Total area:58,560 square miles
Total land area: 54,252 square miles
Total water area: 4,308 square miles
Rank among states in total area: 22nd
Length north and south (St. Mary's River to Key West): 447 miles
Width east and west (Atlantic Ocean to Perdido River):361 miles
Distance from Pensocola to Key West: 792 miles (by road)
Highest natural point: 345 feet near Lakewood in northeastern Walton County
Geographic center: 12 miles northwest of Brooksville, Hernando County
Coastline: 1,197 statute miles
Tidal shoreline (general):2,276 statute miles
Beaches: 663 miles
Longest River: St. Johns, 273 miles
Largest Lake: Lake Okeechobee, 700 square miles
Largest County: Palm Beach, 2,578 square miles
Smallest County:Union, 245 square miles
Number of lakes (greater than 10 acres): approximately 7,700
Number of first magnitude springs: 27
Number of islands (larger than 10 acres): approximately 4,500
First permanent European settlement: 1565, St. Augustine, by Spanish
U.S. Territory: 1821
Admitted to union as state: March 3, 1845 (27th state)
Population 1997: 14,677,181
Population rank among states 1990:4th
Population 1980: 9,739,992
Population growth rate 1980-90:32.83%
Most populous metropolitan area 1990: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, 2,067,959
Number of counties: 67
Form of government: Governor and independent cabinet consisting of secretary of state,
attorney general, comptroller, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, and commission of education
State sales tax: 6%
State income tax: none
Legislature: 120 house districts, 40 senate districts, 23 congressional districts
Medical: All major cities have trauma centers with helicopter emergency medical services.
Education:Florida is divided into sixty-seven school districts, one for each county. Property taxes are collected in each school district for public
primary and secondary education. Florida was one of the first states to adopt a plan for state support of education in order to balance the quality of instruction from county to county. In 1995 nearly two-thirds of Florida's graduating seniors planned to continue their education.
Florida offers its residents a wide variety of postsecondary educational opportunities. It has a well-diversified State University System, an accessible Community College System, vocational-technical centers,
and numerous private institutions of learning.
The Community College System of Florida as well as its system of vocational-technical centers are among the most well developed in the nation. Both systems were designed so that every resident of Florida would be within commuting distance of either a college or a center. Area vocational-technical centers often collaborate with area employers in developing their programs.
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