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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 ). GEOGRAPHY Florida is situated mostly on a large Peninsula between the Gulf Of Mexico , the Atlantic Ocean , and the Straits Of Florida . It consists of the Panhandle extending along the northern Gulf Of Mexico and the large Peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean as its eastern border and the Gulf of Mexico as its western border. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near the countries of the Caribbean , particularly the Bahamas and Cuba . At 345 feet (105 m) Above Mean Sea Level , Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida. This is also the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state. Contrary to popular belief, however, Florida is not an entirely "flat" state. Some places, such as Clearwater , feature relatively high vistas rising 50 to 100 feet (15–30 m) above the water. Much of the interior of Florida, typically 25 miles (40 km) or more away from the coastline, features rolling hills with elevations ranging from 100 to 250 feet (30–76 m) in many locations. Lake County holds the highest point of peninsular Florida, Sugarloaf Mountain , at 312 feet (95 m). Areas under control by the National Park Service include:
''See also'' List Of Florida State Parks Boundaries The state line begins at the Atlantic Ocean , traveling west, south, and north up the Thalweg of the Saint Mary's River . At the origin of that river, it then follows a straight line nearly due west and slightly north, to the point where the Confluence of the Flint River (from Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's Apalachicola River . (This point is now under Lake Seminole since Woodruff Dam was built.) The border with Georgia continues north through the lake for a short distance up the former thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama runs due west along Latitude 31°N to the Perdido River , then south along its thalweg to the Gulf via Perdido Bay. Climate Shuttle Mission STS-95 on 31 October 1998 .]] The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by its proximity to water. Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate. Cold fronts can occasionally bring high winds and cool to cold temperatures to the entire state during late fall and winter. One such front swept through the peninsula on November 25 , 1996 bringing cold temperatures and winds up to 95 miles per hour (150 km/h), knocking out power to thousands and damaging mobile homes. However, Florida averages 300 days of full sunshine a year. The seasons in Florida are actually determined more by Precipitation than by temperature with warm, relatively dry Winter s and Autumn s (the dry season) and hot, wet Springs and Summer s (the wet season). The Gulf Stream has a moderating effect on Florida climate, and although it is common for much of Florida to see a high summer temperature over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 °C), it is not common for the mercury to go above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (39 °C) in Florida. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the state was 109 °F (43 °C) set on June 29 , 1931 in Monticello . The coldest was 2 °F below zero (−19 °C), on February 13 , 1899 just 25 miles (40 km) away, in Tallahassee . Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90's Fahrenheit (32–35 °C). Mean low temperatures for late January range from the low 40's Fahrenheit (4–7 °C) in northern Florida to the mid-50's (≈13 °C)in southern Florida. While Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", severe weather is a common occurrence in Florida. Central Florida is known as the Lightning capital of the U.S. as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country. Statewide, Florida has the highest average precipitation of any state, due in large part to afternoon Thunderstorms which are common throughout most of the state from late spring until the early autumn. A sunny day may be interrupted with a storm only to return to regular gorgeous weather. These thunderstorms, which are caused by airflow from the Gulf Of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over the peninsula, seemingly "pop up" in the early afternoon and can often bring heavy downpours, high winds and sometimes Tornado es. This is frequently due to "onshore flow," or a collision of sea breezes from the east and west coasts. Florida leads the nation in tornadoes per square mile, although the tornadoes in Florida do not get as large as those in the Midwest or Great Plains . Hail often accompanies some of the more severe thunderstorms. Snow is a rare occurrence in Florida. During the Great Blizzard Of 1899 , Florida experienced Blizzard conditions for possibly the first time since explorers had arrived. During that time, the Tampa Bay Area had "Gulf effect" snow, similar to Lake Effect snowfall. The Great Blizzard of 1899 was also the only time the temperature has fallen below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (−18 °C). The most widespread snowfall in Florida history happened in February 1978, with snow falling over much of the state in different times of the month, extending as far south as Homestead . Snow Flurries fell on Miami Beach for the only time in recorded history. 1982's Cold Sunday , which saw freezing conditions throughout much of the country, ruined that year's orange crops. In 1989, there was a severe hard freeze that created lots of ice and also caused minor flurries in sections of the state and resulted in rolling blackouts due to power failures caused by massive demands on the power grid for heating. Although some storms have formed out of season, Hurricane s pose a threat during hurricane season, which is from June 1 to November 30 . Florida saw a slew of destruction in 2004 when it was hit by a record four hurricanes. Hurricanes Charley ( August 13 ), Frances ( September 4 - 5 ), Ivan ( September 16 ), and Jeanne ( September 25 - 26 ) cumulatively cost US$42 billion to the state. In 2005, Hurricane Dennis ( July 10 ) became the fifth storm to strike Florida within 11 months. Later, Hurricane Katrina ( August 25 ) passed through South Florida and Hurricane Rita ( September 20 ) swept through the Florida Keys . Hurricane Wilma made landfall in Florida in the early morning of October 24 as a Category 3 hurricane, with storm's eye hitting near Cape Romano , just south of Marco Island , according to National Hurricane Center . Florida was also the site of the second most costly single weather disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Andrew , which caused more than US$25 Billion in damage when it struck on August 24 , 1992 . Among a long list of other infamous hurricane strikes are the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane , the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane Of 1928 , the Labor Day Hurricane Of 1935 , Hurricane Donna in 1960, and Hurricane Opal in 1995. See Also: Catastrophic Florida hurricanes: 1900-1960 Catastrophic Florida hurricanes: 1961-present List of all-time high and low temperatures by state HISTORY See Also: History of Florida Archaeological finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements. Of the many indigenous people, the largest tribes were the Ais , Apalachee , Calusa , Timucua and Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce De León , a Spanish Conquistador , named this new land in honor of his "discovery" of the land on April 2 1513 , during Pascua Florida , which is a Spanish term for the Easter Season . From that date forward, the land became known as "La Florida." (Juan Ponce de León may not have been the first European to reach Florida. At least one of the Indians that he encountered in Florida in 1513 could speak Spanish .)Smith, Hale G. and Marc Gottlob. 1978. Spanish-Indian Relationships: Synoptic History and Archaeological Evidence, 1500-1763, in Milanich, Jerald and Samuel Proctor. ''Tacachale: Essays on the Indians of Florida and Southeastern Georgia during the Historic Period.'' Gainesville, Florida: The University Presses of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-0535-3 Over the following century, the Spanish and French both established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. Spanish Pensacola was established by Don Tristán De Luna Y Arellano as the first European settlement in the continental United States in 1559 but this settlement was aborted by 1561 and would not inhabited again until the 1690s. French Huguenots founded Fort Caroline in modern day Jacksonville in 1564, but it was conquered by forces from the new Spanish colony of St. Augustine the following year. When Huguenot leader Jean Ribault had learned of the new Spanish threat, he launched an expedition to sack their settlement. En route, however, severe storms at sea waylaid the expedition, which consisted of most of the colony's men, allowing St. Augustine founder Pedro Menéndez De Avilés time to march his men over land and conquer the poorly defended to Fort Caroline. Most of the Huguenots were slaughtered, and Menéndez de Avilés marched south and captured the survivors of the wrecked French fleet, ordering all but a few Catholics executed beside a river subsequently called '' Matanzas '' ( Spanish for "killings"). St. Augustine came to serve as the capitals of the British and Spanish colonies of East and West Florida, respectively. The Spanish never had a firm hold on Florida and maintained a tenuous control of the region by converting the local tribes, briefly with Jesuits and later with Franciscan friars. The local leaders, or Caciques , demonstrated their loyalty to the Spanish by converting to Catholicism and welcoming the Franciscan priests into their villages. The area of Florida diminished with the establishment of British colonies to the north and French colonies to the west. The English weakened Spanish power in the region by supplying their Creek Indian allies with firearms and urging them to raid the Timucua n and Apalachee client-tribes of the Spanish. The English also attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times, while the citizens hid behind the walls of the Castillo De San Marcos . The Spanish, meanwhile, encouraged slaves to flee the British-held Carolinas and come to Florida, where they were converted to Catholicism and given freedom. They settled in a buffer community north of St. Augustine called Gracie Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first completely black settlement in what would become the United States. Great Britain eventually gained control of Florida diplomatically in 1763 through the Peace Of Paris (the Castillo de San Marcos surrendered for the first time, having never been taken militarily). England tried to develop Florida through the importation of immigrants for labor, including some from Minorca and Greece , but this ultimately failed. Spain regained Florida after England's defeat by the American colonies and the subsequent Treaty of Paris in 1783. Spain finally ceded Florida to the United States with the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819, in exchange for the U.S. renouncing any claims on Texas . On March 3 1845 , Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America. Florida seceded from the Union on January 10 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War and became one of the founding members of the Confederate States Of America ten days later. After then end of the war in 1865, Florida's Congressional representation was restored on June 25 , 1868 . Until the mid-twentieth century, Florida was the least populous Southern state. However, migration from the Rust Belt combined with Florida's warm climate (tempered by the growing availability of Air Conditioning ) made it a haven for newcomers. Today, Florida is the most populous state in the South besides Texas and the fourth most populous in the U.S. DEMOGRAPHICS As of 2005, Florida has an estimated population of 17,789,864, which is an increase of 404,434, or 2.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 1,807,040, or 11.3%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 246,058 people (that is 1,115,565 births minus 869,507 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 1,585,704 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 528,085 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 1,057,619 people. Race and ancestry Over 16% of Florida's population was Hispanic. The largest reported ancestries in the 2000 Census were German (11.8%), Irish (10.3%), English (9.2%), American (8%) and Italian (6.3%). {Link without Title}
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