Florida State Facts – Part II
- State tree – Sabal Pal
- State flower – Orange Blossom
- State beverage – Orange Juice
- State shell – Horse Conch
- State stone – Agatized Coral
- Largest Cities – Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Saint Petersburg, Orlando
- At 345 feet above sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida, and the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state.
- As no tectonic plate lines lie in Florida, there are no mountains in the state.
- Much of the state of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Straits of Florida.
- The Everglades in southern Florida is an enormously wide, very slow-flowing river.
- Spanning two time zones, Florida’s land extends northwest into a panhandle, extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico
- Weather – Florida has four different Koppen climate classifications across the state. North and Central Florida has a humid subtropical climate, while South Florida has an equatorial rainforest climate, equatorial monsoon climate, and equatorial savannah climate.
- Weather- Florida has a defined rainy season from June through September, which put Florida at risk of tropical cyclones and thunderstorms.
- Weather – Florida is one of the most tornado-prone states in the United States, with only Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma reporting more storms.
- Weather – Between October and May, fronts regularly sweep through the state, keeping conditions dry.
- Weather – Hurricanes pose a severe threat to Florida during hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to November 30.
- Weather – Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the country.
- In 2008, Florida had 47,500 commercial farms, utilizing 9.25 million acres to continue to produce a variety of food products.
- Florida produces 70% of the annual US production of citrus.
- Oranges are Florida’s top leading crop financially yielding $1.64 billion in 2005.
- Florida ranks 2nd in US production of fresh vegetables and provides 80% of the fresh vegetables consumed in the US during January, February, and March each year.
- In 2008 Florida had 47,500 commercial farms, using a total of 9.25 million acres. There were 5,300 farms with sales exceeding $100,000. The average farm size was 195 acres. The number of farms in Florida has increased by 2,500 over the past 10 years.
- Florida beef production ranks 4th in states located east of the Mississippi and 12th in the United States.
- Florida is consistently ranked in the top 12 states in fresh seafood production.
- Florida Thoroughbred industry has produced 41 North American champions. 18 breeders cup winners and a Triple Crown-winner.
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