Facts over Florida
State: Florida
Abbreviation: FL
Capital: Tallahassee
State Since: March 3, 1845
Area Codes: 305, 321, 352, 386, 407, 561, 727, 754, 772, 786, 813, 850, 863, 904, 941, 954
Vogel: Mockingbird
Flower: Orange Blossom
Largest City: Jacksonville
Motto: In God We Trust
Nickname: Sunshine State
Population: 15,982,378
Song: Swanee River
Tree: Sabal Palm
Time Zone: -5 / -6
Adjacent States:
- Alabama
- Georgia
Florida Travel Information
Florida, the ‘Sunshine State’ is located in the southeastern United States and has a subtropical climate. The name is derived from the Spanish name La Florida, which means The Flowery. The capital is Tallahassee. Other major cities include Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Orlando. The state has 13 million inhabitants, 34 rivers and more than 30,000 lakes. Discover the Sunshine State and read the travel information about Florida below.
History
Florida was discovered in 1513 by Juan Ponce de León. After that, other explorers explored the area. These included Pánfilo de Narváez – in 1528 – and Hernando de Soto between 1539 and 1542. Since then, many others have further explored the state.
- In 1556 Pedro Mendendez founded St-Augustine. He first murdered a French tribe. However, thirty years later, the city was destroyed by Francis Drake.
- In 1607 the English settled in Virginia. They pushed the Spaniards to the southeast. When the English moved further south, the Spaniards had to give up in 1763. The English divided the state into east and west Florida.
- In 1783 Florida again fell into the hands of the Spaniards, but in 1819 they had to give the area again to the United States. That was because Andrew Jackson had invaded the area in 1818.
From that moment on, many whites came to live in Florida, who got into trouble with the Indians. These problems led to the Seminole War that lasted from 1835 to 1842. Florida became the 27th state of the US in 1845. During the Civil War, Florida belonged to the south. After the Civil War, Florida became a prosperous state. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused massive damage. Many people died and 160,000 people became homeless.
Nature
In the state you will find the Everglades National Park, a unique and extensive nature reserve in southern Florida. This is the only place where you will encounter both crocodiles and alligators in their natural habitat. It is highly recommended to make an air-boat trip through the marshland here. If the area was not designated a National Park in 1947, this beautiful nature reserve would probably be gone forever. It is a unique area with three hundred species of birds, six hundred species of fish and an enormous animal wealth. (source: www.Amerika.nl) The largest population of manatees also lives in the waters. This is because the waters are generally warm. The population numbers more than 3000 of these endangered animals.
Sights
Florida has too many attractions to list them all. From the well-known theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center to nature parks such as the Everglades, but also the Florida Keys & Key West. Not to mention all the many art and history museums the major cities have to offer. In St. Petersburg you can visit the famous surrealistic Salvador Dalí museum and in Miami you can visit the hip south beach. The possibilities are enormous.
Florida Keys & Key West
The southernmost tip of America is Key West, which is about 140 kilometers from Cuba. It is one of the Florida Keys, a long row of islands where the tourist picture is mainly determined by fishing, diving and snorkeling. Ernest Hemingway lived and worked here, a fact that no visitor will be able to miss.
Shopping
The topic “Shopping” should of course not be missing in our tips and travel information about Florida. Just like elsewhere in America, Florida has many malls (covered shopping centers) that are often much larger than in the Netherlands. With the favorable Dollar-Euro exchange rate, shopping is very affordable. Well-known and large department stores are Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Florida Mall, The Mall at Millenia, International Mall and the Aventura Mall. You can also indulge yourself for outlet shopping. The products are purchased directly from the factory and that means even more discount. Popular outlet shops are: Orlande Premium Outlet Mall, Sawgrass Mills and Belz Factory Outlet. Tip: keep a space in your suitcase, because the prices are very favorable thanks to the current exchange rate! More Florida travel information can be found at VisitFlorida.com.
EVERGLADES
Florida
Facts over Everglades
Name: Everglades National Park
Location: Florida
Nearest Town: Homestead
Opening: December 6, 1947
Admission: $5.00 per person (pedestrian/cyclist). 16 year old and < 16 yr. is free.
Opening hours: 24 hours a day. Except Shark Valley: 8:30 am- 6:00 pm
Number of visitors: 1,181,355
Everglades Travel Information
Everglades National Park is a scenic area in southwestern Florida in the US. This fragile and complex ecosystem combines a wide shallow river with a subtropical climate and a variety of flora and fauna. It is home to rare and endangered species such as the American crocodile and the Florida panther. The nature reserve (6106 km²) is defined by alternating periods of drought and flooding, fires, sunshine and heavy rainfall.
It is also called a river of grass with small islands of trees. Seminole and Miccosukee Indians live in this area. Everglades National Park still comprises only a fifth of the total Everglades area. Some places worth visiting are:
- Chokoloskee (an archipelago of tens of thousands of islands on the west coast of the park)
- Whitewater Bay (where the watercourse of the Everglades meets the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay, open water appears in the form of rivers, calculi, and shallow lakes)
- Shark Valley by tram or bicycle through a 25 km long area, with a lookout tower in the middle where you have a view over much of the Everglades
- Anhinga Trail (Popular trail, which starts at the Royal Palm Visitor Center. The trail is named after the snake-necked bird (anhinga), which can often be seen wearing its plumage after diving for fish
ORLANDO
Florida
Facts over Orlando
State: Florida
City since: 1875
Population: 227,907
Area: 241.1 km2
Time zone: -5 / -6
Top Spots:
- SeaWorld Orlando
- Universal Studios
- Walt Disney World Resort
Travel information about Orlando
Orlando is the largest “fun” city in the world, with more theme, theme and water parks combined than anywhere else in the world. There are plenty of places to go out and that also applies to the shopping options. In the area you will find numerous parks, tennis and golf courses and various museums for art lovers, but of course you can also visit Disney World, Sea World or the MGM Studios. The Epcot Center, where you are confronted with both the past and the future, is definitely worth a visit. Cooling off and lots of fun guarantees a visit to Wet ‘n Wild. You can also take a look at Cypress Gardens. In about an hour you can be at the beach of the Atlantic coast or the pearly white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
Climate
In January the average temperature is 15.4 °C, in July it is 27.9 °C. Annual average precipitation is 1222.0 mm (data based on the measurement period 1961-1990).
