State Symbols
Bird: Mockingbird
Tree: Sabal Palmetto Palm
Flower:
Orange Blossom
Animal: Panther (Puma)
Song: The Swanee River
Florida |
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| Entered the Union: March 3, 1845 (27) |
State Nickname
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| Capital: Tallahassee | ||
| Origin of Name: Named on Easter 1513 by Ponce de Leon for Pascua Florida – "Flowery Easter" | ||
| Famous for: Beaches, Disney World, Daytona 500, Cypress Gardens, NASA Space Center, Everglades | ||
| National Forests: 3 • National Parks: 3 • State Forests: 38 • State Parks: 175 | ||
| Famous Floridians: Wallace Amos (founder of Amos Cookie Corp.), Faye Dunaway • Burt Reynolds • Sidney Poitier (actors), Gloria Estefan (singer), Steve "Lefty" Carlton (baseball), Osceola (Seminole Indian), Charles & John Ringling (founders Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus), David Robinson (basketball), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (author), Janet Reno (first woman attorney general), Norman Thagard (astronaut) | ||
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| 1513, Ponce de León, seeking the mythical “Fountain of Youth,” discovered and named Florida. He claimed the region for Spain. In 1564, French missionaries settled Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville. In 1565, Spanish troops arrived and drove the French out of Florida. They established St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| In 1763, Spain lost Florida to England. During the Revolutionary War, Spanish troops entered Florida and repossessed the land. During the War of 1812, Spain allowed Britain to use Pensacola as a naval base. In 1814, American troops captured the base leading to U.S. control of Florida in 1821. The Florida Territory was organized in 1822 and settlers entered by the thousands. | ||||||||||||||
| Cape Canaveral is America's launch pad for space flights. | ||||||||||||||
| The first U.S. earth satellite, Explorer I, was launched from the U.S. Air Force Missile Test Center at Cape Canaveral in 1958. | ||||||||||||||
| Key West has the highest average temperature in the continental United States. | ||||||||||||||
| Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where the drink was first developed. | ||||||||||||||
| Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America because the city has 185 miles of local waterways. | ||||||||||||||
| The crocodile is classified as a threatened species and there are roughly 2,000 in Florida, up from a few hundred decades ago. | ||||||||||||||
| Only about 120 to 230 adult Florida Panthers still remain, making this one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the world. Pumas can run as fast as 30 mph and jump as high as 18 feet from the ground. | ||||||||||||||
| The world's first scheduled commercial airline flight occurred in Florida on January 1, 1914 between Tampa and St. Petersburg. | ||||||||||||||
| Florida's Ethnic Roots: German 11.8%, Irish 10.3%, English 9.2%, American 8%, Italian 6.3%. | ||||||||||||||
| Religion in Florida: 80% Christian (54% Protestant, 26% Catholic), 14% No Religion, 4% Jewish, 1% LDS, 1% Other Religions | ||||||||||||||
| Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits lead Florida's agricultural products list. | ||||||||||||||
| Disney World, located on a site of about 25,000 acres, is Florida's most popular tourist destination. Also drawing many visitors are the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, Everglades National Park, and the Epcot Center. | ||||||||||||||
At a Glance
Florida Quick Facts
| Entered the Union | March 3, 1845 (27) |
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| Capital | Tallahassee |
| Nickname | Sunshine State |
| State Bird | Mockingbird |
| State Flower | Orange Blossom |
| State Tree | Sabal Palmetto Palm |
New for 2026
More Florida Facts & Photos
Almost 70 miles west of Key West, Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park is the largest masonry fort in the Western Hemisphere. Begun in 1846 and worked on for nearly 30 years, it was never finished.
The Florida Reef, running along the Keys, is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States and the third largest coral reef system in the world.
Every winter hundreds of manatees glide into the 72-degree springs of Kings Bay at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the only national wildlife refuge created specifically to protect the Florida manatee.
The Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, begun by the Spanish in 1672, is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Its coquina shell-stone walls absorbed enemy cannonballs instead of shattering.
Common Questions
Florida: Questions & Answers
Why is Florida called the Sunshine State?
Why is the Everglades called a river of grass?
Why does Florida have so many freshwater springs?
Why do so many sea turtles nest on Florida beaches?
Voices of America
In Their Own Words
"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart."
"Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there contained! Every member would be obliged in conscience to temperance, frugality and industry: to justice, kindness and charity towards his fellow men: and to piety, love and reverence toward Almighty God....What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be."
Feb. 22, 1756
Last updated: July 2026