Florida is a Southern state in the United States of America, situated upon a large peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. “Florida” is a Spanish adjective which means “flowery.” The peninsula was discovered and settled by Juan Ponce de León on Easter Sunday, 27 March 1513, which is known as Pascua Florida in Spanish.

Known as the Sunshine State, the highest point in Florida State is Walton Country, 32 metres above sea level (345 feet) The county was founded in 1824 and included more than 2,900 square miles including parts of Okaloosa, Washington and Holmes counties. Euchee and Creek Indians originally inhabited the area. In 1808 the first non-Native American Settlers came to the area from Scotland. In 1890, the sawmill town of Point Washington was founded marking the first economic engine in the area—timber.  The landscape is marked by 42 kilometres (26 miles) of white sandy beaches, the Choctawhatchee Bay, many rivers and lakes and vast agricultural and timberlands.


© 2006 Christopher W Herbert (a New Zealand Poet)

a poet who cares