What are florida
Executive summary
Florida is a U.S. state on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean known for warm climate, long coastlines, major tourism, and a complex environmental landscape; its earliest recorded European contact was by Juan Ponce de León in 1513, who named it La Florida [1] [2]. Contemporary profiles emphasize tourism as the dominant sector of the economy, a mosaic of ecosystems from beaches and coral reefs to the Everglades, a large and diverse population tracked by federal and state agencies, and a state government structure centered on an elected governor and independent cabinet [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Geography and climate: a flat, peninsular state whose shores define it
Florida occupies a long peninsula that places two-thirds of the state between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, giving it more than 8,400 miles of shoreline when inland coasts and islands are counted and making it the southernmost state of the continental U.S.; its coastal plains are generally flat and often less than 25 feet above sea level, with the Florida Keys extending toward the Tropic of Cancer [1] [2] [6].
2. History in brief: from indigenous peoples to Spanish claim to U.S. statehood
The first recorded European explorers were Spaniards led by Juan Ponce de León who sighted and came ashore in April 1513 and named the region for the Easter season and its flora; written European records become prominent after that point and the first permanent European settlement was established at St. Augustine in 1565 before Florida eventually joined the Union as the 27th state in 1845 [1] [7] [5].
3. Nature and wildlife: diverse habitats and conservation challenges
Florida’s ecosystems include sandy beaches, coral reefs, the 1.5‑million‑acre Everglades, and roughly 26,000 square miles of forest covering about half the state’s land area; it is home to species ranging from the Florida panther and Key deer to manatees and sea turtles, while nonnative species and habitat pressures are documented as threats to native fauna [6] [1] [3].
4. Economy and society: tourism, population growth and public services
Tourism has eclipsed agriculture and manufacturing to become the main component of Florida’s economy, drawing visitors with beaches, theme parks and cultural institutions; the state’s population and economic data are tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau and state agencies, while Florida’s government—headed by a governor and an independent cabinet that includes the attorney general and others—oversees elections, corporations and historical resources [2] [4] [8] [5].
5. Governance, facts and competing narratives: transparency, records and messaging
State portals and official tourism sites present Florida as a business‑friendly, sunshine‑driven destination and note policies such as relatively low tax burden claims and public‑records rules (for example, state law that email addresses are public records), while official tourism messaging and state fact pages inevitably emphasize attractions and habitats even as civic and media reporting scrutinize public policy and budget choices; those multiple narratives reflect distinct agendas—economic promotion from Visit Florida and official transparency or civic administration from the Department of State and MyFlorida portals [9] [8] [10] [5].