| Florida is a state in the southeast United States, situated mostly on a large peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. The peninsula was named by Juan Ponce de León, who landed on the coast on April 2, 1513, during Pascua Florida (Spanish for "Flowery Easter", referring to the Easter season). |
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| Florida consists of the panhandle extending along the northern Gulf of Mexico and the large peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean as its eastern border and the Gulf of Mexico as its western border. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near the countries of the Caribbean, particularly the Bahamas and Cuba. |
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| At 345 feet (105 metres) above mean sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida. This is also the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state. Contrary to popular belief, however, Florida is not an entirely "flat" state. Some places, such as Clearwater, feature relatively high vistas rising 50 to 100 feet (15–30 m) above the water. Much of the interior of Florida, typically 25 miles (40 km) or more away from the coastline, features rolling hills with elevations ranging from 100 to 250 feet (30–76 m) in many locations. Lake County holds the highest point of peninsular Florida, Sugarloaf Mountain , at 312 feet (95 m). The amount of topographical change will surprise many visitors. |
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| The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by its proximity to water. Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate with the extreme tip of Florida and the Florida Keys bordering on a true tropical climate. Cold fronts can occasionally bring high winds and cool to cold temperatures to the entire state during late Fall, and Winter. Florida averages 300 days of full sunshine a year. The seasons in Florida often called "Hot and Hotter" are actually determined more by precipitation than by temperature with warm, relatively dry winters and autumns (the dry season) and hot, wet springs and especially the summers (the wet season). |
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| The Gulf Stream has a moderating effect on Florida climate and although it is common for much of Florida to see a high summer temperature over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 °C), it is not common for the mercury to go above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (39 °C) in Florida. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the state was 109 °F (43 °C) set on June 29, 1931 in Monticello. The coldest was 2 °F below zero (−19 °C), on February 13, 1899 just 25 miles (40 km) away, in Tallahassee. Mean high temperatures for late July are primarily in the low 90's Fahrenheit (32–35 °C). Mean low temperatures for late January range from the low 40's Fahrenheit (4–7 °C) in North Florida to the mid-50's (13 °C)in South Florida. |
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