20 Fun Florida Facts

20 Fun Florida Facts

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• Florida covers 58,560 square miles of area. 4,298 square miles are water. 
• There are 30,000 lakes and over 1,300 golf courses.
• Florida has over 1,300 miles of coastline with 800 miles of beaches.
• Florida has a warm climate throughout the year with a rainy/stormy season in the summer.
• Florida's capitol city, Tallahassee, was the only southern capitol east of the Mississippi River to remain in southern hands for the duration of the Civil War.  

• Amelia Island is the only location in the U.S. to have been ruled under eight different national flags.
• The nation's oldest city St. Augustine, was settled by Spanish explorers in 1565. 
• The Florida Everglades are the only place in the world where alligators and crocodile co-exist.
• Santa Rosa County's Blackwater River State Forest area offers over a million acres of protected wilderness with miles of hiking trails and canoeing routes and has been dubbed the "Canoe Capitol of Florida." 
• More than 3,000 Seminole Indians live on six reservations throughout the state of Florida: Big Cypress, Brighton, Fort Pierce, Hollywood, Immokalee and Tampa.  
• Florida's State Wildflower, the Coreopsis, is planted on Florida roadsides for beautification.
• St. Petersburg/Clearwater claims to have 361 days of sunshine annually.  
• Pensacola's nickname is the "City of Five Flags" because it has been under the rule of the Spanish, French, English, Americans and Confederates. 
• The American alligator is the official state reptile.  
• Venice is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. 
• Florida is home to the largest breeding population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states.  
• Plant City, known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, holds the Guinness record for the world's largest Strawberry Shortcake. It was 827 square-feet and 6,000 pounds! 
• Crystal River is the only place in North America where it is legal to have a supervised swim with manatees.  
• Clearwater, Florida has the highest rate of lightening strikes per capita in the United States. 
• The Saint John's River is one of the few rivers that flows north instead of south. 

Which of these facts was the most surprising or interesting to you? Share in the comments.