| 1. St Augustine was the first European settlement in | | | | state over 12,000 years ago. |
| North America. This makes it the oldest town in Florida. | | | | 15. President George W Bush and his family spend |
| 2. Orlando is home to the most visited theme parks in | | | | their Christmas vacation every year at Gasparilla |
| the US. | | | | Island. His brother, Jeb Bush, was the Governor of |
| 3. Hawaii is in fact further south than Florida, thus | | | | Florida until 2006. |
| making Hawaii the furthest southern state in the US. | | | | 16. Sanibel is world famous for the seashells that wash |
| 4. Pine Island celebrates their mango crop every year | | | | up on the beaches. When people collect these shells |
| by holding a mango festival and crowning a local lady | | | | along the shore, their peculiar posture is known as the |
| the mango queen in honor of the fruit. | | | | 'Sanibel Stoop'. |
| 5. Thomas Edison had a summer home in Fort Myers. | | | | 17. Fort Myers is home to the Boston Red Sox during |
| His friend Henry Ford liked the area so much he built | | | | their spring training regime. |
| his summer home next door. They are both now | | | | 18. The Number 1 beach in the US in 2005, according to |
| museums and you can still visit these homes today in | | | | Dr Beach - world-renowned beach expert, is in Fort |
| their perfectly preserved state. | | | | DeSoto Park, North Beach, and St Petersburg. |
| 6. The alligator is the official reptile of Florida. | | | | 19. The Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce De Leon originally |
| 7. The largest lake in the state of Florida is Lake | | | | discovered Florida in 1513. |
| Okeechobee. | | | | 20. The English ruled Florida for only 20 years before |
| 8. A person born in Florida thus making them a true | | | | being re-conquered by the Spanish in 1784. |
| native is known as a 'cracker'. | | | | 21. Fort Myers Beach is home to Southwest Florida's |
| 9. Cape Coral has more waterways than Venice, Italy. | | | | shrimp fishing fleet. Every year they hold a shrimp |
| It is a very popular vacation spot for boaters. | | | | festival in celebration of the local shellfish. A priest |
| 10. One of the world's greatest tarpon fishing | | | | blesses the fishing fleet for the coming year and the |
| competitions is held every year in the open waters | | | | grand finale of the event is the crowning of the shrimp |
| between Gasparilla Island and Pine Island at Boca | | | | queen. |
| Grande Pass. | | | | 22. Florida has more golf courses than anywhere else |
| 11. The Palmetto Palm is the official tree of Florida. | | | | in the world. |
| 12. Florida is now the third most populated state in the | | | | 23. Conch is a type of edible mollusk that is a |
| US. | | | | statewide delicacy. They are a little chewy and can be |
| 13. The Seminole tribe resides in Florida. There are | | | | found fried, eaten raw with limejuice or in a soup. The |
| 2,000 Native Americans who belong to this tribe. They | | | | correct pronunciation is 'conk'. |
| live on 6 Indian reservations in the state and are all | | | | 24. Wakulla Spring near Tallahassee is one of the |
| directly descended from just 300 Seminole Indians | | | | largest freshwater springs in the world, pumping more |
| who survived the civil war. | | | | than 250 million gallons per day that eventually flows |
| 14. The first known inhibiters of Florida came to the | | | | into the Gulf of Mexico. |