Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area. Therefore, Florida was the first region in the continental US to be visited and settled by European explorers. Juan ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer, first discovered the peninsula on 2 April 1513 and named it La Florida ('the land of the flowers'). Juan Ponce de Leon discovers Florida in 1513 when he lands in NE Florida, possibly near present-day St. Augustine, to claim Florida for Spain. State Flag. Florida played a prominent role in the historic struggles of European powers to control the Americas and the Caribbean. Florida's official flag was adopted in 1900. Lightning hits each square mile of Central Florida 40 times a year. Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Click for more kids facts and information or download the worksheet collection. More Florida water information: Florida History. Florida also is the southernmost of the 48 contiguous states, Hawaii being the only one of the fifty states reaching farther south. Today, well over 10 percent of Florida’s population is Hispanic, giving the state a great mix of cultural identity. Florida's flag has a red cross of St. Andrew on a white field; in the center is the state seal, which depicts a Native American (Seminole) woman scattering flowers, the sun with many rays, palm trees (the large one is a cabbage palm), a sailing steamboat, the land and the water. Florida is west of The Bahamas and 90 miles (140 km) north of Cuba. Fact 2 Orlando, Florida is the most visited tourist destination in the United States (2014) with more than 62 million visitors. Florida, which joined the union as the 27th state in 1845, is nicknamed the Sunshine State and known for its balmy climate and natural beauty. Fact 1 Florida is known as the lightning capital of the United States and averages 10 deaths and 30 injuries per year from lightning. St. Augustine, founded in 1565 on Florida’s northeastern coast, is the oldest European settlement within what were to become the boundaries of … More than 100 Native American tribes, such as the Seminoles and Apalachee, lived around Florida when the first Spaniards arrived on its shores in 1513. Offers a chronological timeline of important dates, events, and milestones in Florida history. This is when written records about life in Florida began. Florida History Timeline Important Dates, Events, and Milestones in Florida History. Florida History, Language and Culture History of Florida. History. (Florida ranks 2nd in the nation by this measure and only Alaska ranks higher.) Water in south Florida once flowed freely from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and southward over low-lying lands to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Bay.