Florida

Florida was the 27^th state in the USA; it was admitted on March 3, 1845.
State Abbreviation - FL
State Capital - Tallahassee
Largest City - Jacksonville
Area - 65,758 square miles [Florida is the 22nd biggest state in the USA]
Population - 15,982,378 (as of 2000) [Florida is the fourth most populous state in the USA, after California, New York and Texas]
Name for Residents - Floridians
Major Industries - tourism, agriculture (oranges, grapefruit, tomatos), electronics

Major Rivers - St. Johns River, St. Marys River, Suwannee River
Major Lakes - Lake Okeechobee, Lake George
Highest Point - A hill in Walton County - 345 feet (105 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Georgia, Alabama
Bordering Bodies of Water - Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico

Origin of the Name Florida - Florida was first seen by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon on Palm Sunday on April 2, 1513 - he then named the "Pascua de Florida," meaning "Feast of Flowers" and claimed it for Spain
State Nickname - The Sunshine State
State Motto - "In God we trust."
State Song - "Swanee River"

Florida State Symbols and Emblems:

State Flag

Florida's official flag was adopted in 1900. Florida's flag has a red cross of St. Andrew on a white field; in the center is the state seal, which depicts a Native American (Seminole) woman scattering flowers, the sun with many rays, palm trees (the large one is a cabbage palm), a sailing steamboat, the land and the water.