The Florida Portal
Florida /ˈflɒrɪdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Most of the state is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico on its west and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. Much of the state has a humid subtropical climate; southern Florida has a tropical climate. Florida was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the peninsula on 2 April 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter," referring to the Easter season). Florida is the fourth most populous state in the country.
Archaeological research indicates that Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements. Of the many indigenous peoples, the largest known were the Ais, the Apalachee, the Calusa, the Timucua and the Tocobago tribes. Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish conquistador, named Florida in honor of his discovery of the land on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida, a Spanish term for the Easter season (Juan Ponce de León may not have been the first European to reach Florida; according to one report, at least one indigenous tribesman who he encountered in Florida in 1513 spoke Spanish.) From that date forward, the land became known as "La Florida" , although from 1630 until the 19th century Tegesta (after the Tequesta tribe) was the name of choice for the Florida peninsula following publication of a map by the Dutch cartographer Hessel Gerritsz in Joannes de Laet's History of the New World. Over the following century, both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success. In 1559, Spanish Pensacola was established by Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano as the first European settlement in the continental United States, but it had become abandoned by 1561 and would not be reinhabited until the 1690s. French Huguenots founded Fort Caroline in modern-day Jacksonville in 1564, but the fort was conquered by Spanish forces from St. Augustine the following year. Florida is considered the fishing capital of the world. One of the finest estuaries can be found in the Palm Coast and St Augustine areas. Guided fishing charters and sightseeing tours are very popular in this area because of its unrivaled beauty. Companies such as Palm Coast Fishing Trips are a great way to experience this part of Florida.
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The hurricane caused devastation throughout its path. 1,200 people were killed in Guadeloupe. The storm directly struck Puerto Rico at peak strength, killing at least 300 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. In southern Florida at least 2,500 were killed when storm surge from Lake Okeechobee breached the dike surrounding the lake, flooding an area covering hundreds of square miles. In total, the hurricane killed at least 4,078 people and caused approximately $100 million ($1 billion 2006 US dollars) in damages over the course of its path.
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Everglades National Park is a national park in the state of Florida. The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, it contains the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades marshland region of southwestern Florida. Visited by one million people each year,it is the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park.
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Marjorie Kinnan was born in 1896 in Washington, DC, to Frank, an attorney for the US Patent Office, and Ida Kinnan. She was interested in writing as early as age six, and submitted stories to the children's sections of newspapers until she was 16. At age 15, she entered a story titled "The Reincarnation of Miss Hetty," for which she won a prize. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she joined Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and received a degree in English in 1918, and met Charles Rawlings while working for the school literary magazine.
Did you know?
- ...that after going bankrupt in 1891, the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway was reorganized as the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway in 1895 and was mostly under the control of the Southern Railway?
- ...that Herlong Airport was named the Florida Department of Transportation's General Aviation Airport of the Year in 2001 in recognition of their improvements?
- ...that wine grapes were grown earlier in Florida than any other place in the United States for the usage of making Florida wine?
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You are invited to participate in WikiProject Florida, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Florida. |
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The Florida Citrus Tower is a 1956-built tower, standing 226 feet tall. The tower is notable as the most famous landmark of the Orlando area; its top is the highest point in Florida, and it is the highest observation point in Florida.
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1928 Okeechobee Hurricane • William Cooley • Florida Atlantic University • History of Miami, Florida • List of Florida birds • List of Florida hurricanes • List of sister cities in Florida • List of snow events in Florida • List of wild mammal species of Florida • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami • Everglades National Park • Rosewood massacre • Marjory Stoneman Douglas • Restoration of the Everglades • Indigenous people of the Everglades region • Geography and ecology of the Everglades • Draining and development of the Everglades • Tropical Storm Keith (1988)
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Brothers to the Rescue • Burger King • Casey Donovan (porn star) • Florida International University • Florida State University • University of Central Florida • Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Hurricane Charley • Hurricane Ivan • Key Biscayne • Miami River (Florida) • Osborne Reef • Super Bowl XLI • Mary McLeod Bethune • Against All Odds (2005) • Key Biscayne • Port Charlotte High School • Shawn Lonsdale • More...
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