Top 10 Interesting Facts About Florida
1. Florida is a peninsula, meaning it is almost completely surrounded by water. A peninsula is a piece of land that is surrounded on three sides by water. The one other side is connected to land. The east, west and south of Florida are surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, and the North Atlantic Ocean.
2. The Florida Keys, a group of about 1,700 tiny islands, is a famous tourist attraction of the state.
3. The Walt Disney World Resort is in Florida. It is the planet’s most visited and biggest recreational resort. It was established in 1971 and is about the same size as San Francisco, California.
4. NASA’s first coIn 2018, Florida was home to 52 billionaires.
5. The U.S. state of Florida is also home to the world’s most dangerous tree – the Manchineel tree. All parts of the tree contain strong toxins. Mere contact with the sap from this tree can cause blisters on the skin. The tree is also known as “the beach apple” and “little apple of death.
6. Between 1763 and 1783, Florida was ruled by the British. Formally, Florida became a part of the U.S. in 1821.
7. Florida is ranked among the states with the fastest-growing immigration population. The reason is the rapid growth in the tourism sector in the state due to the climate and the scenery of the Sunshine State.
8. Florida has the second longest coastline of all the contiguous states. Only Alaska has a longer coastline. It is also the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
9. June 1 to November 30 is the hurricane season in Florida and it is the most hurricane-prone state in the U.S. Hurricanes in the past have cost the state billions in damages. For example, hurricane Andrew devastated the state in 1992 and lead to a loss of $25 billion in damages. Hurricane Katrina (damages estimated at $160 billion) and Wilma (damages estimated at $24.3 billion) are other hurricanes that have struck Florida in the past few years.
10. There is no personal income tax in Florida.