The Sunshine State

Rachel Toney

History

• Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513 landing Northeast Florida. (St. Augustine)

• Juan Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain.• The first European settlement is established in

1565 in St. Augustine by Spain.• William P. Duval was Florida’s first civil governor.• Florida was admitted as a state on March 3,

1845 as the 27th state.

Basic Facts

• Capital City: Tallahassee• Largest City: Jacksonville• City Guides: Florida City Guides• Neighbor States: Alabama & Georgia

Simple Facts

• Neighbor States: Alabama & Georgia• 67 counties• 4th in U.S. population behind California, Texas

& New York • Population: 19,552,860

Simple Facts Cont.

• Florida covers 58,560 square miles of area.• 4,298 square miles are water.• The nation’s oldest city is St. Augustine.

Industries

• Tourism• Agriculture – Oranges– Grapefruit– Tomatoes

• Electronics

Natural Resources

• Lumber• Clays• Limestone• Sand• gravel• Phosphate

• Peat• Mineral sands• Lime deposits

Major Rivers

• St. Johns Rivers• St. Mary's Rivers• Suwannee River

State’s…

• Motto: “In God we trust”• Song: “Swanee River” • Nickname: The Sunshine State

Animal Symbols

• Mockingbird• Florida Panther• Manatee• Porpoise/Dolphin• Alligator

• Zebra longwing butterfly

• Sailfish• Largemouth bass• Horse Conch

Plant Symbols

• Orange blossom• Coreopsis• Palmetto Palm

Earth Symbols

• Eupatagus• Agatized Coral• Moonstone

Top 10 Populations

• 1. Jacksonville 827,908• 2. Miami 408,750• 3. Tampa 346,037• 4. St. Petersburg

244,997• 5. Orlando 243,195

• 6. Hialeah 229,969• 7. Tallahassee 182,965• 8. Fort Lauderdale

168,528• 9. Port St. Lucie 166,149• 10. Pembroke Pines

157,594

Most Populous Metro Areas

• 1. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach• 2. Tampa, St.Petersburg, Clearwater• 3. Orlando, Kissimmee• 4. Jacksonville

Did You Know?

• 1,000 people move to Florida each day• There are 19 commercial airports and 12

international.• There are 14 deepwater ports

Did You Know Cont.

• There are 1,200 miles of sand beaches• 1,800 miles of coastlines• Famous for beaches

State for golfing

• 1,250 Golf courses• Florida has more golf courses than any other

state.• Palm Beach County has more golf courses

than any other county in the country.

Weather & Seasons

• The sunshine state is known for its “Sunshine”.• Summer– 80.5 degrees - North Florida– 82.7 degrees – South Florida

• Winter– 53.0 degrees North Florida– 68.5 degrees South Florida

Top 10 Attractions

• 1. Clearwater Marine Aquarium

• 2. The Ringling• 3. Everglades Holiday

Park• 4. Discovery Cove • 5. Magic Kingdom

• 6. St. Augustine Historic District

• 7. Seashells of Sanibel Island

• 8. Salvador Dali Museum• 9. Castillo de San Marcos• 10. Beaches of Daytona

Beach

Famous Residents

• Pat Boone (Singer)

References

• www.50states.com• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/state

s/florida/

• http://www.stateofflorida.com/Portal/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=95

• www.usatoday.com • http://www.apples4theteacher.com