Birth Date: March 3, 1845, as the 27th state.
Capital City: Tallahassee
Population: 17,789,864 (2005)
Number of counties: 67
Most populous county: Miami-Dade, 2,376,014 (2005)
Least populous county: Liberty, 7,773 (2005)
Largest county: Palm Beach, 2,578 square miles
Smallest county: Union, 245 square miles
Land area: 53,927 square miles
Geographic Center: 12 miles northwest of Brooksville, Hernando County
Coastline: 1,197 statute miles
Tidal shoreline (general): 2,276 statute miles
Beaches: 663 miles
Longest River: St. Johns, 273 miles
Largest Lake: Lake Okeechobee, 700 square miles
Highest Natural Point: 345 feet near Lakewood in northeast Walton County
Nickname: The Sunshine State
State Beverage: Florida Orange Juice
State Tree: Sabal Palm
State Flower: Orange Blossom
State Bird: Mocking Bird
State Animal: Florida Panther
State Song: "Suwannee River" by Stephen C. Foster, 1851
State Reptile: Alligator
State Motto: In God We Trust (Found on the state seal, never officially designated as the state motto)
State Pie: Key Lime Pie (Approved by Gov. Bush on June 21, 2006)

Did you know...

Florida farmers use… Over 10 million of Florida’s 35 million acres
In fresh vegetable sales… Florida ranks 2nd in the nation at $1.6 billion
Florida citrus is about… 103.2 million trees planted on 796,000 acres
Florida’s six leading crops are… Greenhouse/nursery, oranges, sugarcane, tomatoes,
dairy products, and cattle and calves.
Commercial farmers in Florida… 44,000 farmers grow 280 different crops
Farm workers in Florida 87,000
Florida’s Thoroughbred Industry... Has produced 41 North American champions
Florida cattle… 1.74 million head at the end of 2003
Florida beef… Florida supplies 950,000 beef calves a year for Midwest feedlots
Florida dairy… In 2003, Florida supplied almost 2.2 billion pounds of milk with a value of $330 million
Florida fresh seafood… Average harvest is 103 million pounds worth more than $184 million.
Average summer temperatures are: North Florida 80.5F - South Florida 82.7F
Average winter temperatures are: North Florida 53.0F - South Florida 68.5F
Hurricane season: June 1 through November 30
Florida’s most dangerous weather... Lightning is responsible for more weather-related deaths
in Florida than all other weather hazards combined
More on Florida... Florida has the highest number of lightning casualties of all 50 states

General Trivia

Gatorade... was invented in Florida. Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed
As of 2004, Florida hosts the following Major League teams for spring training:

• Atlanta Braves at Walt Disney World
• Baltimore Orioles in Fort Lauderdale
• Boston Red Sox in Palms Park
• Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota
• Cleveland Indians in Winter Haven
• Detroit Tigers in Lakeland
• Florida Marlins in Jupiter
• Houston Astros in Kissimmee
• Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach
• Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers
• Washington Nationals in Viera
• New York Mets in Port St. Lucie
• New York Yankees in Tampa
• Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater
• Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton
• Saint Louis Cardinals in Jupiter
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St. Petersburg
• Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin

Tourists visiting Florida in a year: $76.8 million (2004)
Tourist dollars spent in Florida: $54.5 billion (2002)

Latitude: 24°30'N to 31°N
Longitude: 79°48'W to 87°38'W