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Florida is located in the southeastern United States. The state is a peninsula containing 53,997 square miles (139,852 square kilometers or 13,985,159 hectares) of land, and 11,761 square miles (30,461 square kilometers or 3,046,085 hectares) covered by water. The state’s total area of 65,758 square miles (170,312 square kilometers or 17,031,244 hectares) makes it the 22nd largest among the United States. The state is bordered to the north by Alabama and Georgia, the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, and Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.
Florida is divided geographically into three land areas: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the East Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Florida Uplands, in the northwestern portion of the state. Florida’s highest point, located in the Florida Uplands, is Britton Hill (Lakewood) (http://www.americasroof.com/fl.html) rising only 345 feet (105 meters) above sea level. The Atlantic Coastal Plain covers eastern Florida and is low and flat; the coast is edged by barrier islands that shield inland waterways. The Big Cypress Swamp (http://www.nps.gov/bicy/) and Florida Everglades (http://www.nps.gov/ever/) comprise much of the southern part of the state. Several islands extend southwest of the southern mainland, including the Florida Keys, the largest of which is Key Largo.
Florida is famed for its warm climate. The Sunshine State indeed receives ample sunshine, but also significant rainfall throughout the year, particularly in the long humid summer. The state has two climatic zones, the warm temperate zone of northern Florida, and the subtropical zone in the south. Average temperatures in the summer range from 80.5 degrees F (26.9 degrees C) in the north and 82.7 degrees F (28.2 degrees C) to the south. Winter is milder with lower humidity than the summer. Winter average temperatures range from 53.0 degrees F (11.7 degrees Celsius) in the north and 68.5 degrees F (20.3 degrees Celsius) to the south. Florida experiences hurricanes occasionally; hurricane season lasts from June to October.
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