Florida – a Place in the Sun

By | July 5, 2022

Retirement home for rich Americans

The State of Florida is located on the southern east coast of the United States on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The name Florida comes from the Spanish “discoverer” of the country, who landed on the coast at Easter time. The region was dubbed the ” Land of Flowers “.

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State Capitol of Florida in the capital, Tallahassee

 

State Capitol of Florida in the capital, Tallahassee

Florida is referred to as the ” Sunshine State “. The capital of Florida is Tallahassee. In 2019, the Sunshine State of Florida was home to around 21.5 million people. Florida is a very popular place to live, especially among older and wealthy Americans. Due to the high population in Florida, the water supply and the destruction of nature are becoming more and more of a problem.

Changing owners of the land

Florida was initially owned by the Spanish and the English. In 1819, Spain sold the country of Florida to the United States of America. The colonization of Florida by whites was very bloody, as the “Native Americans” living there resisted violently, especially the tribe of the Seminole Indians.

Ideal place to live in winter

During the muggy and warm Florida summer, many of the seniors live in the northern United States only to migrate south to Florida in the winter to enjoy the sun. Along with California, Florida is the most popular place for Americans to live.

Parking in front of the house – motor boat docked at a villa in Fort Lauderdale

Almost always pleasant climate

The Sunshine State Florida is located on a fairly sandy, flat peninsula. The length of the peninsula is about 650 kilometers, the width is 160 kilometers. Both the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico are almost exclusively sandy beaches, apart from the swampy areas in southern Florida. Many seniors in the USA live in Florida during the winter time. Numerous Americans travel to Florida from the northern states of the USA during the winter months to “hibernate”. Tourism plays a very important role as an economic factor in Florida. Florida has beautiful sandy beaches practically along its entire coastline. The climate in Florida is consistently warm and sunny, with a little muggy in the summer. Florida lies directly in the “approach path” for hurricanes from the Atlantic, headed for the North American mainland. Summer and early fall see the most storms and hurricanes over Florida. The winters in Florida, on the other hand, are pleasantly mild and sunny.

Impressive nature and amusement parks

Florida is known for its popular amusement parks like Disney World. The city of St. Augustine is the oldest and first permanent European settlement in the United States. There are two national parks to explore in Florida, Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. The Everglades National Park protects a huge swamp area in southern Florida with a very special flora and fauna. Located on the Atlantic Seaboard, Biscayne National Park protects the valuable marine life off the Florida coast to a large extent. At the southern end of Florida, a chain of islands leads into the Gulf of Mexico. The islands are referred to as the Florida Keys.

Cruising the Miami Boardwalk

The west and east coasts of Florida

The east coast of Florida on the Atlantic Ocean is lined with beautiful, white sandy beaches. There are many popular Florida cities along the Atlantic coast. The cities of Daytona, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Saint Augustine, Melbourne and Miami are geared towards tourism.

The ideal vacation spot for families

The even longer west coast of Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, is really gorgeous. The water is evenly warm there. The transitions from the beach to the sea are very flat. It is possible to walk very far into the Gulf of Mexico. The West Coast city of Clearwater is well-positioned for tourism. Overall, the west coast is a bit quieter in terms of tourism. The ideal vacation spot for families with children. Many vacation rentals are available on the west coast of Florida. Be warned of the usually severe thunderstorms during the summer months.

Busy beach near Fort Lauderdale in heavy waves

Disney World and Sea World

Central Florida is also very popular with tourists. Amusement parks such as “Disney World” and “Sea World” near Orlando play a major role there. Those looking for distraction and fun are in good hands at the amusement parks in Florida. Otherwise, central Florida is used extensively for agriculture and for the cultivation of tropical fruits. Apart from the sea coast and the national parks in the country, Florida has numerous and well-visited theme parks for families to offer.

Swam of Florida

The southern end of the Florida Peninsula is characterized by swamp land and tropical forest areas. Everglades National Park is located there. The swampland consists largely of grassy areas deep in the water. The Everglades swamps are home to extremely valuable and critically endangered flora and fauna. Alligators, spiders and snakes call the Everglades home. Due to the tropical climate, numerous insects buzz through the swamps, which can annoy people and animals quite a bit.

Florida Keys

At the southern end of Florida, the eastern shoreline is continued about 100 miles into the Gulf of Mexico by a chain of islands. The islands off South Florida are called the Florida Keys. The islands are linearly connected with bridges. Key West is at the end of the island chain. In addition to relaxing holidays, fishing, deep sea fishing and diving are popular “on” the Florida Keys.

Florida Panhandle

The Florida Panhandle is the name given to the region of Florida that stretches westwards in northern Florida. Alabama borders the Florida Panhandle to the north. Except for Panama City, the Florida Panhandle is not yet overrun with tourists, although there are beautiful sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico.

Miami and St. Augustine

The city of Miami has a strong Spanish-Cuban influence. Many Cuban exiles live in the coastal city of Miami, Florida. Many Latinos call Miami home. In Miami, visitors almost think they are in the Caribbean. If you are interested in culture, head to St. Augustine, a little to the north. One of the first permanent white settler colonies in all of North America was established in St. Augustine.

Florida attractions

  • Amelia Island
  • American Airlines Arena
  • Aquatica
  • Big Cat Rescue – Tampa
  • Blizzard Beach
  • Captiva island
  • Discovery Cove
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  • Epcot
  • Florida State Capitol
  • Gatorland
  • Ghost Tour – St. Petersb. & Tampa
  • Holy Land Experience
  • Kennedy Space Center
  • Key west
  • MagicKingdom
  • Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Sarasota
  • Marlin’s Park
  • Mixon Fruit Farms – Bradenton
  • MOSI – Museum of Science + Industry
  • Salvador Dalí Museum – St. Petersburg
  • Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Show – Orlando
  • Sun Life Stadium
  • Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
  • Armed Forces Military Museum – Largo
  • The Florida Aquarium – Tampa
  • The Pier – St Petersburg
  • Universal Orlando Resort
  • Walt Disney World Resort
  • Wet ‘n Wild Orlando
  • WonderWorks-Orlando

Largest Cities in Florida

  • Jacksonville
  • Tampa
  • Miami
  • St. Petersburg
  • Hialeah
  • Orlando
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Tallahassee

See Countryaah for more cities in the state of Florida.

Florida travel destinations

  • Palm Beach
  • Florida Beach
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • NASA Kennedy Space Center
  • Daytona Beach
  • key west
  • St Augustine
  • Orlando

National Parks in Florida

  • Biscayne National Park
  • Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Everglades National Park

National Monuments

  • Castle of San Marcos National Monument

National Memorial

  • De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton

Map of Florida – United States

The map of Florida in the southeastern United States. The map shows the neighboring states, the largest cities in the country, the rivers, lakes, the location of the Everglades and the courses of the highways and the most important roads. In the south of the US state of Florida are the swampy Everglades and the Key West island chain. The west and northwest coasts border the Gulf of Mexico. The area of ​​Florida is 170,304 km². About 20.1 million people currently live in Florida.