9781422286104

Florida

H istorians call the United States a nation of immigrants. Few states reflect that more clearly than Florida. The country’s oldest European city—St. Augustine, estab- lished by Spanish explorers in 1565—is in the Sunshine State. In modern times, Florida has attracted millions of new immigrants. Some 20 percent of Floridians speak Spanish. Many others speak languages as diverse as French Creole, French, Portuguese, German, and Vietnamese. Not surprisingly, Florida is known for its rich cultural variety. Geography Most of Florida is a peninsula extending into the ocean. It has 1,350 miles (2,172 km) of coastline along the Atlantic to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Although slender, it is one of the country’s longest (447 miles [719 km] north to south) and widest (361 miles [581 km] east to west) states because of its unusual shape. Its 65,758 square miles (170,312 square kilome- ters) ranks it 22nd in size among the U.S. states. Florida shares borders with Georgia to the north and Alabama to the north and west.

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