Florida is a state in the southeastern corner of the United States. Florida is called the Sunshine State. Tallahassee is the capital city. Other major cities are Jacksonville with 635,230 people, Miami with 358,000 people and Tampa with 280,000. The Sunshine State has a population of 13,837,900 and ranks fourth in the nation. Florida became a state on March 3, l845. It was the 27^th state admitted to the union. The state flower is the orange blossom. The state tree is the Palmetto Palm tree.

Florida is a major vacation area because of its warm weather and ocean beaches. Florida has many famous attractions like Walt Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center. The Sunshine State is the number one state for growing oranges and grapefruits. Sugarcane, bananas, strawberries, and tomatoes also grow there. Other foods that grow in Florida are avocados, lemons, limes, watermelons, peanuts, peas, celery, cantaloupe and pineapples. Cattle and chickens are raised in Florida. Florida is a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. There are nearly 78,000 lakes in the state. The largest lake is Okeechobee.

Tourism is a big part of Florida's economy. In winter the climate draws many people who go on vacation there to get away from the cold weather. Many Floridians have jobs related to the tourism industry, such as resorts or theme parks. Because many people move to Florida when they retire, the state has a large population over the age of 65.

The Everglades is a huge Florida marsh with low islands called hammocks. Unusual plants and animals live in the park. Wildlife such as alligators, crocodiles, cougars, herons, turtles and bald eagles live there. The Florida Keys is a group of islands off the southern tip of Florida. Key in Spanish is "cayo" which means small island in Spanish. There are hundreds of Florida Keys. About 30 of them can be reached by car on a huge bridge called the Ocean Highway.

Florida is also a leading state in manufacturing. About a half million Floridians work in factories. They package foods like vegetables, fish, orange juice and other fruits. They make furniture, computers, telephones, robots, airplanes, and space craft. Florida is also a leader in fishing. Shrimp, lobster, crabs, and oysters are major Florida shellfish. Many sponges come from the Gulf of Mexico. Florida has a lot of ocean life. Sea horses, starfish, and large sea turtles can be seen along the coast. The dolphins love to swim near people. Manatees also live in Florida's coastal waters. People have killed off many of them. There are only about 1,000 manatees left.

Mining is also important in Florida. Some of the things Floridians mine are oil, phosphate rock, and limestone.

Many famous people have lived in Florida. People like Native American leaders, inventors, authors, lawmakers, musicians, civil-rights leaders and athletes all come from Florida. One famous baseball player was born in Miami in 1964. His name is Dwight Gooden and he was named Rookie of the Year in 1984 and then became a great pitcher for the NY Mets.

Florida is a big state with a lot of interesting facts. It has many things to do mostly because of the warm weather it has year round. It would be a fun place to visit.