Here in Caladesi Island State Park, consistently ranked as one of America's top beaches, crowds are never a problem. It is spring break, the height of tourist season, but my only companions are a couple of seagulls, hoping I'll drop a potato chip as I eat my lunch with my back to the dunes. On a picture-perfect spring afternoon, you would expect the beach to be packed. Johns River, in northeastern Florida is Jacksonville – the state’s largest and the most populous city.Along the Sunshine State's thousands of miles of coastline are more than a few remote, unspoiled natural beaches where you can get away from it all for a while. Tallahassee serves as an educational hub for both Florida and the USA. Located in Leon County, in the heart of the state’s northern panhandle region is Tallahassee – the capital city of Florida.

km, the State of Florida is the 3 rd most populous state in the USA. In alphabetical order, these counties are: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Saint Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington. The State of Florida is divided into 67 counties. The Apalachicola River in the west and the Miami River in the southeast also play significant roles in the state's hydrology. Flowing northward for over 300 miles, this river stands out due to its reversed flow direction. Florida's long coastline is intersected by several major rivers, including the St. It boasts thousands of lakes, with the largest being Lake Okeechobee, spanning an impressive 730 square miles. The Keys are famous for their coral reefs and tropical climate.įlorida's geography is not complete without mentioning its significant bodies of water. The Florida Keys, extending from the southern tip of the state right out to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas, is an archipelago consisting of more than 1,700 small islands. It is characterized by shallow, slow-moving water spread over flatlands, creating a marshy terrain. This large tropical wetland area, a unique geographical feature, houses a wide variety of plant and animal species. The Everglades region, often called the 'River of Grass', is located in the southern part of Florida. This region is home to the highest point in Florida, Britton Hill, which stands at a modest height of 345 feet above sea level. It features a slightly hilly landscape that differentiates it from the rest of Florida's mostly flat topography. The Upland South, also known as the North Central region, occupies the northern part of the state. The region is interspersed with marshes and wetlands, especially in the Big Bend area, where the coastline curves to meet the Panhandle.

This terrain gives way to miles of beautiful, sandy coastline and picturesque beach towns, a defining feature of Florida. It is generally flat and low-lying, sloping gently towards the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Coastal Plains region encompasses most of the state. The state is divisible into four primary geographical regions: the Coastal Plains, the Upland South, the Everglades, and the Keys. From the expansive flatlands to the rolling hills, from the humid wetlands to the sandy beaches, Florida's terrain is rich and varied. The geography of Florida manifests itself in a striking diversity of regions, each boasting distinct characteristics. Covering an area of 65,758 square miles, Florida is the 22nd largest state in the United States. On the east, it is bounded by the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, while the Gulf of Mexico lies to the west and south. Florida, officially known as the Sunshine State, shares borders with the states of Alabama and Georgia to the north.

Florida beach landscape