Florida State Facts – Part I

1. State Capital – Tallahassee
2. State nickname – The Sunshine State (adopted in 1970)
3. State motto – In God We Trust
4. Population – 18,801,310 (2010 Census)
5. Population rank – 4th
6. Physical Size – 65,755 sq. mi.
7. Physical Size rank – 22nd
8. Population density – 353.4 per sq. mi.
9. Population density rank – 8th
10. Highest elevation or tallest building – Britton Hill, 345 ft.
11. Lowest elevation – Atlantic Ocean, sea level
12. Date Joined Union – March 3, 1845 (27^th)
13. Adjoining states or countries – Gulf of Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, Atlantic Ocean
14. Flag Fact – On a white field emblazoned with a red X and the state seal, Florida’s state flag represents the land of sunshine, flowers, palm trees, rivers and lakes. The seal features a brilliant sun, a cabbage palmetto tree, a steamboat sailing and a Native American Seminole woman scattering flowers. The flag was adopted in 1899.
15. State bird – Mockingbird
16. State animal – Florida Panther
17. State marine mammal – Manatee
18. State mineral – N/A
19. State gem – Moonstone
20. State song – “Old Folks at Home”
21. State quarter – Released in 2004, the Florida state quarter incorporates a 16^th-century Spanish galleon, a space shuttle, and the inscription “Gateway to Discovery.” A strip of land with Sabal palm trees is also depicted.
22. State seal – Adopted by state legislature in 1868. The seal features a shoreline on which a Seminole woman is spreading hibiscus flowers. Two of Florida’s State Tree, the Sabal palm, are growing. In the background a steamboat sails before a sun breaking the horizon, with rays of sunlight extending into the sky. The seal is encircled with the words “Great Seal of the State of Florida”, and “In God we Trust”.
23. State insect – N/A
24. State fish – Largemouth Bass (freshwater), Sailfish (salt water)
25. State reptile – Alligator