Many species of eastern North American birds go to Florida in the winter. One subspecies of Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, namely subspecies osceola, is found only in the state of Florida.
Marine Mammals: Bottlenose Dolphin, Short-finned Pilot Whale, North Atlantic Right Whale, West Indian Manatee.The Florida Scrub Jay is found only in Florida.įlorida has many types of wildlife including: Florida's most active recorded hurricane seasons were in 20, when it was hit by hurricanes Charley (August 13), Frances (September 4–5), Ivan (September 16), Jeanne (September 25), Katrina (August 25), and Wilma (October 24). Hurricane Andrew was a destructive hurricane that hit Florida on August 23, 1992. Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, but sometimes a hurricane will occur outside of this period.
The most popular sport in Florida is fishing.įlorida is vulnerable to hurricanes due to its proximity to the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The summer is great for surfing the waves and enjoying the beaches. įlorida's sunny climate attracts visitors. Southern Florida does not have four separate seasons. Florida has both a rainy season and dry season. In Florida, a dozen palm tree species are native to the state. Its annual average temperature is much warmer than many of the other states, but during winter, temperatures occasionally fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer, temperatures may rise up to as high as 109 degrees Fahrenheit (or 40.5 degrees Celsius). Snow does fall sometimes in North Florida.įlorida is nicknamed the Sunshine State. Snow is very uncommon in Florida, but has fallen in every major Florida city at least once. Recently, Florida has been trying to restore the Everglades.Īt the southernmost tip of Florida is a chain of islands called the Florida Keys. Lots of animals live there, including alligators and Florida panthers. Most of what is left is now the Everglades National Park. The Everglades is now about half the size it used to be. In 1947, the state constructed levees and canals to make more room for farming and houses.
When Florida was first being settled, farmers found out the soil there was fertile, so they drained some of the wetlands in 1882 for farming. Okeechobee is 730 square miles (1,890 km²), about half the size of the state of Rhode Island, and is very shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (3 m).Ī lot of south Florida used to be covered by a swamp called the Everglades. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake entirely within the lower 48 states. In the center of southern Florida is a lake called Lake Okeechobee. The Gulf of Mexico is on the west coast of Florida. įlorida has the longest coastline in the continental United States.The Gulf Stream ocean current goes through the Atlantic Ocean near the east coast of Florida, so the water is warmer than the Pacific Ocean. It is the shortest of the highest points in all other states. The highest hill in Florida is Britton Hill, in northern Walton County near the town of Lakewood, Florida. Northern Florida contains hills because it is at the very end of the Appalachian Mountains. Florida was first discovered by a European in 1513 by the Spanish Ponce De Leon, who called this peninsula "Tierra de la Pascua Florida" (Land of the Easter flowered) because it was discovered on Easter: in the next centuries only the last word remained. These include the Timucua, the Tequesta, the Calusa, the Seminole, the Miccosukee, and many more. Florida had many residents from many tribes and nations living in almost all parts of it for thousands of years. Native Americans first settled in Florida before the arrival of the Europeans.