Winching in Sunset Beach Florida

Florida (/ˈflɒrɪdə/ (listen), Spanish pronunciation: [floˈɾiða]) is a declare located in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and Cuba; it is the only let pass that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning more than 65,750 square miles, Florida ranks 22nd in size accompanied by the 50 states, and later a population of higher than 21 million, is the third-most populous. The welcome capital is Tallahassee and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of in this area 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the seventh-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with beyond one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville.

Various Native American groups have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years. In 1513, Spanish speculator Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida ([la floˈɾiða] for its lush greenery and the Easter season (Pascua Florida in Spanish). Florida once became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently established by Europeans, with the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest for all time inhabited city. Florida was repeatedly contested by Spain and Great Britain, before living thing ceded to the U.S. in 1819; it was admitted as the 27th state upon March 3, 1845. Florida was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the Indian Wars in U.S. history. The state seceded from the Union upon January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States. After the Civil War, Florida was restored to the Union upon June 25, 1868.

Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced short demographic and economic growth. Its $1.0 trillion economy is the fourth-largest of any U.S. state and the 16th-largest in the world; the main sectors are tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation. Florida is world-renowned for its seashore resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach charm tens of millions of visitors annually. Florida is a popular destination for retirees, seasonal vacationers, and both domestic and international migrants; it hosts nine out of the ten fastest-growing communities in the U.S. The state’s close proximity to the ocean has shaped its culture, identity, and daily life; its colonial records and successive waves of migration are reflected in African, European, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian influences. Florida has attracted or inspired writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, particularly in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.

About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning nearly 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands. Florida has 4,510 islands that are ten acres (4 ha) or larger in area, the second highest number after Alaska. Much of the confess is at or close sea level, and is characterized by sedimentary soil. Florida is the flattest let in in the country, with the lowest high point of any U.S. state, at just 345 feet (105 meters). Lake Okeechobee is its largest freshwater lake, and the second-largest located no question within the contiguous 48 states. Several beaches in Florida have turquoise and emerald-colored coastal waters.