to buy the Florida panhandle for a million dollars?
...that Florida is home to a majority of the MLB's spring training camps?
...that, of Florida's 600 springs, 33 are 1st magnitude; more than any other state?
...St. Augustine, founded in 1565, is the longest continually occupied European settlement in the continental United States?
...that when Florida was made a state in 1845, its population was 57, 921?
...that pecan pie was the other major contender for the title of Florida state pie?
...that Florida's thoroughbred industry has produced 41 North American champions, 86 equine millionaires, 18 Breeders' Cup and 19 Classic winners, including 1978 Triple Crown-winner "Affirmed?"
Protected areas
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Florida contains the following federally protected areas:
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- Parks
- Biscayne National Park – east of Homestead
- Dry Tortugas National Park – west of Key West
- Everglades National Park – west of Miami
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- Forests
- Apalachicola National Forest – southwest of Tallahassee
- Ocala National Forest – near Ocala
- Osceola National Forest – west of Jacksonville
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- Seashores
- Canaveral National Seashore – between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville
- Gulf Islands National Seashore – near Pensacola
Attractions
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The state is known for its attractions, some of the more familiar being:
And a few of the obscure are:
Beaches
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Florida is also notable for its beaches, some of which are:
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- The Emerald Coast – between Pensacola and Panama City
- Daytona Beach
- South Beach – Miami Beach
State parks
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There are also has over 150 state parks, including:
In Northern Florida:
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- Florida Caverns State Park – near Marianna
- Fort Clinch State Park – north of Fernandina Beach
- Guana River State Park – between Jacksonville and St. Augustine
- Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park – Tallahassee
- Lake Talquin State Park – west of Tallahassee
- Wakulla Springs State Park – south of Tallahassee
In Central Florida:
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- De Leon Springs State Park – De Leon Springs
- Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park – northwest of Gainesville
- Highlands Hammock State Park – west of Sebring
- Hillsborough River State Park – near Zephyrhills
- Myakka River State Park – Sarasota
- Washington Oaks State Gardens – near Palm Coast
- Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park – near Port Richey
In Southern Florida:
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The current Florida Collaboration of the Month is Publix. Please read the nomination text and improve the article any way you can. |
