Florida facts ! 1513, Ponce de León, seeking the mythical “Fountain of Youth,” discovered and named Florida. He claimed the region for Spain. In 1564, French missionaries settled Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville. In 1565, Spanish troops arrived and drove the French out of Florida. They established St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the U.S.

In 1763, Spain lost Florida to England. During the Revolutionary War, Spanish troops entered Florida and repossessed the land. During the War of 1812, Spain allowed Britain to use Pensacola as a naval base. In 1814, American troops captured the base leading to U.S. control of Florida in 1821. The Florida Territory was organized in 1822 and settlers entered by the thousands.

Cape Canaveral is America's launch pad for space flights.

The first U.S. earth satellite, Explorer I, was launched from the U.S. Air Force Missile Test Center at Cape Canaveral in 1958.

Key West has the highest average temperature in the United States.

Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where the drink was first developed.

Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America because the city has 185 miles of local waterways.

The crocodile is classified as an endangered species and there are only 400 to 500 remaining in Florida.

Only 30 to 50 Florida Pumas still remain, making this one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the world. Pumas can run as fast as 30 mph and jump as high as 18 feet from the ground.

The world's first scheduled commercial airline flight occurred in Florida on January 1, 1914 between Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Florida's Ethnic Roots: German 11.8%, Irish 10.3%, English 9.2%, American 8%, Italian 6.3%.

Religion in Florida: 80% Christian (54% Protestant, 26% Catholic), 14% No Religion, 4% Jewish, 1% LDS, 1% Other Religions

Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits lead Florida's agricultural products list.

Disney World, located on a 27,000-acre site, is Florida's most popular tourist destination. Also drawing many visitors are the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, Everglades National Park, and the Epcot Center.