Florida is a declare in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico; Alabama to the northwest; Georgia to the north; the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean to the east; and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. It is the only permit that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and afterward a population of more than 21 million, it is the third-most populous. The divulge capital is Tallahassee and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of as regards 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the ninth-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with beyond one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville.

Various Native American groups have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years. In 1513, Spanish buccaneer Juan Ponce de León became the first known European to make landfall, calling the region La Florida ([la floˈɾiða] for its lush greenery and the Easter season (Pascua Florida in Spanish). Florida taking into account became the first area in the continental U.S. to be permanently decided by Europeans, with the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, founded in 1565, being the oldest until the rescind of time inhabited city. Florida was repeatedly contested by Spain and Great Britain before being ceded to the U.S. in 1819; it was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. Florida was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the Indian Wars in U.S. history. The declare seceded from the Union upon January 10, 1861, becoming one of the seven original Confederate States, and was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War upon June 25, 1868.

Since the mid-20th century, Florida has experienced rapid demographic and economic growth. Its economy, with a terrifying state product (GSP) of $1.0 trillion, is the fourth-largest of any U.S. state and the 16th-largest in the world; the main sectors are tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation. Florida is world-renowned for its seashore resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach fascination tens of millions of visitors annually. Florida is a popular destination for retirees, seasonal vacationers, and both domestic and international migrants; it hosts nine out of the ten fastest-growing communities in the U.S. The state’s close proximity to the ocean has shaped its culture, identity, and daily life; its colonial history and successive waves of migration are reflected in African, European, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian influences. Florida has attracted or inspired writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway, and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes, particularly in golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports. Florida was afterward heavily noted for beast a battleground let in in American presidential elections, particularly those in 2000, 2016, and 2020.

About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula along with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands. Florida has 4,510 islands that are ten acres (4.0 hectares) or larger in area, the second highest number after Alaska. Much of the give leave to enter is at or near sea level, and is characterized by sedimentary soil. Florida is the flattest make a clean breast in the country, with the lowest high point of any U.S. state, at just 345 feet (105 meters). Florida’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Okeechobee, is the second-largest located very within the contiguous 48 states and often referred to as an inland sea. Several beaches in Florida have turquoise and emerald-colored coastal waters.