The State of Florida is
located in the southeastern region of the United States. Florida
is situated mostly on a large peninsula between the Gulf of
Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. It
extends to the northwest into a panhandle, extending along
the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered on the north by
the states of Georgia and Alabama, and on the west, at the
end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near the countries
of the Caribbean, particularly the Bahamas and Cuba. Florida's
extensive coast line made it a perceived target during World
War II, so the government built airstrips all around the state.
Today approximately 400 airports are still in service due
to the coastal geography of the state. According to the National
Drug Intelligence Center, Florida has 131 public airports,
and more than 700 private airports, airstrips, heliports,
and seaplane bases. Florida is one of the largest states east
of the Mississippi. Only Alaska and Michigan are larger in
water area.
The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat
by its proximity to water. Most of the state has a humid subtropical
climate, except for the southern part below Lake Okeechobee
which has a true tropical climate. Cold fronts can occasionally
bring high winds and cool to cold temperatures to the entire
state during late fall and winter. One such front swept through
the peninsula on November 25, 1996, bringing cold temperatures
and winds up to 95 miles per hour (150 km/h), knocking out
power to thousands and damaging mobile homes. The seasons
in Florida are actually determined more by precipitation than
by temperature with mild to cool, relatively dry winters and
autumns (the dry season) and hot, wet springs and summers
(the wet season).
The gross state product of Florida in 2005
was $596 billion. Its GDP is one of the fastest-growing in
the nation, with a 7.7% increase from 2004 to 2005. Personal
income was $30,098 per capita, ranking 26th in the nation.
Florida is one of the nine states that do not impose a personal
income tax (list of others). The state had imposed a tax on
"intangible personal property" (stocks, bonds, mutual
funds, money market funds, etc.), but this tax was abolished
after 2006. |
