The State of Florida

Georgia Alabama   Gulf of Mexico Atlantic Ocean

The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.

The Postal Code for Florida: FL

The typical abbreviation for Florida: Fl.

Time Zone: The majority of the state of Florida is in the Eastern Time (EST/EDT) zone and observes daylight saving time. A small portion of western Florida is located in the Central Time (CST/CDT) zone and observes daylight saving time.

Note:

Starting in 2007, Daylight Savings Time will be begin 3 weeks earlier and end 1 week later. Click here for details.

When the people of Florida refer to themselves: Floridian or Floridan

Population: According to the 2006 Census estimates, Florida has a population of 18,089,888 people. This represents 6.04% of the national total, making it the 4th most populous state.

The following are population changes since the last Census. The population counts after year 2000 are estimates.

Year	Population	Change
2006	18,089,888	+1.81% since 2005
2005	17,768,191	+2.31% since 2004
2004	17,366,593	+2.16% since 2003
2003	16,999,181	+1.90% since 2002
2002	16,682,250	+2.00% since 2001
2001	16,354,728	+2.33% since 2000
2000	15,982,378	Last Census Count

Area: The area of Florida is 65,755 square miles (170,304.67 km²). This represents 1.73% of the national total. Florida ranks as the 22nd largest state.

	State Flag

Density: The population density of Florida is 335.45 people per square mile (129.52 people/km²). Florida ranks 8th in population density.

Nickname for Florida: "The Sunshine State"

State Motto: "In God We Trust"

State Bird: Mockingbird (mimus polyglottos)

State Tree: Cabbage Palmetto (sabal palmetto)

State Flower: Orange Blossom (citrus sinensis)

State Song: "Swanee (or Suwannee) River"

Statehood: Florida became the 27th state on Mar 3, 1845. Florida was the 3rd state to secede from the Union (on Jan 10, 1861) and following the Civil War, was the 3rd Confederate state to be re-admitted (on June 25, 1868).

Useful State Links

The state website for Florida can be found at:

www.myflorida.com

The portal for Florida tourism:

www.myflorida.com/portal/visitor

For information about Florida fishing regulations and licenses requirements:

myfwc.com/fishingareas.html

For information about Florida hunting regulations and licenses requirements:

wildflorida.org/hunting

Communities Ranked by Population (Top-15)

Rank	City	2005 Population	National Rank
1	Jacksonville	782,623	14
2	Miami	386,417	47
3	Tampa	325,989	57
4	Saint Petersburg	249,079	68
5	Hialeah	220,485	76
6	Orlando	213,223	100
7	Fort Lauderdale	167,380	133
8	Tallahassee	158,500	134
9	Hollywood	145,629	156
10	Pembroke Pines	150,380	161
11	Coral Springs	128,804	194
12	Gainesville	108,184
13	Clearwater	108,687
14	Cape Coral	140,010
15	Miami Gardens	99,438

Other Roadside Stops

The Lighthouses of Florida

Miscellaneous Information

Census Region:   3   (South)

Census Division:   5   (South Atlantic)

State FIPS-55 Code:   12

Office of Management and Budget (OMB):   Region IV   /   Region 4

ISO-3166-2 Code:   US-FL

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