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 - 447 miles (St. Marys River to Key West)
Width east and west - 361 miles (Atlantic Ocean to Perdido River)
Distance from Pensacola to Key West - 792 miles (by road)
Highest Natural Point - 345 feet near Lakewood in northeast 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) - about 7,700
Number
of first-magnitude springs - 27
Number
of islands (greater than 10 acres) - about 4,500
First
permanent European settlement - 1565, St. Augustine, by Spain
U.S. Territory - 1821
Admitted
to U.S. as state - March 3, 1845 (27th state)
Population
1990 - 12,937,926 (Rank 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 commissioner of education
State sales tax - 6%
State
income tax - None
Legislature
- 120 house districts, 40 senate districts, 23 congressional districts