Florida is called the Sunshine State for a very good reason: It’s very sunny. And, with 1,350 miles of coastline, it’s also a very sandy state. The Sunshine State has over 4,500 sun-drenched islands that are at least 10 acres in size. And some are considerably larger.
Florida is the 3rd most populous state: only California and Texas have more people. And, if Florida were a separate country, it would have the 17th largest economy in the world, ranking just behind Indonesia and above Turkey, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Argentina.
Florida is the flattest state. The highest point in the state is only 345 feet above sea level.
Florida is one of only two states that have a tropical climate. The other tropical-climate state is Hawaii.
More Fun Facts about Florida
It’s a Fact: The Kennedy Space Center, which is located on the east coast of Florida, is America’s main spaceport, where rockets are blasted into space.
It’s a Fact: Florida is famous for its sunny beaches. The Atlantic Ocean is on the east coast of Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico is on the west coast.
It’s a Fact: The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.
It’s a Fact: The abbreviation for Florida is FL.
Walt Disney Helped Reshape Florida
Walt Disney had already built a very sucessful theme park in California, but he wanted to build something bigger in the eastern United States. After an extensive search, he acquired 25,000 acres near Orlando, Florida.
Today, Walt Disney World is, year in and year, out is the most visited vacation resort in the world it’s average annual attendance is almost 60 million people.
After Mr. Disney showed that a theme park could work in Sunshine State, many other tourist destinations have been built. Today, tourism is one of Florida’s biggest industries.
Fact #1: The largest cities in Florida are Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and St. Petersburg..
Fact #2: The oldest city in Florida is St. Augustine. St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, is the oldest continuously-inhabited European-founded city in the United States of America.
Fact #3: Farming and food production are a big part of Florida’s economy. Cattle, sugar cane, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and strawberries all grow well in the warm climate.
Fact #4: Florida has the most golf courses of any state.
Fact #5: It’s estimated that about a thousand people a day move to Florida.
Fact #6: The Everglades is a huge swampy region located in Southern Florida. Although the Everglades is often referred to as a swamp, it’s actually a giant, relatively shallow, slow moving river.
Fact #7: The Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live in the same waters.
Just for fun, see if you can answer these questions.
Does Florida have lots of hills and mountains, or is it mostly flat?
It’s mostly flat. In fact, Florida is the flattest state in the U.S.A.
What's the capital of Florida? Is it Miami, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, or Tallahassee?
The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.
What's the oldest city in Florida? Is it Miami, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, or Tallahassee?
St. Augustine is the oldest city in Florida.
Which state has more golf courses: California or Florida?
Florida has more golf courses than California. In fact, Florida has more golf courses than any other state.
If you have time, you can write a story of your own.
Here are a couple of story ideas you can choose from.
Idea #1: You can write a brief story about some of the cool things you learned about Florida.
Or
Idea #2: If you could build a theme park of your own, would it look like Disney World in Orlando, or would it be completely different? You can write a story about what your persoanl theme park would look like.
To help you write a great story, we have some helpful hints and timely tips.
Check out “10 Tips for Writing Better Essays.”
Here's a riddle for you:
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator.
For fun-to-read books about a girl detective who homeschools on a train... check out The Mystery Ryders, a series from the creators of the Homeschool Express.
