Ever wonder what Florida is like? Well, for starters it is a state that has a population of about 18,801,310 people! It was discovered by a Spanish explorer and became an official state in 1845. It is the number one producer for oranges and other fresh produce. It's also the home to about 1.25 million American alligators!
A Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce De Leon was looking for a fountain called the Fountain of Youth when he came across and discovered Florida. After the Indian War, many people began to settle in Florida. As the people came, the towns grew and the people wanted this Territory that they lived in to become a state. They wanted to have a governor, senators, and representatives to the Congress. They wanted to be able to elect a President and they wanted to have privileges that they couldn't have as a Territory, but could have as a state. Some people wished to separate Florida into two States, East Florida and West Florida. Eventually, the Congress decided that Florida should become one state and the bill was signed on March 3, 1845, by President Tyler.
When Juan Ponce De Leon came to this "unknown land", he named it "la Florida" which means flowery, covered with flowers, or abundance in flowers to honor "Pascua Florida" which means the feast of flowers which is Spain's Easter Time celebration. Ever since historians seemed to favor the fact that he discovered it on Easter/Palm Sunday. Also,Florida's nickname is "The Sunshine State" because Florida gets about 233 days a year that are sunny.
Some physical features in Florida are the Suwannee River which is a river which flows 45 miles south of White Springs, Florida, and forms a wide loop toward the west and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. After traveling another 200 miles. The Suwannee River Basin drains about 11,020 square miles (including all of 20 Georgia counties) while about half of the area in Georgia. Another physical feature in Florida is Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee is located in Southeastern Florida and is the third body of freshwater in the country (comes after Lake Michigan and Iliamna Lake). It is about 50.3 miles northwest of West Palm Beach. This lake's shoreline is 135 miles and the lake itself is about 35 miles long including a few small islands. The third physical feature is the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys are made up of about 1,700 islands. this archipelago extends over 198 square miles from Soldier Keys to the Dry Tortugas. The Florida Keys has a coral reef called The Florida Reef which is one of the world's largest coral reefs and extends up to 160 miles long! The Florida Keys is the world's preferred sports fishing destination! Did you know, that a woman named Diana Nyad set a world record from swimming from Havana to Key West! Diana Nyad was the first to do it without a shark cage!
Did you know that Florida is the number one producer of oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit in America? Florida 74% of oranges, 58% of tangerines, and 54% of our grapefruits come from Florida. Florida is most famous for its oranges though. In 2016-2017 nearly 437,000 acres of citrus was grown in Florida creating about 77.9 million boxes of fruit.
Did you know that Florida is home to Disney World and Universal Studios? Disney World is an amusement park that was created in 1965 and has been opened since 1971. Walt Disney was the creator of Disney and its characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Mouse, Donald Duck, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Pluto, and etc. Another theme park in Florida is Universal Studios (Orlando). Universal Studios is a theme park founded on June 7, 1990, and was opened on the same day. Universal Studios is the largest property promoted by Universal Parks and Resorts.
Normally, when people think of Florida, they think of sunny days and basking in the sun. But, Florida can have extreme weather! While Floridians are digging sand for sandcastles and such, northern states are still trying to shovel the snow away from their driveways. Basically, summer begins in February in Florida unlike most states who are still shoveling snow from their driveways. This next season starts on June all the way to November, it’s called the Hurricane Season. This season brings extreme weather and a lot of rain. One of the strongest hurricanes that hit Florida was Hurricane Michael. This hurricane came right for the Florida Panhandle that sent strong wind up to 155 mph turning it into one of the strongest hurricanes that ever hit the United States mainland. This next season starts on June all the way to November, it’s called the Hurricane Season. This season brings extreme weather and a lot of rain. One of the strongest hurricanes that hit Florida was Hurricane Michael. This hurricane came right for the Florida Panhandle that sent strong wind up to 155 mph turning it into one of the strongest hurricanes that ever hit the United States mainland. After Florida’s Hurricane season, comes the Love Bug Season which happens twice a year in Florida. This is where the conjoined black insects come in. ( Did you know?: There is a rumor that lovebugs were man-made at the University of Florida!) They linger around highways and that turns the highway into a lovebug cemetery. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps! Then after the big mess, comes the Tourist Season! At this time the colors in the environment begin to change and palm fronds begin to wither, and the streets will be filled with different colors of license plates from all over the world. They even made a phrase, “ we live where you vacation”.