Geography of Florida

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A map of Florida, as seen from outer space.

Much of the state of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Spanning two time zones, it extends to the northwest into a panhandle along the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama, on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near The Bahamas, and several Caribbean countries, particularly Cuba. Florida has 131 public airports, and more than 700 private airports, airstrips, heliports, and seaplane bases.[1] Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area.

Physiogeography

Florida has three distinct physiographic provinces: Gulf Coastal Lowlands, Atlantic Coastal Lowlands, and Interior Highlands. The coastal lowlands rim the entirety of the peninsula and panhandle from the shoreline to 30 to 50 miles (48 to 80 km) inland, merging with the Interior Highland.[2]

Terrain

The beach at Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys, and Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.

At 345 feet (105 m)

Gulf Coast, and up through the Everglades, endangering the plant biomass within its marsh communities.[7]

A 2014 study found Florida to be the flattest state.[8]

Boundaries

The state line begins in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, south, and north up the

Flint River (from Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the Alabama/Georgia line) used to form Florida's Apalachicola River. (Since Woodruff Dam was built, this point has been under Lake Seminole.) The border with Georgia continues north through the lake for a short distance up the former thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama runs due west along 31°N to the Perdido River, then south along its thalweg to the Gulf via Perdido Bay. Much of the state is at or near sea level
. Florida is also 65,755 square miles.

Topography

Topographic map of Florida

Geology

Main article: Geology of Florida

The Florida peninsula is a porous plateau of karst limestone sitting atop bedrock known as the Florida Platform. The emergent portion of the platform was created during the Eocene to Oligocene as the Gulf Trough filled with silts, clays, and sands. Flora and fauna began appearing during the Miocene. No land animals were present in Florida prior to the Miocene.

The largest deposits of

phosphate rock in the country are found in Florida.[9]

Extended systems of underwater caves,

last glacial period, lower sea levels and a drier climate revealed a much wider peninsula, largely savanna.[10] The Everglades
, a wide, slow-flowing river, encompasses the southern tip of the peninsula.

While there are sinkholes in much of the state, modern sinkholes have tended to be in West-Central Florida.[11][12]

Florida is tied for last place (with North Dakota) as having the fewest earthquakes of any US state.

Key West, Florida. (See List of earthquakes in Cuba) Another earthquake centered outside Florida was the 1886 Charleston earthquake. The shock was felt throughout northern Florida, ringing church bells at St. Augustine and severely jolting other towns along that section of Florida's east coast. Jacksonville residents felt many of the strong aftershocks that occurred in September, October, and November 1886.[14] As recently as 2006, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake centered about 260 miles (420 km) southwest of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico sent shock waves through southwest and central Florida. The earthquake was too small to trigger a tsunami and no damage was reported.[15]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Florida
See also: List of Florida hurricanes
Further information:
Royal Poinciana tree in full bloom in the Florida Keys, an indication of South Florida's tropical climate
South Florida's climate is ideal for growing sugarcane
.

In the summer, high temperatures in the state seldom exceed 100 °F (38 °C). During the late autumn and winter months, Florida has experienced occasional cold fronts that can bring high winds and relatively cooler temperatures for the entire state, with high temperatures that could remain into the 40s and 50s (4 to 15 °C) and lows in the 20s and 30s (−7 to 4 °C). Several record cold maxima have been in the 30s °F (−1 to 4 °C) and record lows have been in the 10s (−12 to −7 °C). These temperatures normally extend at most a few days at a time in the northern and central parts of Florida. Southern Florida, however, rarely encounters sub-freezing temperatures. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Florida was 109 °F (43 °C), which was set on June 29, 1931, in

Fall foliage
appears in Central and North Florida starting around late November, and into winter. During El Niño there is greater rainfall between November and March.

At the end of El Niño in 1998, 480 wildfires occurred.

The

Key West
, temperatures rarely exceed 95 °F (35 °C) in the summer or fall below 55 °F (13 °C) in the winter, and frost has never been reported in the Keys.

Average high and low temperatures for various Florida cities (°F)
City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Jacksonville[18] 65/43 68/45 74/50 80/56 86/64 90/70 92/73 91/73 87/70 80/61 73/51 66/44
Key West[19]
 75/65 76/66 79/69 82/72 85/76 88/78 89/80 90/80 88/78 85/76 80/71 76/67
Melbourne[20] 72/51 73/53 77/57 81/61 85/67 88/71 90/73 90/73 88/72 83/67 78/60 73/53
Miami[21]
 76/60 77/61 80/64 83/68 86/72 88/75 90/77 90/77 88/76 85/72 81/67 77/62
Orlando[22] 72/50 75/52 79/56 84/61 88/66 91/72 92/73 92/74 90/72 85/66 78/58 74/53
Pensacola[23] 61/43 64/46 70/51 76/58 84/66 89/72 90/74 90/74 87/70 80/60 70/50 63/45
Tallahassee[24] 64/40 67/42 73/48 80/53 87/62 91/69 91/72 91/72 88/68 81/57 72/47 66/41
Tampa[25] 71/51 72/52 77/57 82/62 88/68 90/73 90/75 90/75 89/73 84/66 77/58 72/52

Severe weather

Downtown Miami

Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", but severe weather is a common occurrence in the state. Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the United States, as it experiences more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country.

Midwest and Great Plains. Hail
often accompanies the most severe thunderstorms.

A narrow eastern part of the state including Orlando and Jacksonville receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of

sunshine annually. The rest of the state, including Miami, receives between 2,800 and 3,200 hours annually.[28]

Snow is very uncommon in Florida, but has occurred in every major Florida city at least once; snow does fall very occasionally in North Florida

flurries also fell on Miami Beach for the only time in recorded history. A hard freeze in 2003 brought "ocean-effect" snow flurries to the Atlantic coast as far south as Cape Canaveral.[30]
The
1993 Superstorm brought blizzard conditions to the panhandle, while heavy rain and tornadoes beset the peninsula. The storm is believed to have been similar in composition to a hurricane, some Gulf coast regions even seeing storm surges of six feet or more. More recently, traces of snow and sleet fell across central Florida during a hard freeze event in January, 2010. There was some slight accumulation north of the I-4 corridor, mostly in the form of sleet.[31]

Hurricanes

Hurricane Andrew bearing down on Florida on August 23, 1992

category 4 or higher, 83% have either hit Florida or Texas.[32]
August to October is the most likely period for a hurricane in Florida.

In 2004, Florida was hit by a record four hurricanes. Hurricanes

South Florida and Hurricane Rita (September 20) swept through the Florida Keys. Hurricane Wilma (October 24) made landfall near Cape Romano, just south of Marco Island, finishing another very active hurricane season. Wilma is the second most expensive hurricane in Florida history, due in part to a five-year window in which to file claims.[34]

Florida was the site of the second costliest weather disaster in U.S. history,

global warming,[35][36] but that report has been criticized as having been politicized.[37][38]

Fauna

Further information: List of reptiles of Florida, List of mammals of Florida, and List of birds of Florida

Florida is host to many types of wildlife including:

Florida Everglades
Key deer in the lower Florida Keys
The Florida scrub jay is found only in Florida

The only known calving area for the northern right whale is off the coasts of Florida and Georgia.[40]

Since their accidental importation from South America into North America in the 1930s, the red imported fire ant population has increased its territorial range to include most of the Southern United States, including Florida. They are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting.[41]

A number of non-native snakes have been released in the wild. In 2010 the state created a hunting season for

Nile monitor lizards.[42]

Political geography

History

Main article: History of Florida

Florida's extensive coastline made it a perceived target during World War II, so the government built airstrips throughout the state; today, approximately 400 airports are still in service.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Florida Drug Threat Assessment-Overview". National Drug Intelligence Center. Archived from the original on 2003-08-20. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  2. ISBN 979-8723792111
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  3. ^ Main, Martin B.; Allen, Ginger M. (July 2007). "The Florida Environment: An Overview". University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  4. ^ "Lake Wales Ridge". LandScope America. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  5. ^ "Green Mountain Scenic Byway". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  6. ^ Jeff Goodell (June 20, 2013). "Goodbye, Miami". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  7. S2CID 17631769
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  8. S2CID 121045088
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  9. ^ "Industry overview". First research. www.hoovers.com. 2010-03-25. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010.
  10. ^ Allen, Ginger M.; Main, Martin B (May 2005). "Florida's Geological History". Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida. Archived from the original on 2005-12-31. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  11. ^ Ann B. Tihansky. "Sinkholes, West-Central Florida" (PDF). Tampa, Florida: U.S. Geological Survey.
  12. ^ "Florida Sinkhole Maps". Maps Etc. University of South Florida.
  13. ^ Presler, Margaret Webb (14 April 2010). "More earthquakes than usual? Not really". Washington Post. Washington D.C. pp. C10.
  14. ^ "Florida:Earthquake History". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  15. ^ "6.0 quake in Gulf shakes Southeast". CNN. September 11, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  16. ^ Ritter, Michael. "Wet/Dry Tropical Climate". University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. Archived from the original on 2004-01-15. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  17. ^ "Georgia USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". Retrieved 2011-03-21.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ "JACKSONVILLE WSO AP, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  19. ^ "KEY WEST WSO AIRPORT, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  20. ^ "MELBOURNE WSO, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  21. ^ "MIAMI WSCMO AIRPORT, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  22. ^ "Climate".
  23. ^ "PENSACOLA FAA ARPT, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  24. ^ "TALLAHASSEE WSO AP, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  25. ^ "TAMPA WSCMO ARPT, FLORIDA—Climate Summary". Southeast Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  26. ^ "Lightning Information Center". National Weather Service. Archived from the original on 2000-05-16. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  27. ^ Aten, Tim (July 1, 2007). "Waterspouts common off coastal Florida in summer". Naples Daily News. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  28. ^ "United States annual sunshine map". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  29. ISBN 978-1-56164-036-2
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  30. ^ "Cold Temperatures and Snow Flurries in East-Central Florida". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  31. ^ "Sleet, Snow Fall In Parts Of Central Florida – News Story – WFTV Orlando". Wftv.com. 2010-01-09. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
  32. ^ a b Doe (28 March 2009). "Florida is US lightning capital" (Document). Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today Factbook. p. 34.
  33. ^ "Weather, politics shook things up". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. 31 December 2009. pp. 1A. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  34. ^ Read, Matt (2 February 2010). "Watchdog:Discounts may boost price for insurance". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1B.[dead link]
  35. ^ Than, Ker (August 31, 2005). "Many More Hurricanes To Come". Live Science. Archived from the original on 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  36. ^ "NOAA Attributes Recent Increase In Hurricane Activity To Naturally Occurring Multi-Decadal Climate Variability". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2005-12-03. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  37. ^ "Hurricane Science Becomes a Matter of Policy as NOAA Takes Sides". Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  38. ^ "NOAA's misleading internal Congressional briefing points on hurricanes and global warming". Climate Science Watch. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  39. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Wild turkey: Meleagris gallopavo, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived 2017-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ Waymer, Jim (28 December 2009). "Whale habitat could grow". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1A. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009.
  41. ^ "Not all alien invaders are from outer space". United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  42. ^ "State creates season for hunting pythons". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. Associated Press. 23 February 2010. pp. 6B. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010.
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