Florida
Geography
a state in the South-East
capital: Tallahassee
borders: in the North: Alabama and Georgia
in the East: the Atlantic
in the West: Golf of Mexico
the peninsula Florida has an area of 170 313 km²
highest spot is 105 m over sea level at the border to Alabama
coastline: 2173 km
from every point in florida - only 100 km to next coast
Florida is a part of the atlantic coastplaine
the ground consists of limestone- and sandstonelayer
because of wear of waves, wind and rain Florida is mainly flatland
only forur big rivers - all in the northern of Florida:
the Apalachicola, Suwannee, St. John and the Escambia
there much rivers more but most of thembe caused by break out the earth surface - and so some rivers can be flow for a strech underground
in the North you can find more than thousand springs, bacause of the pressure in the ground
region round Tallahassee is flatland with pineforest
western from it: the Marianna lowplain with one special: mussellinelayer
around the altlanticcoast are coral reefs, bays, sand dunes, peninsulas and islands situated
in the South are the Florida Keys, the Marquese Keys and Dry Tortugas, which are thousand little island along the coast
in the East of te Keys is the last living coral reef
the biggest lake is the Okeechobee, wich is called "Big Water"
- es ist der drittgrößte Süßwassersee in den USA
-
even you find swampland like the Everglades and the Big Cypress Garden
it´s about 6000 km²
most is entwässert to field or land for new buildings and projects
Climate
in most regions of Florida is subtropical climate
the southsummit and especially the little southern islands have chance humide climate
annual average temperatre: in the North-West round Tallahessee: 20°C
in the South-East round Fort Lauderale 25°C
Above all in the South of Florida are hurricans
Like in 1992: 41 people were killed and 160 000 homeless when hurrican Andrew came
material damage amount to 20 billion Dollar
Nature/Animals
35 % from the whole area are covered up with forest
in Florida you can find 314 different kind of trees
most native are famous because her ricness of colours
symbolflower: orangeflower
tree of the state: Sabaspalm
in the North: pines, tuliptrees, maple trees, Azaleen, Oleander, Hibiskus and Jasmin
in the centre: cypresses, Florida Hickories, oak trees and Magnolien
in the South: cocopalm, kingspalm, liveoaktrees, west-indish mahogony and especially at the coast cabbagepalm
in the swampland and the Everglades: fern, orchid, Lianen
animals:
most animals are extinct, live in danger or are disappeared
like 90 % of the birds..but still live more than 400 kinds
fisheagle, storcks, gooses, beachrunner, pelicans, seagulls and migratories
also wild animals who live in danger like: blackbears, greyfoxes, panther and another kind of wildcats
because of their skin many otters and minks were killed
in a big number live deers, squirrels, wils boar, oppossum, hares and Waschbären
nearly extinct: Seekuh and turtle
alligators on crocodiles live reserve in the Everglades
former their skin was process to textilies too
in the waters live round 700 different kinds if fish like trout and werch
but next to them you even can find frogs, lizards, rattlesnakes, and many other kinds of snakes
Economy and Industry
Floridas most important row materials are lime, crude oil and phosphat the state meet the demand for the USA with 80 %
more woe materials: natural gas, sulpur and other chemical stuffs
the most important deliver for products of agriculture lemonfruits and oranges
the industry process things for electric, automobiles and precisionintruments
Population, Education and Culture
13 Mio inhabitants
average population density: 76 people / km²
80 % whites, 10 % blacks, 10 % Hispanics
nearly 35000 Indians and 31000 people from Asia and Cuba
share of persond above 60 years is 18 % - that is ecause Florida is the popular state for old people
altogether 95 colleges and university with nearly 480 000 students
state highschools and universities: University Florida, the Bethune-Cookman College (found 1904) in Daytona Beach, the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and the University of Jacksonville
a significant museum: the Museum of Natural History in Gainesville which posses archaeology discoveries
an important collection of european and american painting you can find in the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota
