1.    Florida’s population of over 21,538,187 makes it the 3rd most populous state in the nation.

   2.    Florida is the nation’s flattest state.

   3.    The state’s highest natural point stands at 345 feet above the ground, the lowest state highpoint in the United States.

   4.    With 65,758 square miles, Florida is the 22nd largest state.

   5.    Florida was the 27th state to be admitted to the Union in 1845.

   6.    Florida is considered a favorite travel destination in the United States and of the world. It posted 137.6 million visitors in 2021.

   7.    Over 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways are located within the state. Florida has the third-highest number of lakes (after Alaska and Michigan), with 30,000 covering over three-million acres of land. This includes Lake Okeechobee, the second largest naturally occurring lake contained entirely within the contiguous United States, after lake Michigan with a surface area of over 1,175 square miles.

   8.    Florida's 1,350 miles of coastline is the 2nd longest in the US, coming in after Alaska.

   9.    Florida is the United States' largest producer of citrus fruit. Over 60% of the oranges in US are grown in Florida.

10.    Space flights are launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

11.    Florida has over 1,250 golf courses -- more than any other state in the US.

12.    Saint Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied city and port in the country.

13.    Crane Point Hammock was once the site of an Indian village.

14.    Florida has a palindromic place called Oktahatko. This means that its name can be reversed— spelled either from left to right or right to left— and it would be spelled or read identically.

15.    Key Largo is home to the statue of Jesus, popular as the Christ of the Abyss. ON AUGUST 25, 1965, A nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Christ was lowered into 25 feet of water off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Known as the Christ of the Abyss, this submerged statue in John Pennekamp State Park was actually the third of its kind cast from the original Italian mold.

16.    Florida has a pirate booty.

17.    The Everglades is one of the sources of drinking water in the state.

18.    The Everglades is the world’s slowest moving river.

19.    Jacksonville is the largest city in the state.

                     City                        population        U.S. rank

Jacksonville       962,970      11

Miami              435,919      44

Tampa              393,264      49

Orlando            312,280      62

20.    Clearwater city experiences more lightning strikes per capita in the US.

21.    Miami is one of the US cities at risk of sinking due to rising sea levels.

22.    Florida is one of the states in the US with political corruption. See Corruption topic for more info.

23.    Paleo-Indians inhabited present-day Florida as early as 14,000 years ago.

24.    Apalachee, Ais, Calusa, and Timucua lived in this region before the European settlement.

25.    King Charles of Spain freed all the slaves in Spanish Florida.

26.    The British acquired Florida from Spain in 1763 in exchange for the city of Havana, Cuba.

27.    The British offered land to the French and Indian War veterans to encourage settlement.

28.    Parts of West Florida were in the territory of Orleans.

29.    The Congress incorporated west and east Florida, forming the Florida Territory in 1822.

30.    Florida became the 27th United States in 1845, the last day of John Tyler’s presidency.

31.    Florida seceded from the Union in 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America.

32.    Florida provided beef to the Confederate armies.

33.    The Florida name originated from “Pascua Florida,” the Spanish “Feast of Flowers.”

34.    Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the nation. See Hurricanes for more info.

35.    John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was the first US underwater park.

36.    Florida has over one million alligators and more than 1,500 crocodiles.

37.    More than half of the state’s land area is forested.

38.    Florida has nearly 3000 wildflower species.

39.    The coral islands of the Florida Keys are home to coconut palms.

40.    Around 70 percent of the Florida residents are Christians.

41.    The dominant racial group is the whites making up slightly over 75% of the population. Native Americans are 0.28% of the state’s population.

42.    Florida has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the US–over one million.

43.    About 70 percent of the Florida residents speak English. Twenty-nine percent of the population uses Spanish for communication.

44.    Florida has the fourth largest economies in the United States, with a GDP of $1.39 trillion in 2022.

STATE                 Trillion dollars

California      3.60

Texas           2.36

New York        2.05

Florida         1.39

45.    Only California, Texas, and New York have more millionaires than Florida.

46.    Florida is home to one of the nation’s largest potash deposits.

47.    Florida is also home to the nation’s largest deposit of rock phosphate.

48.    Florida does not have a personal income tax.

49.    Tourism is one of the top industries in Florida. The state hosted 137.6 million tourists for 2022.

50.    Florida has the nation’s largest powerboat sales.

51.    Florida is home to 9,435 gas stations (2022).

52.    Florida has 16 EV (Electric Vehicle) charging stations as of 2022.

53.    There are 109 public use airports in Florida, 16 are international (Orlando is the busiest).

54.  Florida has three NFL teams, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Buccaneers. See sports topic for more info.