Florida’s official state name is simply “Florida,” which comes from the Spanish word “florido,” meaning “full of flowers.”
Florida (U.S. State)
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Facts About Florida (U.S. State)
Tallahassee is Florida’s capital city, but it’s not the biggest city in the state — that’s Jacksonville!
Florida became the 27th state in the U.S. on March 3, 1845, making it 180 years old as of March 3, 2025.
Florida is home to more than 22 million people, making it the third most populated state in the entire United States!
Florida is located in the southeastern United States and is the southernmost state in the continental U.S.!
Florida’s state motto is “In God We Trust,” which is the same as the United States national motto!
Florida’s state bird is the mockingbird, which can imitate the sounds of other birds!
Florida’s state flower is the orange blossom, which smells sweet and grows on the same trees that produce oranges!
Florida is the 22nd largest state in the U.S. size, but if you count just the land (not the water), it’s the 26th largest!
Florida is a peninsula, which means it’s surrounded by water on three sides — the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Gulf of Mexico on the west, and the Straits of Florida on the south!
Florida is the flattest state in America, with its highest natural point, Britton Hill, being only 345 feet (105 meters) above sea level — shorter than many skyscrapers!
The Everglades in Florida is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, covering 1.5 million acres (6,070 km²) — that’s bigger than the entire state of Delaware!
Florida has more than 1,300 miles (2,092 km) of coastline, which would take you about 21 days to walk if you walked 12 hours every day!
Florida has a longer coastline than any other U.S. state bordering the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico!
Florida has more than 700 springs, including Silver Springs, which pumps out 550 million gallons of crystal-clear water every day — enough to fill 830 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Florida is the only state in the U.S. that has both crocodiles and alligators living in the wild!
Florida is mostly warm and rainy in the summer and mild in the winter. The south is even more tropical! It almost never snows, but sometimes the north gets a few flurries.
Florida has more than 9,200 miles (14,806 km) of hiking, biking, equestrian, and shared-use trails for people to explore the outdoors!
The Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States and the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world!
Florida has 175 state parks, preserves, and recreational areas covering 800,000 acres of land!
There are over 100 different species of orchids that grow naturally in Florida’s swamps and forests!
Florida is home to more than 300 native bee species that help pollinate the state’s many plants and flowers!
Florida’s first inhabitants were Native American tribes including the Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua, and Apalachee who lived there for thousands of years before Europeans arrived!
Juan Ponce de León was the first European to arrive in Florida in 1513, and he named it “La Florida” because he arrived during the Easter season, which the Spanish called “Pascua Florida” (Flowery Easter)!
St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States — that’s over 450 years old!
Florida has been under the flags of five nations: Spain, France, Great Britain, the Confederate States of America, and the United States!
Florida was actually a Spanish territory twice — first from 1513 to 1763 and again from 1783 to 1821!
The Seminole Tribe is the only Native American tribe that never signed a peace treaty with the United States government!
Florida left the United States on January 10, 1861, becoming the third state to do so. After the Civil War, Florida rejoined the country on June 25, 1868.
Henry Flagler built the Florida East Coast Railway in the late 1800s, which helped transform Florida from a wilderness to a popular destination!
Walt Disney World opened in Orlando in 1971 and is now the most visited vacation resort in the world, with over 40 million visitors each year!
The first rocket to put Americans on the moon launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 1969!
Florida’s orange industry began in the 1500s when Spanish explorers planted the first orange trees, but it didn’t become a major crop until the 1800s!
The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was so close in Florida that it took 36 days and a Supreme Court decision to determine who won!
Florida’s state flag features a red X (called a St. Andrew’s Cross) on a white background, with the state seal in the middle!
The official state reptile of Florida is the American alligator, which can grow up to 15 feet (4.57 meters) long — that’s longer than a car!
Florida’s state marine mammal is the manatee, a gentle giant that can weigh up to 1,300 pounds (590 kilograms) — as heavy as a grand piano!
Florida’s state saltwater mammal is the bottlenose dolphin, which can swim up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) — faster than an Olympic swimmer!
The official state freshwater fish is the Florida largemouth bass, which can grow up to 25 inches (64 cm) long!
Florida’s state saltwater fish is the sailfish, one of the fastest fish in the ocean, which can swim up to 34 miles per hour (55 km/h) — faster than most cars drive in a city!
The state tree of Florida is the sabal palm (also called the cabbage palm), which can live for over 100 years!
Florida’s state wildflower is the coreopsis, also called “tickseed,” which has bright yellow flowers that look like little suns!
The state’s official beverage is orange juice, and Florida produces more of it than any other state!
Florida’s state stone is agatized coral, which formed 23-38 million years ago when ancient coral was replaced by silica minerals!
The state’s official soil is called “Myakka Fine Sand,” which covers more than 1.5 million acres of Florida!
Florida’s state shell is the horse conch, which can grow up to 24 inches (61 cm) long — longer than a bowling pin!
Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando is so large it covers 43 square miles (122 km²) — about twice the size of Manhattan in New York City!
Dry Tortugas National Park is a group of seven small islands located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Key West, Florida, and can only be reached by boat or seaplane!
The Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, has launched every human space flight from the United States since 1968!
