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Sunrises and
sunsets at Coconut Grove are known the world over for their
exceptional beauty.
Cap off a great day with a great view... |
The State of Florida
is a state
located in the southeastern region of the United
States of America. Most of the state is a large
peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico on its west
and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. Most of the
state has a humid subtropical climate, except
for southern Florida, where the climate borders
on tropical and the Florida Keys, which have 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's economy relies heavily on tourism.
The state line begins in the Atlantic
Ocean, traveling west, south, and north up the
thalweg of the Saint Mary's River. At the origin
of that river, it then follows a straight line
nearly due west and slightly north, to the point
where the confluence of the Flint River (from
Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the
Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's
Apalachicola River. (Since Woodruff Dam was
built, this point has been under Lake Seminole.)
The border with Georgia continues north through
the lake for a short distance up the former
thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama
runs due west along latitude 31°N to the Perdido
River, then south along its thalweg to the Gulf
via Perdido Bay.
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The climate of Florida is tempered
somewhat by its proximity to water. Most of the
state has a humid subtropical climate, except
for the southern part below Lake Okeechobee
which has a true tropical climate. Cold fronts
can occasionally bring high winds and cool to
cold temperatures to the entire state during
late fall and winter. One such front swept
through the peninsula on November 25, 1996,
bringing cold temperatures and winds up to 95
miles per hour (150 km/h), knocking out power to
thousands and damaging mobile homes. The seasons
in Florida are actually determined more by
precipitation than by temperature with mild to
cool, relatively dry winters and autumns (the
dry season) and hot, wet springs and summers (the
wet season). The Gulf Stream has a moderating
effect on the climate, and although much of
Florida commonly sees a high summer temperature
over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 °C), the mercury
seldom exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 °C).
The hottest temperature ever recorded in the
state was 109 °F (43 °C), set on June 29, 1931
in Monticello. The coldest was –2 °F (−19 °C),
on February 13, 1899, just 25 miles (40 km) away,
in Tallahassee. Mean high temperatures for late
July are primarily in the low 90s Fahrenheit
(32–35 °C). Mean low temperatures for late
January range from the low 40s Fahrenheit (4–7
°C) in northern Florida to the mid-50s (≈13 °C)
in southern Florida.
Tourism makes up the largest sector of
the state economy. Warm weather and hundreds of
miles of beaches attract about 60 million
visitors to the state every year. Amusement
parks, especially in the Orlando area, make up a
significant portion of tourism; the huge Walt
Disney World Resort consists of four theme parks
and more than 20 hotels in Lake Buena Vista, and
together with Universal Orlando Resort, Busch
Gardens, SeaWorld, and other major parks drives
state tourism. The Florida Keys and Daytona
Beach (famous as a spring break site) are also
tourism centers. |