Florida is the so-called Sunshine State because of its climate and the many hours of sunshine. Florida is located in the southeastern United States. The country borders Alabama and Georgia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the rest of the country is lapped by the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the almost 19 million inhabitants, over 820,000 live in Jacksonville, Florida’s largest city. The capital is Tallahassee with just over 180,000 citizens. The country stretches over 170,000 km², making it about half the size of Germany.

The St. Andrew’s Cross is found on the Florida flag, which can also be found on the Confederate war flag or the flag of Alabama. The close connection with the water is reflected in the Florida flag with a woman on the shore and a cargo ship at sea.

The name comes from the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, who discovered the area around Easter time and therefore named it after the Spanish Easter festival, the “pascua de florida”. Florida was incorporated into the United States as the 27th state on March 3, 1845.

The 10 Largest Cities in Florida

The city of Miami in Florida

The largest city in Florida is Jacksonville with more than 820,000 inhabitants.

This is followed immediately by Miami, Tampa and Petersburg with Orlando then on the next places.

1. Jacksonville (820,000)
2. Miami
3. Tampa
4. Petersburg
5. Orlando
6. Hialea
7. Tallahassee
8. Fort Lauderdale
9. Port St Lucie
10. Pernbroke Pines (154,500)

Climate

Miami Beach

Thanks to its latitude closer to the equator than other states in the USA, Florida has a predominantly tropical and subtropical climate.

Even in winter it doesn’t get cold here, the temperatures rarely fall below 10 degrees and snow is only known to a resident of the Sunshine State from television anyway.

Actually a paradise for sun-seekers and warmth-seekers, if it weren’t for the hurricane season.

Especially in the period from early June to mid-November, Florida is often the victim of hurricanes. The remaining months of the year are considered the best time to travel.

Climate tables

Jacksonville

Month	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEPT	OCT	NOV	DEC	YEAR
Daily temperature °C	18	20	23	27	30	32	33	33	31	27	23	19	26.3
Night temperature °C	6	7	10	14	18	21	23	23	20	15	10	7	14.5
hours of sunshine per day	6	7	8	9	10	8	8	8	6	7	6	6	7.3
Rainy days	7	7	7	6	7	11	13	12	14	11	6	7	108
Water temperature °C	17	17	18	20	23	26	29	30	29	27	24	20	23

key west

Month	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEPT	OCT	NOV	DEC	YEAR
Daily temperature °C	24	25	26	28	30	31	32	32	31	29	26	25	28.2
Night temperature °C	18	19	20	22	24	25	26	26	25	23	20	19	22:1
hours of sunshine per day	8	9	10	11	11	11	10	10	9	9	8	7	9.3
Rainy days	6	6	5	6	7	9	8	9	13	12	9	6	96
Water temperature °C	24	24	24	25	26	27	29	30	29	28	27	25	27

Miami

Month	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEPT	OCT	NOV	DEC	YEAR
Daily temperature °C	24	25	26	28	30	31	32	33	32	30	27	25	28.6
Night temperature °C	15	15	18	19	22	23	25	25	24	22	19	16	20.2
hours of sunshine per day	7	8th	9	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	8	7	8.8
Rainy days	5	6	6	6	9	10	13	16	14	11	7	5	108
Water temperature °C	22	22	23	25	27	29	30	31	30	28	26	24	26

Orlando

Month	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEPT	OCT	NOV	DEC	YEAR
Daily temperature °C	24	23	26	28	31	32	33	33	32	29	26	23	28.1
Night temperature °C	9	10	13	15	19	22	23	23	22	19	14	11	16.6
hours of sunshine per day	6	7	8	10	10	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	7.9
Rainy days	6	7	7	4	7	13	12	12	10	6	6	6	96

Population

The population of Florida is divided into 77% White, about 16% Black, 3% Asian and 4% other races, with about 20% of the residents being Hispanic. So a colorful mixture of people from different nations, which is also reflected in the streetscape and the shops. When it comes to population development, it is noticeable that Florida has shown permanent growth compared to other states. So in the past, the state has been almost consistently attractive as an immigration area.

Sports

Location of major Florida athletic clubs

In Florida there are several good teams in each of the big and very popular sports leagues:

• NFL (National Football League)

Home to the Jacksonville-based Jacksonville Jaguars.

Then there’s the Miami Dolphins, who keep playing up front.

And finally the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• NHL (National Hockey League)

North Miami is home to the Florida Panthers.

Tampa Bay also has a team in the league, the Tampa Lightnings.

• NBA (National Basketball Association)

In the league of basketball players, which has existed since 1946, you will find the Orlando Magic, who always play excellently.

But the team that makes up the Miami Heat is always good for headlines.

• MLB (Major League Baseball)

A well-known baseball team is that of the Miami Marlins. Another MLB team are the Tampa Bay Rays from Saint Petersburg.

The Florida Economy

The real gross domestic product per capita (English per capita real GDP) was USD 33,718 in 2006 (national average of the 50 US states: USD 37,714; national ranking: 34).

Florida’s climate and many beaches make it an interesting leisure destination for vacationers from all over the world, as well as a retirement home for many Americans. Foreign investors can also access the interesting real estate market in the south-east of the USA. Renting it per week or month to potent tourists from Europe brings a lot of foreign exchange into the country.

The various amusement parks Universal Studios, Island of Adventure, Busch Gardens Africa and Seaworld and last but not least the Walt Disney World Resort with the parks Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom near Orlando are major attractions for tourists.

Agriculture is busy growing citrus fruits (50% of US consumption is produced here) including juice production, there are numerous banks in the Sunshine State, and phosphate is mined.

In addition, Florida is the most important launch site for NASA and the US Air Force for their space missions from Cape Canaveral, from 1963-1973 Cape Kennedy.